Senior/Staff Software Engineer, AI Insights

About UsFounded in 2021, Axion is at the forefront of transforming product quality and customer satisfaction in manufacturing. Our cutting-edge AI-powered platform empowers manufacturers to swiftly identify, thoroughly investigate, and effectively resolve quality issues while simultaneously elevating customer experiences and outcomes.As trailblazers in end-to-end quality intelligence, we're setting new industry standards. Our innovative approach enables industrial, aerospace, consumer, and medtech manufacturers to harness the power of quality and post-market data, driving down costs and boosting business performance.Our vision extends beyond mere problem-solving; we're committed to reshaping the future of manufacturing. By seamlessly integrating advanced AI technology with deep industry expertise, Axion is paving the way for smarter, safer, and more efficient production processes across diverse sectors.Backed by leading investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Amplo, Boeing, and RTX Ventures, Axion is poised to lead the quality revolution in manufacturing.About the RoleWe’re hiring for a Senior or Staff Software Engineer to help lead our agile, fast-moving backend teams. In this role, you’ll design and build scalable agentic systems, backend services and data-processing workflows that transform complex, unstructured customer data into reliable, structured outputs. . You’ll help shape the architecture of our APIs, databases, cloud infrastructure, and LLM-powered and agentic systems while improving their reliability, observability, and performance. Working closely with engineering, product, and customer-facing teams, you’ll translate ambiguous business needs into clear technical direction and lead foundational decisions that scale with the company. This is a high-impact opportunity to shape the company’s technical strategy and make foundational decisions that will scale with usKey ResponsibilitiesArchitect and operate multi-step, tool-using agentic pipelines that convert unstructured data into reliable structured outputBuild evaluation frameworks, golden datasets, and feedback loops that measure quality and catch regressionsImprove model performance through prompt and pipeline optimization, model selection, and fine-tuning where it pays offOwn the reliability of cloud-native services: deployment, observability, scalability, and on-call supportMentor engineers and lead cross-team technical initiatives from design through productionRequirements5+ years building and operating production backend or data-intensive systemsProduction experience with LLM systems, including multi-step, tool-using, or agentic workflowsExperience measuring and improving model quality, through evals, prompting, fine-tuning, or a mixExperience designing distributed systems, asynchronous workflows, and reliable data-processing servicesWorking knowledge of data warehousing, ideally applied to versioned datasets, lineage, or feedback captureExperience running containerized applications on a major cloud platform ([AWS/GCP/Azure])Bonus PointsFine-tuning or distillation experience (SFT, LoRA, or provider tuning APIs)Experience with LLM observability and cost/latency optimizationWho You Are:You’re a builder and operator who thrives in fast-moving, high-accountability environments. You take pride in getting things done — thoughtfully, efficiently, and without drama. You’re energized by ambiguity, skilled at bringing clarity, and comfortable flexing between strategy and execution.You value feedback — giving it, receiving it, and acting on it — and you see collaboration as a competitive advantage, not a burden. You’re low-ego but high-agency: you care about winning as a team more than being right individually. You move quickly, communicate directly, and make decisions grounded in impact and data.You don’t need constant direction — you create momentum. You take ownership for outcomes, and you expect the same from those around you.How We Operate:We move fast, work smart, and hold ourselves to a high bar. Axion is a place for people who take pride in their craft and are motivated by meaningful work. We respect time off and boundaries, but we’re also realistic: hard problems sometimes require weekend pushes or late-night thinking sessions. We support that balance — intensity with respect for recharge.We stay highly collaborative and connected throughout the day — much of our communication happens over Slack. We move quickly, share feedback often, and keep discussions open so decisions and context flow freely. If you value crisp communication, rapid iteration, and a steady hum of collaboration, you’ll fit right in.We:Collaborate deeply. Feedback is part of how we build — everyone has a voice, and ideas win on merit.Leave ego at the door. Titles don’t define value; contribution does.Bias toward action. We iterate fast and favor progress over perfection.Communicate with clarity. Direct, transparent, and always in service of the mission.Act like owners. Everyone is accountable for outcomes, not just tasks.Sustain excellence. We push hard but don’t glorify burnout — we’re in this for the long game.If you want to help shape a company redefining how manufacturing operates — and you thrive in a culture that rewards ownership, speed, and candor — you’ll feel at home hereWhat We Offer:Work with cutting-edge AI technology making a tangible impact in manufacturingCollaborative, mission-driven team and supportive leadershipGenerous time offCompetitive compensation, equity, and benefitsLunch stipend…. And much moreReady to drive the future of manufacturing with AI? Apply today to join our team and help us build the category-defining platform for quality intelligence.Axion is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity, or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.Compensation Range: $220K - $280KLocationSan Francisco, CA; New York, NYEmployment TypeFull timeLocation TypeHybridDepartmentEngineeringCompensationBase Salary $220K – $280K • Offers EquityAxion strives to be fair and competitive. We leverage market data from Pave to inform our compensation packages.