AI Engineer

Cornell University’s IT team is seeking an AI Engineer to design, develop, and deploy production-grade artificial intelligence solutions that support administrative, academic, and research needs. This onsite role is based in Ithaca, New York and focuses on building secure, scalable, high-performance AI applications that leverage Generative AI and large language models (LLMs) along with cloud-native technologies.

In this position, you will collaborate across project and technical teams to deliver solutions aligned with institutional strategy and technology standards. You will also contribute to reusable AI capabilities and help integrate AI services with enterprise systems, with attention to security, identity controls, and engineering best practices.

What you’ll do

• Design, develop, and deploy production-grade AI solutions for university administrative, academic, and research use cases.
• Build and maintain secure, scalable, high-performing AI applications, primarily leveraging Generative AI, LLMs, and cloud-native technologies.
• Work with project managers, business analysts, architects, developers, faculty, and IT teams to deliver innovative solutions that match institutional standards.
• Contribute to reusable AI capabilities, integrate AI services with enterprise systems, ensure strong security and identity controls, and apply engineering best practices.
• Participate in the full software development lifecycle, supporting production operations and using technical expertise to improve reliability, performance, and user experience.

What you bring

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, information technology, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3–5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Demonstrated ability to design, build, test, and deploy Agentic AI applications.
• Experience developing cloud-native applications using AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Experience integrating applications with enterprise identity systems using protocols such as OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML, JWT, LDAP, and Microsoft Identity.
• Strong experience with Python, Node.js, or comparable languages for AI application development.
• Strong debugging, problem-solving, and performance-optimization skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to build inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Helpful experience (preferred)

• Master’s degree in computer science, data science, AI/ML, or a related field.
• Experience delivering or supporting Generative AI / LLM-backed applications in production environments.
• Experience with vector databases, embedding pipelines, model orchestration frameworks, or agent frameworks.
• Familiarity with DevOps/MLOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, observability, monitoring, and reliability engineering.
• Experience with containerization/orchestration such as Docker, Kubernetes, or ECS.
• Knowledge of responsible AI principles, model governance, data privacy, and AI risk management.
• Experience working in higher education, research computing, or similarly complex environments.

Compensation and work setup

• Location: Ithaca, NY (onsite)
• Salary: USD 98,548 - 114,529 per year
• Job family: Information Technology
• University job title: Software Engineer III

Benefits and total rewards

Cornell is recognized nationally as an award-winning workplace for health, wellbeing, and sustainability. The role includes comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, and access to wellness programs, along with employee discounts with local and national retail brands.

• Leave: Health and personal leave, including three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25–January 1), plus two additional floating holidays.
• Education support: Tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program; tuition aid for external education; Cornell Children’s Tuition Assistance Program.
• Work location: 100% on-premise and located on Cornell University Campus in Ithaca, New York.

Application details

• Visa sponsorship: No visa sponsorship of any kind is available.
• Relocation assistance: No relocation assistance will be provided.
• Contact: Maria Avila, [email protected]
• Online submission: Apply online and submit a resume/CV and cover letter. Upload documents via drag-and-drop or the upload icon.
• Employment assistance: For general questions, contact the recruiter listed in the job posting or email [email protected]. Accommodation requests may be directed to Cornell Office of Civil Rights at voice (607) 255-2242 or [email protected].

Technologies involved

Generative AI, large language models (LLMs), Agentic AI applications, cloud-native technologies, AWS, Azure, GCP, OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML, JWT, LDAP, Microsoft Identity, Python, Node.js.