About the Role
🚀 We're hiring our first dedicated AI Engineer.Skillmaker is the AI-native operating system for skilled workforce development — compressing multi-year technician ramp times into weeks through immersive XR training, smart-glasses-assisted on-the-job support, and a multi-agent AI engine.We just commercially launched our first product, the NAPA XcceleratoR, under an exclusive 5-year partnership with NAPA Auto Parts — one of the largest automotive parts and service networks in the world. The platform is shipping into shops. Now we're scaling — and the AI layer that makes Skillmaker different (our SMART Engine) needs a dedicated owner.That's where you come in.
🎯 The Role: Applied AI EngineerThis is greenfield ownership. You're not inheriting someone else's architecture or backlog — you're defining what AI looks like at Skillmaker for the next several years. You'll be in the room for every consequential AI decision.
What you'll own: 🔹 LLM fine-tuning & domain adaptation (LoRA, QLoRA, RLHF) for skilled-trades training content 🔹 RAG pipeline architecture — vector DBs, embeddings, chunking, retrieval precision 🔹 Encoding our proprietary 7 Steps Methodology into model behavior (a dataset and model nobody else can replicate) 🔹 LLM integration across our six product modules: Knowledge Collector, Planner, Builder, Deployer, Rewarder, Manager 🔹 Setting the bar for AI-native engineering culture as our first dedicated AI hire
What we're looking for: 🔹 Hands-on LLM fine-tuning experience — not just prompt engineering 🔹 Production RAG pipeline expertise (chunking, embeddings, reranking) 🔹 Python at engineering quality, not scripting 🔹 LangChain or equivalent orchestration; AWS (SageMaker, Bedrock) preferred 🔹 You build evals — you don't eyeball outputs 🔹 Comfort moving fast in a constraint-driven startupBonus: Workforce training, industrial/skilled-trades content, LangSmith, OpenSearch, multi-modal models, automotive standards (ASE, OEM).
🏆 Recognition & momentum: ✅ 2025 NAPA Auto Care Strategic Partner of the Year ✅ 2026 Coastal Entrepreneur Award — Emerging Company ✅ CED VentureConnect — AI Category Winner ✅ 2025 NC TECH Awards — Top 10 Tech Startups to Watch ✅ Backed by Idea Fund Partners, Strada Education Foundation, Cape Fear Ventures, NC Tweener Fund + a strong angel syndicate ✅ Actively raising a seed round to fuel the next phase
📍 Location: Wilmington, NC, strongly preferred. Elsewhere in NC is considered. Remote-within-US open for the right candidate.
💰 Compensation: $115,000–$125,000 base + meaningful early-stage equity. Every team member at Skillmaker is an owner.
🌎 Why this matters: The global skilled-labor shortage is projected to reach 85 million workers by 2030. The AI you build directly addresses that — across thousands of technicians and shops, expanding into construction, telecom, and energy next.
📩 To apply or refer a candidate: email Skillmaker at jobs@skillmaker.aiSkillmaker, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.#Hiring #AIEngineer #AppliedAI #MachineLearning #LLM #RAG #StartupJobs #Wilmington #NorthCarolina #WorkforceDevelopment #XR #VentureBacked