Applied AI Engineer

About the role

This position involves creating internal AI-powered systems to streamline OpenRouter's operations. You will develop automated workflows that enhance support and go-to-market functions, aiming to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort. The focus is on building reliable, production-ready tools that integrate deeply with our existing infrastructure.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Develop and deploy agentic workflows from concept to completion, automating customer support and sales operations.
• Integrate our internal systems with current third-party tools, and replace them with custom solutions where beneficial.
• Ensure the dependability of your creations through rigorous evaluation, guardrails, and monitoring.
• Quantify the impact of your work, such as reducing support requests or speeding up sales cycles.
• Collaborate with support, go-to-market, and engineering teams to identify priority automation opportunities.
• Continuously refine deployed systems based on actual usage data and feedback.

Requirements

• A preference for building internal solutions over purchasing off-the-shelf software.
• A commitment to perfecting the final stages of development, focusing on reliability and edge cases.
• Practical experience in either customer support or go-to-market functions, understanding the nuances of these workflows.
• Broad system understanding with a strong backend development focus.
• A proactive approach to security, considering access controls and potential impacts of automated actions.
• A data-driven mindset, emphasizing quantitative measurement of automation effectiveness.
• The ability to achieve high standards while managing timelines effectively.

Nice to have

• Experience with at least three different agent frameworks.
• Prior experience building a custom agent harness for a specific workflow.
• Proven track record of shipping production LLM or agentic systems with sound engineering practices.
• Contributions to open-source developer tools or agent frameworks.

Skills & tools

• Backend development
• AI/ML systems
• Workflow automation
• System integration
• Data analysis
• LLMs

Practical notes

• OpenRouter sponsors visas.
• Travel is not required.
• Benefits include equity.
• We encourage applications even if you don't meet every single requirement.