Founding AI/ML Engineer / Startup / + / NYC
Open TalentRole Overview
Open Talent is hiring a mid-level Founding AI/ML Engineer / Startup / + / NYC. This is a full-time hybrid role, based in New York. Part of Open Talent's Ml Engineering hiring. The posted range is $350k to $550k. Full responsibilities, required qualifications, and the apply link are listed in the description below.
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Job Description
Founding AI/ML Engineer / (LLMs / RAG / Agentic Systems) / NYC / $500k+ Equity
We’re hiring for a world class team at one of the fastest growing & most innovative next-gen aerospace AI companies in North America. They're building LLMs, RAG & high-performance AI systems to power mission-critical operations in defence & space.
Only the top 0.1% of America's AI Engineers can do this. If you’ve built real mission critical LLM systems that can’t fail - this could be your next move.
The Role
You’ll own & scale a RAG-driven AI system powering critical aerospace operations. Expect to tackle retrieval quality, latency bottlenecks, & eval-driven fine-tuning head-on for the most innovative & exciting real-time systems in Aerospace today. This is full production ownership - from architecture to metrics.
You should have experience with:
- Deploying LLM-based systems at scale (Llama, Mistral, GPT-4, Claude)
- Retrieval optimisation - hybrid search (BM25 + vector), reranking, caching
- Evaluation - recall@k, precision@k, groundedness, hallucination metrics
- Fine-tuning (LoRA/QLoRA), RAG architecture, LangChain / LlamaIndex
- Tooling: Hugging Face, Weaviate/Pinecone, FastAPI, PyTorch, Redis, Postgres
- Monitoring inference, eval automation, & continuous improvement loops
Bonus
- IoT or Hardware integration or real-time systems experience exp.
Ideal background:
- CS or Applied ML degree from a top-tier university
- Proven 0-1 experience in a fast-moving AI startup, or Defence related company
- You’ve shipped reliable GenAI systems under pressure
- Degree in Computer Science from a top-tier university
- Prior experience in high-performance teams (0-1, startups)
- You’ve shipped real systems - not demos
You’ll be expected to:
- Own the LLM pipeline end-to-end – retrieval → evaluation → fine-tuning
- Improve accuracy, grounding, and eval metrics continuously
- Make architecture decisions for scale, reliability & speed
- Collaborate directly with founders & domain experts
Stack:
Python / PyTorch / LangChain / Transformers / FastAPI / Hugging Face / Weaviate / Redis / Postgres / Docker / Kubernetes
Offer:
- Up to $500,000+ base salary + equity
- Hybrid in NYC
- Tight-knit, high-output team
- High ownership, real impact, flat structure
Interview Process:
1) Technical Deep Dive
2) Technical Assessment or Live Pairing
3) Panel focused on mindset & team fit
Equal Opportunity
We're hiring for an Equal Opportunity Employer.
If you’ve shipped real GenAI systems, thrive under pressure, and want to see your models power live aerospace systems - this is where theory meets orbit.
TL;DR - Senior AI Engineer (NYC, On-site)
- Build & scale production-grade GenAI systems from 0 to 1
- Own and improve RAG pipelines - accuracy and latency matter
- Deep experience with LLMs, LangChain, Hugging Face & real deployments
- Must have shipped working GenAI products, not just prototypes
- Ideal: startup DNA, top-tier CS degree, fast execution mindset
- $500K base + equity
- All our new jobs are posted here 1st:
linkedin.com/in/sufyanbashir/
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply for the Founding AI/ML Engineer / Startup / + / NYC position at Open Talent?
Use the Apply button above to submit your application directly to Open Talent. Most applications take less than 5 minutes if your resume and contact details are ready, and you'll be routed to the employer's official application system to finish.
Is the Founding AI/ML Engineer / Startup / + / NYC role at Open Talent remote or in-office?
This is a hybrid role based in New York. Expect a mix of in-office and remote days, with the specific cadence set by the hiring manager.
How much does the Founding AI/ML Engineer / Startup / + / NYC role at Open Talent pay?
Open Talent has posted a compensation range of $350k to $550k for this position. Final offers typically vary based on candidate experience, location, and internal salary bands.
When was the Founding AI/ML Engineer / Startup / + / NYC role at Open Talent posted?
This role was posted on March 22, 2026 (87 days ago). It's still listed as actively hiring; we re-confirm openings against the source system multiple times per day and remove closed roles.
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