Applied AI Software Developer

Company Overview
Job Title: Applied AI Software Developer
Location: Louisville, KY (Hybrid)

When you leave home each day, you take 3 things: your phone, wallet, and keys.

Each of these is a multibillion-dollar industry because everyone uses them every day. Most can be found at retail stores everywhere, but not car keys. When 275 million drivers in North America need a key, they have to go to a dealership.


We're changing that.

Car Keys Express is the world's leading automotive key replacement company, and we are still growing fast.

In the past decade, we have grown revenues more than 10X and have built a team of more than 1,000 across the U.S. and Canada. We operate a nationwide mobile fleet, partner with major retailers like AutoZone, Advance, and Costco, and serve both everyday drivers and large enterprise customers.


Since our founding in 2002, Car Keys Express has led nearly every major advancement in the industry, building an impressive list of world's firsts:

• the world's first online store to sell car keys and remotes
• the world's first discount mobile key service
• the world's first electronic car key recycler
• the world's first Universal Car Remote
• the world's first Universal Car Key
• the world's first universal DIY key programmer
• the world's first car key replacement app
• the world's first car key vending machine

These breakthroughs were not accidents. They are the result of a fully integrated model that gives Car Keys Express unmatched control over design, production, and delivery.


If that sounds exciting, join us on our adventure to see which "world's firsts" come next.


Purpose
Lead the research, development, and implementation of artificial intelligence solutions that accelerate business growth, improve operational efficiency, and establish Car Keys Express as an AI-forward automotive services company. This role exists to build AI-powered systems that create real competitive advantage - and to use AI as a force multiplier for the engineering team that supports the entire business.

Summary
The AI Software Developer is an innovative, self-directed contributor responsible for identifying, building, and deploying AI-driven solutions across the Car Keys Express business. This role works at the intersection of applied AI and modern web development - designing intelligent systems, automating complex workflows, and collaborating with leadership to shape where AI takes us next.

This is a role for someone who lives and breathes AI: someone who follows emerging tools and frameworks, can evaluate build-vs-buy decisions, and has the engineering depth to implement ideas independently. The work is expansive and will grow with the role.


Duties Critical to Success

• Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered tools, agents, and automation systems that solve real business problems across operations, customer service, sales, and logistics.
• Use AI to accelerate software development - writing, reviewing, and improving code with the assistance of modern AI coding tools.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and recommend solutions that fit the company's needs, including assessments of third-party AI vendors versus internal development.
• Build and maintain integrations between AI systems and existing platforms (internal applications, APIs, and data sources).
• Collaborate with leadership and cross-functional teams to identify high-impact automation and AI opportunities.
• Contribute to data architecture decisions that support AI initiatives, including structured data pipelines and reporting infrastructure.
• Document systems, decisions, and implementation approaches for long-term maintainability.
• Stay current on AI advancements and bring forward-thinking recommendations to the team.
• Help establish standards and guardrails for responsible, secure, and effective AI use across the business.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Critical to Success

• Demonstrated professional experience building and deploying AI-powered applications or systems in production environments.
• Proficiency with modern AI tools, frameworks, and APIs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, LangChain, or similar).
• Experience designing agentic systems, multi-step AI workflows, or AI-assisted automation pipelines.
• Ability to move beyond prompt usage into system design, orchestration, evaluation, and production implementation.
• Working knowledge of at least one modern programming language (PHP, Python, JavaScript, or equivalent); ability to adapt to an existing tech stack.
• Familiarity with RESTful API design and integration patterns.
• Strong analytical thinking and ability to evaluate tradeoffs between AI solutions.
• Ability to work independently, manage ambiguity, and drive projects from idea to production - including rapid prototyping and iteration in undefined problem spaces.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills - able to explain AI concepts and recommendations to non-technical stakeholders.

Deliverables

Success in this role means delivering AI solutions that improve productivity, reduce manual effort, accelerate decision-making, or create measurable business growth opportunities. Specific deliverables include:

• Production-ready AI tools and automations that measurably improve speed, accuracy, or capacity across targeted business areas.
• Documented evaluations and recommendations for AI solutions, including build-vs-buy analysis.
• AI-assisted development practices adopted by and shared with the broader engineering team.
• Roadmap contributions: ongoing identification and prioritization of AI opportunities across the business.
• Well-documented systems and implementation decisions that support long-term maintainability and team knowledge transfer.

Relations to Supervisory and Subordinate Roles within the Company

Immediate Supervisor: Director of IT
Direct Reports: None

Job Specifications, Standards, and Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• 3+ years of professional experience in software development, with meaningful, demonstrable work in AI application development.
• Experience shipping AI-powered features or tools in a production environment (beyond personal projects or academic work).
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS or similar) and modern development workflows.
• Experience with data pipelines, reporting systems, or structured data analysis is a plus.
• Additional web development skills (frontend or backend) are a strong bonus.
• Louisville, KY preferred; remote candidates with exceptional qualifications will be considered.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship.

Essential Job Functions (ADA-Compliant)
The following essential job functions are fundamental to the successful performance of the AI Software Developer role and cannot be eliminated or significantly modified without changing the nature of the position:

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, or remain in a stationary position for extended periods as required by job tasks.
• Adequate hearing and vision (corrected or uncorrected) to perform job duties, including reading printed materials, viewing screens, communicating via telephone or computer, and understanding verbal communication in various settings.
• Manual dexterity and coordination sufficient for typing, data entry, and computer use.
• Ability to speak clearly and be understood to convey instructions and exchange information.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally, both verbally and in writing, with individuals and groups in person, via virtual meetings, and over the phone.

Work Environment

• Ability to travel to various locations, including client sites, field locations, or training venues.
• Capacity to work in diverse environments, which may include office settings, manufacturing or production areas, outdoor locations, or client facilities, sometimes with varying temperatures, noise levels, or exposure to dust, fumes, or chemicals.