Staff Software Engineer

About Codeworks Codeworks, an LRS Company, has over 25 years of experience serving Fortune 1000 companies in Wisconsin as well as our client's national locations. Our recruiting team excels at evaluating, advising, and connecting IT professionals with new opportunities that will satisfy their expectations regarding income and opportunity for growth. At Codeworks, we're committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workforce and beyond. We believe in equal opportunities and value the unique perspectives that every individual brings to our team. Join us in creating an inclusive, innovative, and collaborative workplace where your talents can thrive.Only W2 employment – no C2C candidates will be considered. Staff Software Engineer (AI Platform / Distributed Systems)Location: Remote Type: Direct Hire Position OverviewWe are seeking a Staff Software Engineer to design and build scalable platform infrastructure powering next-generation AI-driven applications. This is a highly impactful, hands-on technical leadership role focused on building internal platforms, developer tools, and distributed systems that enable product teams across the organization.You will partner closely with senior engineering leadership and cross-functional teams to deliver reusable systems, establish engineering standards, and drive innovation in a rapidly evolving AI/LLM landscape. Key ResponsibilitiesPlatform & System Design • Design and build core platform components, including: • LLM provider abstractions and SDKs • Structured output validation systems • Streaming and asynchronous processing systems • Token management frameworks • Architect scalable, event-driven systems using modern cloud infrastructureAI / LLM Engineering • Build systems that support production-grade LLM use cases (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic) • Develop evaluation frameworks for model quality, including datasets, scoring, and regression detection • Design and implement prompt lifecycle management (versioning, testing, deployment)Safety, Compliance & Observability • Implement guardrails, PII detection/redaction, and audit logging systems • Build privacy-focused observability and monitoring solutions • Ensure responsible AI usage and compliance best practicesDeveloper Enablement & Platform Adoption • Build SDKs and platform tools used across multiple teams • Create documentation, reference implementations, and onboarding materials • Partner with product and engineering teams to understand needs and drive adoptionTechnical Leadership • Influence architecture, engineering standards, and best practices • Lead by example through hands-on development and code reviews • Promote testing, type safety, and observability across systems Required Qualifications • 8+ years of software engineering experience • Strong background in platform engineering, distributed systems, or developer tools • Production experience with LLM/AI systems • Expertise in TypeScript and backend development (Node.js/NestJS preferred) • Experience with event-driven architecture and asynchronous processing • Hands-on experience with AWS cloud services • Strong understanding of observability (metrics, tracing, alerting) • Knowledge of AI safety, PII handling, and auditability • Proven ability to lead technically and influence across teams • Strong communication and documentation skills Preferred Qualifications • Experience building SDKs or internal platforms used across organizations • Familiarity with: • Prisma ORM, PostgreSQL • DynamoDB, Redis • Docker and containerized environments • Experience with: • Prompt engineering and LLM evaluation tools • Streaming systems for real-time AI applications • Multi-tenant platform design • Ports-and-adapters or similar architectural patterns • Exposure to modern AI tooling ecosystems (e.g., Vercel AI SDK, OpenAI Agents SDK) • Contributions to AI or open-source projects Technical Environment • Languages: TypeScript • Frameworks: NestJS • Cloud & Infrastructure: AWS (Fargate, EventBridge, S3), Docker • Databases: PostgreSQL (Prisma), DynamoDB, Redis • AI/LLM: OpenAI, Anthropic • CI/CD: GitHub Actions, SonarQube • Testing: Vitest • Observability: New Relic, Langfuse Why This Role • High-impact opportunity to shape AI platform strategy and architecture • Work on cutting-edge LLM and generative AI systems in production • Influence engineering standards across a growing organization • Strong compensation with bonus potential • Fully remote flexibility Codeworks, an LRS Company, is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for employment will receive consideration without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, gender identity, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, citizenship status or protected veteran status.In some cases, LRS Consulting uses generative artificial intelligence ("AI") in support of our hiring processes. LRS takes steps to ensure the use of AI does