AI Engineer

Introduction

The IBM Customer Zero initiative builds internal AI tooling that improves how the IBM workforce operates. This role focuses on the sales motion: building applications that help IBM sales teams identify, interact with, and assist customers and prospective customers. The work draws on IBM's distinctive position in the AI market, including the ability to build models in the Granite series, host models across IBM infrastructure, and apply IBM software in the construction of AI-centric and AI-enhanced systems. This is a hands-on engineering role located in Austin, with Atlanta as a secondary location.

Your role and responsibilities

As an AI Engineer on the IBM Customer Zero initiative, you will build internal AI-powered tools that help IBM sales teams identify, engage, and support customers and prospective customers across the IBM software portfolio. You will work directly with sales stakeholders to understand their workflows, then design and ship working applications that improve those workflows in measurable ways.

Your primary responsibilities will include:

• Design and build AI-powered applications. Architect and deliver production-grade tools that apply current agentic frameworks, coding agents, and large language model APIs to real sales workflows. Ship working software, not prototypes.
• Work directly with sales stakeholders. Observe sales workflows, identify high-impact problems, translate those observations into requirements, and validate solutions against real use. Communication skill matters as much as engineering skill in this role.
• Apply the full model spectrum. Build solutions that draw on the appropriate model for the task, including IBM Granite, open-weight and open-source models, and current frontier models from major providers. Understand the tradeoffs between them.
• Operate effectively in coding-agent-driven engineering. Contribute to a codebase where agents accelerate development substantially, including the disciplines required to manage merge volume, code collisions, and consistency drift that come with that pace.
• Establish evaluation and measurement discipline. Define how each tool will be measured before it is built. Build evaluation harnesses, monitor production behavior, and identify regressions before users do.
• Extend over time toward buyer-facing tooling. As the team matures, contribute to tools that help software buyers navigate solution design and the buying process. This is a roadmap direction, not a day-one responsibility.

Required education

Associate's Degree/College Diploma

Preferred education

Bachelor's Degree

Required technical and professional expertise

• Fluency in Python, with working knowledge of at least one additional modern language such as JavaScript or TypeScript. Several years of professional engineering experience.
• Fluency in React, with working knowledge of another modern framework such as Vue or Angular acceptable
• Hands-on experience building applications that use large language model APIs across multiple providers, including frontier models and open-weight or open-source models.
• Working experience with current agentic frameworks and coding agents, including the ability to assess which framework fits a given problem.
• Working knowledge of relevant AI and integration protocols, including standard API design, Model Context Protocol, and Agent-to-Agent communication. Candidates are not expected to have shipped production A2A systems, but should understand what A2A is and the problems it addresses.
• Working knowledge of vector search tooling and the database interactions that support retrieval at production scale.
• Working knowledge of CI/CD practices and the disciplines that keep modern application codebases deployable and consistent.
• Exposure to coding-agent-driven engineering at pace, including the practical reality of managing merge volume and code collisions when agents contribute substantial portions of a codebase.
• Demonstrated ability to define how an AI application will be evaluated, including the construction of evaluation datasets and the measurement of model and system behavior in production.
• Strong written and verbal communication, including the ability to translate between technical implementation and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Familiarity with the IBM AI portfolio, including WatsonX and the Granite model family, or clearly demonstrated interest in developing that familiarity.
• Experience designing or contributing to internal tools used by non-technical users in production settings.
• Working knowledge of production AI engineering practices, including observability for model-based systems, cost monitoring, and graceful handling of model API failures.
• Familiarity with sales workflows, CRM data models, or pipeline mechanics, sufficient to collaborate effectively with sales stakeholders.
• Experience with containerization, infrastructure-as-code, and deployment practices common to modern application engineering.

ABOUT BUSINESS UNIT

IBM has a global presence, operating in more than 175 countries with a broad-based geographic distribution of revenue. The company's Global Markets organization is a strategic sales business unit that manages IBM's global footprint, working closely with dedicated country-based operating units to serve clients locally. These country teams have client relationship managers who lead integrated teams of consultants, solution specialists and delivery professionals to enable clients' growth and innovation. By complementing local expertise with global experience and digital capabilities, IBM builds deep and broad-based client relationships. This local management focus fosters speed in supporting clients, addressing new markets and making investments in emerging opportunities. Additionally, the Global Markets organization serves clients with expertise in their industry as well as through the products and services that IBM and partners supply. IBM is also expanding its reach to new and existing clients through digital marketplaces.

YOUR LIFE @ IBM

In a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.

Being an IBMer means you'll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you'll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.

Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on-going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can-do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.

Are you ready to be an IBMer?

ABOUT IBM

IBM's greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.

Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we're also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 500 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.

At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it's time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.

IBM is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, or other characteristics protected by the applicable law. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

OTHER RELEVANT JOB DETAILS

IBM offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program. Eligible employees may have access to:

• Healthcare benefits including medical & prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and mental health & well being
• Financial programs such as 401(k), cash balance pension plan, the IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan, financial counseling, life insurance, short & long- term disability coverage, and opportunities for performance based salary incentive programs
• Generous paid time off including 12 holidays, minimum 56 hours sick time, 120 hours vacation, 12 weeks parental bonding leave in accordance with IBM Policy, and other Paid Care Leave programs. IBM also offers paid family leave benefits to eligible employees where required by applicable law
• Training and educational resources on our personalized, AI-driven learning platform where IBMers can grow skills and obtain industry-recognized certifications to achieve their career goals
• Diverse and inclusive employee resource groups, giving & volunteer opportunities, and discounts on retail products, services & experiences

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.

This position was posted on the date cited in the key job details section and is anticipated to remain posted for 21 days from this date or less if not needed to fill the role.

IBM will not be providing visa sponsorship for this position now or in the future. Therefore, in order to be considered for this position, you must have the ability to work without a need for current or future visa sponsorship.

The compensation range and benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year. The salary will vary depending on your job-related skills, experience and location. Pay increment and frequency of pay will be in accordance with employment classification and applicable laws. For part time roles, your compensation and benefits will be adjusted to reflect your hours. Benefits may be pro-rated for those who start working during the calendar year.