AI Engineer - Full Time and on-site in NYC

We are hiring an AI Engineer to join our emerging AI & Innovation team. This role is estimated as 70% back-end / 30% front-end, and you'll work on developing Kanopy AI, our proprietary generative AI-powered marketing platform that's reshaping the media and marketing landscape.

🏢 Please note: This position is on-site Monday–Thursday in our NYC office. There are no remote or relocation opportunities available at this time.

You'll collaborate with product managers, data teams, and fellow engineers to develop our multi-layered Kanopy AI platform, integrating marketing data sources, building scalable data processing pipelines, connecting to LLM APIs, and creating intuitive interfaces that deliver actionable insights to our account managers and clients. This role pays $130,000-$150,000 per year, depending on experience.

What You'll Do

AI & Generative AI

• Design and integrate GenAI-powered solutions using APIs from platforms like OpenAI (ChatGPT), Claude (Anthropic), and other LLM providers
• Implement natural language querying capabilities for marketing performance data
• Develop automated insight generation systems that analyze cross-platform marketing performance
• Build anomaly detection systems and predictive analytics features for proactive performance monitoring
• Stay current on the evolving GenAI ecosystem and apply best practices in prompt engineering, vector databases, and orchestration tools

Back-End Development (Primary Focus)

• Design and implement ETL pipelines that integrate with marketing platforms (Google Ads, Meta, TikTok) via Improvado and other APIs
• Build scalable server-side applications and APIs using Python
• Develop the context assembly system that selects relevant marketing data based on user queries
• Create data transformation layers that prepare and normalize marketing metrics for AI analysis
• Use SQL (with Azure databases) to manage and query large marketing datasets efficiently
• Implement data security protocols to ensure client data remains protected and segregated

Front-End Development (30%)

• Develop sleek, intuitive UI components for our chat interface and insights dashboard using Vue.js or React
• Create visualization components that present marketing insights in clear, actionable formats
• Implement client onboarding wizards and data source selection interfaces
• Ensure responsive and performant user experiences across platforms
• Integrate with existing Power BI visualizations where appropriate

Project & Developer Management

• Lead technical oversight of outsourced development teams working on specific Kanopy AI modules
• Create technical specifications and requirements for external developers
• Conduct code reviews and quality assurance for externally developed components
• Manage integration of outsourced code into the main platform codebase
• Track project progress against roadmap milestones and adjust priorities as needed
• Communicate technical updates and blockers to key stakeholders
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and resource optimization
• Maintain project documentation and knowledge repositories for both internal and external teams
• Drive key development initiatives from initial planning through successful deployment
• Monitor and report on project KPIs and technical performance metrics

Collaboration & Quality

• Work cross-functionally with account managers to understand real-world use cases and refine AI responses
• Participate in code reviews and documentation to maintain code quality
• Contribute to testing, deployment, and version control practices
• Help define data modeling standards for consistent marketing performance analysis

What You Bring

• 3–4 years of back-end development experience in Python
• 1–2 years of experience working with Generative AI tools or APIs
• Familiarity with ChatGPT, Claude, Anthropic, or similar LLMs
• Experience with SQL databases (Azure SQL preferred)
• Knowledge of ETL processes and data pipeline development
• Understanding of marketing metrics and analytics (Google Ads, Meta, TikTok)
• Comfort with front-end technologies — ideally Vue.js or React
• Experience with cloud services (Azure preferred, AWS/GCP acceptable)
• Prior experience managing outsourced development teams and coordinating multi-part projects
• Strong communication skills and ability to translate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• A strong collaborative mindset and interest in experimenting with cutting-edge AI

Why Join Direct Agents?

• Work on a real-world GenAI marketing platform with a clear product roadmap
• Join a nimble, innovation-focused team at a company managing over $500 million in ad spend
• Be part of a vibrant office culture in the heart of NYC
• Access to continuous learning, mentorship, and leadership opportunities
• Work with diverse, high-profile clients across retail, media & entertainment, finance, and technology sectors
• Competitive compensation, benefits, and inclusive team culture