Member of Technical Staff, Applied Engineering - Government

About xAI

xAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All engineers are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

About the Role

Applied engineers work directly with our end customers, including federal government and enterprise partners, to own strategy and execution of mission-critical AI solutions. This role mirrors the responsibilities of a hands-on AI startup CTO: you’ll collaborate in a small, agile team to deliver high-stakes projects, often in secure or regulated environments. A typical day may include:

• Drive the development and enhancement of the core product and underlying model, while collaborating cross-functionally to deliver end-to-end AI solutions.

• Identifying pain points, scoping product specifications, and designing and building LLM-powered software for government or enterprise use cases.

• Benchmarking models and developing evaluation frameworks to assess performance and address weaknesses, ensuring compliance with customer standards.

• Enhancing model performance through system prompt tuning or fine-tuning, with an eye toward secure and scalable deployment.

• Analyzing request logs, prompt data, or system outputs to ensure reliability and auditability.

• Building internal tooling to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks in secure environments.

• Refining xAI SDKs or developer documentation based on customer feedback, with an emphasis on usability for government or enterprise developers.

Focus

• A passion for solving complex, real-world problems—particularly those tied to government missions or enterprise objectives—delivering measurable impact through AI.

• Proven ability to ship high-quality, secure code and complete projects in challenging, regulated, or ambiguous environments.

• Adaptability to shifting priorities and requirements in a fast-paced, mission-driven startup setting.

• Exceptional communication skills to interface with customers—including government stakeholders—clarifying technical requirements and driving projects to completion.

• Expertise in designing, implementing, and maintaining robust, scalable, and secure AI-driven solutions that meet stringent compliance and operational standards.

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