AI Prototyping Engineer

Location: St. Louis, Missouri, United States, Fargo, North Dakota, United States, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

Workplace: remote

Employment Type: full

Description

The AI Prototyping Engineer is responsible for turning emerging business ideas into working, deployable prototypes using AI-enabled development tools. This role bridges business users and the software development team by rapidly testing concepts, building functional solutions, and preparing successful prototypes for efficient transition into production.

Essential Position Responsibilities:

• Turn early-stage business ideas and loosely defined concepts into working prototypes using AI-enabled development tools and rapid experimentation.
• Partner with business users, AI prototypers, and developers to clarify objectives, translate needs into functional solutions, and determine when a prototype has sufficiently proven a concept.
• Build and refine AI-enabled features, including prompt design, agent workflows, API integrations, and methods for evaluating the quality and reliability of AI-generated output.
• Package successful prototypes for effective handoff to the development team, using clear structure, version control, and documentation so production development can build on the work rather than restart it.
• Apply firm data, privacy, and security practices during prototyping so solutions can transition appropriately to live firm data and production environments.
• Use AI tools as a primary part of the prototyping and development process while independently reviewing, testing, and validating all generated output before it is relied upon.
• Evaluate prototypes critically, identifying limitations, edge cases, and risks and determining when additional refinement is valuable versus when the concept is ready for handoff or should be discontinued.
• Stay current with rapidly evolving AI development tools and techniques and apply new capabilities where they can improve speed, quality, or business value.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, information systems, data science, or a related field, or equivalent demonstrated experience; recent graduates with strong project experience are encouraged to apply.
• Demonstrated ability to take an idea from concept to a working, usable prototype through coursework, internships, hackathons, side projects, or professional experience.
• Strong comfort using current AI development tools to create and refine working solutions, with the judgment to recognize when AI-generated output is incomplete, inaccurate, or unreliable.
• Working knowledge of version control, APIs, integrations, hosting, and deployment concepts needed to move a prototype toward a deployable solution.
• Foundational software development skills; experience with TypeScript, React, Python, or similar technologies is preferred but not required at an advanced level.
• High degree of initiative and comfort working through ambiguity, changing requirements, unfamiliar tools, and problems without an established playbook.
• Strong judgment and practical problem-solving skills, including the ability to balance speed with quality and recognize when a prototype has achieved its intended purpose.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders and translate between business needs and development requirements.
• Curiosity, adaptability, and a willingness to experiment, learn quickly, and move on from prototypes that do not demonstrate sufficient value.
• A portfolio or examples of working projects that demonstrate the ability to build and ship functional solutions is strongly preferred.

Benefits

Health insurance; dental insurance; vision insurance; an employer funded profit-sharing plan with a 401(k) option (upon meeting eligibility requirements), group term life insurance, disability insurance, flexible spending accounts and a flexible time off and paid leave program.