AI Engineer I

The AI Engineer I is responsible for building, testing, and maintaining components of AI-powered software applications under the guidance of senior engineers. As part of the AI & Analytics Innovation Team, this role will work together with engineers and data scientists to implement well-defined features of LLM-based applications that drive operational outcomes for internal teams as well as customers. The AI Engineer I will develop application code, integrate AI model APIs, support data preparation, and build the engineering fundamentals required for production-quality AI systems.

RESPONSIBILITIES, other duties may be assigned.

• Implement well-defined features of AI-powered applications based on designs and specifications from senior engineers

• Integrate LLM APIs into applications, including prompt templates, structured outputs, and basic tool / function calling

• Build and maintain components of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines: data ingestion, parsing, chunking, embedding generation, and basic retrieval

• Assist with data preparation and pipelines (cleaning, transformation, ingestion) to support AI / Analytics systems

• Write unit tests and run evaluation scripts to measure output quality, latency, and accuracy of AI features

• Support deployment and monitoring of services: containerization, logging, metrics, and alert investigation on owned components

• Work collaboratively as part of a distributed, fast paced team

• Participate fully in code review, version control, sprint ceremonies, and documentation

Assist with maintaining deployed API based systems and infrastructure

• 0-2 years of hands-on experience in software development (internships and substantial academic or personal AI projects count) OR BS degree in computer science or equivalent

• Demonstrated record of work ethic, team collaboration, accountability, and holding yourself and your team to higher standards

• Experience with Python application development

• Software engineering foundations: comfortable with Git / version control, writing clean and readable code, basic data structures and algorithms, debugging, and working in the terminal / command line

• Understanding of how the web works at a basic level: HTTP / REST APIs and JSON

• Hands-on exposure to LLM APIs and prompt engineering through projects, coursework, or professional work

• Basic understanding of how LLMs work in practice: tokens, context windows, and how they affect cost and behavior

• Working knowledge of SQL

• Strong verbal / written communication skills

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Familiarity with embeddings and vector search, and at least one vector database (e.g., pgvector, Pinecone, Chroma, Qdrant)

• Familiarity with an LLM orchestration framework (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex, LangGraph)

• Exposure to cloud-based application development (AWS / Azure) and containerization (Docker)

• Familiarity with an AI evaluation framework or LLM-as-a-judge concepts

• Awareness of open-source / locally run models and tooling (e.g., Hugging Face, Ollama)

• A portfolio of shipped AI projects or open-source contributions

We conform to all the laws, statutes, and regulations concerning equal employment opportunities and affirmative action. We strongly encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply to all of our job openings. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, age, disability status, Genetic Information & Testing, Family & Medical Leave, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We prohibit retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer or the government, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint or discrimination claim.

It's exhilarating to find yourself at a pivotal moment in history- and even more so to be leading the way. At QTS Data Centers, we are proud to stand at the forefront of today's dynamic digital transformation. Our world-class data centers empower our customers' most strategic growth initiatives, positioning us as a global leader in digital infrastructure. As AI and cloud technologies fuel the demand for increased speed, capacity, and innovation, QTS has emerged as the global digital infrastructure leader. We are committed to connecting the globe for good. Driven by purpose and a spirit of innovation, we design, build, and operate some of the most advanced data centers worldwide. In addition to our cutting-edge technology, we are dedicated to sustainability, incorporating renewable energy solutions to minimize our environmental footprint and drive meaningful impact. As a proud portfolio company of Blackstone, QTS is uniquely positioned to achieve ambitious growth and innovation goals. At QTS, we are _Powered by People_ . Our team members are the cornerstone of our culture, innovation, and growth. They are mission-driven, resourceful, and committed to making a positive impact in the communities where we live and work. Together, we're achieving remarkable things and shaping the future of digital infrastructure.