Senior Software Engineer, AI (Chicago)

Secure Every Identity, from AI to HumanIdentity is the key to unlocking the potential of AI. Okta secures AI by building the trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to safely embrace this new era. This work requires a relentless drive to solve complex challenges with real-world stakes. We are looking for builders and owners who operate with speed and urgency and execute with excellence.This is an opportunity to do career-defining work. We're all in on this mission. If you are too, let's talk.Okta’s Business Technology organization builds secure and intelligent internal platforms that power our global workforce. Our AI & Automation team is delivering next-generation tools and experiences by integrating GenAI and intelligent automation into workflows across IT, HR, Finance, Sales, Marketing and Customer Support.We focus on real-world applications: virtual agents, AI copilots, internal RAG services, and AI-augmented self-service portals — all with scale, governance, and user experience in mind.The OpportunityAs a Senior Software Engineer, Applied AI, you’ll play a key role in building user-facing and backend systems that leverage GenAI to improve internal experiences and operations. This role requires strong full-stack engineering skills, with an emphasis on both AI integration and building intuitive, performant UIs that make AI accessible and useful to our internal customers.You’ll work closely with software engineers, product managers, and designers to build secure, intelligent tools for employees across Okta.What You’ll DoDesign and build end-to-end GenAI-powered applications, including web-based UIs, API services, and backend orchestration.Implement and integrate LLM-based experiences using frameworks like LangChain, LlamaIndex, and tools like OpenAI, Claude, or Gemini.Define, implement, and champion operational excellence standards (SLOs, observability, incident response frameworks) for all services deployed.Develop responsive, accessible, and modern frontend interfaces using frameworks like React or Vue — with a focus on usability, performance, and trust in AI outputs.Build and maintain a library of reusable frontend components and hooks that allow other business delivery teams to easily drop in GenAI capabilities into their own applications.Build and maintain retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines with vector search and embedding strategies (e.g., Pinecone, FAISS, Qdrant).Collaborate with designers and product managers to rapidly iterate on UX patterns for AI-powered experiences (e.g., prompt inputs, citations, summaries).Ensure security, privacy, observability, and test coverage across the full stack.Contribute to architecture decisions, engineering standards, and best practices for AI/automation systems.Partner with platform and infrastructure teams to ensure services scale reliably across the org.What You’ll Bring5–8 years of software engineering experience with full-stack development, including 2+ years of building AI/ML-driven applications.5+ years of experience in frontend technologies like React, TypeScript, or Vue, and comfort working on UI/UX for internal tools or enterprise applications.Strong Python development skills and 2+ years experience building cloud-based services using AWS, Docker, and RESTful APIs.Hands-on experience with LLM integration, RAG pipelines, prompt engineering, or orchestration frameworks like LangChain or LlamaIndex.Strong background in distributed systems, APIs, microservices, container orchestration (ECS/EKS), and cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure).Familiarity with secure coding, authentication/authorization, and internal data governance best practices.Ability to collaborate across engineering, design, and product teams — with a strong sense of user empathy and technical ownership.Bonus: Exposure to design systems, AI evaluation tooling, or real-time application performance monitoring.Why Join OktaMake AI Real: Design and build AI-powered apps used daily by Okta employees.Full-Stack Challenge: Tackle end-to-end problems — from LLM orchestration to intuitive UIs.Trusted Innovation: Join a team committed to security, ethics, and technical excellence in AI.P24738_3354842The annual base salary range for this position for candidates located in the San Francisco Bay area is between: $165,000—$247,000 USDBelow is the annual base salary range for candidates located in California (excluding San Francisco Bay Area), Colorado, Illinois, New York and Washington. Your actual base salary will depend on factors such as your skills, qualifications, experience, and work location. In addition, Okta offers equity (where applicable), bonus, and benefits, including health, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), flexible spending account, and paid leave (including PTO and parental leave) in accordance with our applicable plans and policies. To learn more about our Total Rewards program please visit: . The annual base salary range for this position for candidates located in California (excluding San Francisco Bay Area), Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Washington is between:$147,000—$221,000 USDThe Okta ExperienceSupporting Your Well-BeingDriving Social Impact Developing Talent and Fostering Connection + CommunityWe are intentional about connection. Our global community, spanning over 20 offices worldwide, is united by a drive to innovate. Your journey begins with an immersive, in-person onboarding experience designed to accelerate your impact and connect you to our mission and team from day one.Okta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, or status as a protected veteran. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and convictions records, consistent with applicable laws.If reasonable accommodation is needed to complete any part of the job application, interview process, or onboarding please use this Form to request an accommodation.Notice for New York City Applicants & Employees: Okta may use Automated Employment Decision Tools (AEDT), as defined by New York City Local Law 144, that use artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other automated processes to assist in our recruitment and hiring process. In accordance with NYC Local Law 144, if you are an applicant or employee residing in New York City, please click here to view our full NYC AEDT Notice.