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About This Role
About Us At Gradion, we are the strategic partner for ambitious businesses, helping them achieve breakthrough growth through Digital Innovation and Deep Tech.
With a global vision and an AI-first approach, we enable clients to reshape strategies, optimize systems, and adopt cutting-edge technologies to create sustainable value.
From AI and data to cybersecurity, robotics, and large-scale enterprise platforms, Gradion designs practical solutions that lay the foundation for the next generation of billion-dollar companies.
Our Facts & Figures
- 23+ years of expertise - Gradion builds digital platforms & deep-tech solutions
- 3 continents: Asia, Europe and Africa
- 300+ specialists across 7 countries: Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Egypt and Australia
- 100+ enterprise clients, including several unicorns (e.g., Alaiko, HomeToGo, Roadsurfer)
- Vietnam's Best IT Company - recognized by ITViec for 8 consecutive years, including 2 consecutive years of ranking #1 (2024 and 2025)
- ISO 27001
About The Role Most companies know AI can change how they work. Far fewer know how to get it running inside their own systems, data, and processes. That gap is where this role operates.
As a Forward Deployed Engineer on our AI Innovation team, you work directly with clients/ stakeholders to turn real business problems into working AI solutions. You sit with their teams, understand how they operate, and build what they need: integrations, automations, AI agents, and production-ready applications on top of their existing platforms.
You write production code, and you also run discovery sessions, scope solutions, and explain technical trade-offs to business stakeholders. What you learn in the field feeds back into Gradion's reusable accelerators and solution offerings.
What You'll Do Discover and scope with clients/ stakeholders
- Run discovery sessions with clients/ stakeholders to understand workflows, data, systems, and pain points
- Identify where AI and automation can create measurable business value
- Translate business needs into clear technical scope, solution designs, and delivery plans
Build and deploy AI solutions
- Design and build AI-powered applications, agents, and automations using LLMs, RAG, and tool-calling workflows
- Integrate solutions with systems such as ERP, CRM, data platforms, and internal APIs
- Deliver fast prototypes and proofs of concept, then take the successful ones to production
- Ensure solutions are secure, reliable, observable, and maintainable
Own outcomes in the field
- Measure results after deployment and iterate based on real usage and feedback
- Support pre-sales with technical demos, solution input, and effort estimates when needed
Shape Gradion's AI capability
- Turn repeated patterns into reusable components, templates, and accelerators
- Share field insights with delivery, product, and leadership teams
- Stay current with AI models, frameworks, and tooling, and bring practical learnings to the team
Experience What We Are Looking For
- Professional software engineering experience, with solutions shipped to production
- Hands-on experience building applications with LLMs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini APIs) and related patterns such as RAG, agents, and tool calling
- Experience in client-facing roles such as consulting, agency, solutions, or implementation work
Technical Skills
- Comfortable across backend and frontend
- Solid with APIs, system integration, databases, and data pipelines
- Working knowledge of at least one cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP), plus Docker and CI/CD
- Familiarity with AI frameworks and tooling (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex, vector databases, evaluation tools)
Skills And Approach
- Explains technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders
- Product mindset: focuses on business outcomes, not just features
- Comfortable with ambiguity: you scope the problem before you code it
- Self-directed and accountable from discovery to delivery
Language
- Good English proficiency (written and spoken)
Why You'll Love Working Here Join Vietnam's Best IT Company
- Gradion Vietnam (formerly NFQ Vietnam) was recognized by ITViec for 8 consecutive years, including 2 successive years as the Winner. Work with some of the best minds in the industry and be part of a company that's redefining how businesses scale through technology.
Career Growth & Leadership Development
- Work closely with our leadership team, gain mentorship from experienced executives, and have direct exposure to high-level strategic decisions. Your growth is limitless, as long as you're ready to step up, opportunities will always be there for you.
AI-First Engineering & Strategic Consulting
- Our engineering culture integrates AI as a core driver of design, development, and optimization, not an add-on. As a forward-thinking consultancy, we go beyond traditional engineering, combining technical excellence with a strategic mindset to deliver transformative solutions for ambitious businesses.
Competitive Compensation
- We believe great talent deserves great rewards. Expect an attractive salary, performance-based bonuses, and a benefits package that reflects your impact. We value talent over salary budgets - exceptional contributions deserve exceptional rewards.
And Many More Benefits to Explore! But most importantly, a healthy work-life balance and an environment where you can thrive professionally and personally. Including:
- Performance bonus of up to 2 months' salary
- Performance review twice a year, so your growth is recognized and rewarded
- Premium healthcare for you, plus an annual health check
- 15 days of annual leave
- Full salary during probation
- Hybrid working for real flexibility
- Monthly Happy Hour and Community Tech activities
- Work on global projects as part of an innovation team that shapes ideas for the hi-tech world
- Diverse training programs to keep you growing
Working Time and Location Working time: Monday - Friday (9 AM - 6 PM)
Location:
- Ho Chi Minh office: Podium Floor, Sapphire 2 tower, 92 Nguyen Huu Canh Street, Thanh My Tay Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Da Nang office: 23rd Floor, G8 Golden Building, 65 Hai Phong, Hai Chau Ward, Da Nang City, Vietnam
- Remote Work: Candidates based in Hanoi or Can Tho are welcome to work remotely
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
Role Details
About This Role
AI Software Engineers build the applications and systems that AI models run inside. They own the API layers, data pipelines, frontend integrations, and infrastructure that turn a model into a product users interact with. Every AI company needs engineers who can build the software around the AI.
The challenge is building reliable systems around inherently unreliable components. Models are probabilistic. They'll give different answers to the same question. They hallucinate. They're slow. They're expensive. Your job is to build an application layer that handles all of this gracefully while delivering a product that users trust and enjoy.
Across the 9,079 AI roles we're tracking, AI Software Engineer positions make up 5% of the market. At GRADION, this role fits into their broader AI and engineering organization.
AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.
What the Work Looks Like
A typical week includes: building API endpoints that serve model inference with caching and fallback logic, designing the data pipeline that feeds context to a RAG system, implementing streaming responses in the frontend, debugging a race condition in the async inference pipeline, and optimizing database queries for the vector search layer. It's full-stack engineering with AI at the center.
AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.
Skills Required
Full-stack engineering skills with AI integration experience. Python and TypeScript are the most common requirements. You'll need to understand API design, database architecture, and how to build reliable systems around probabilistic outputs. Experience with streaming, async processing, and caching patterns is increasingly important as real-time AI applications proliferate.
Knowledge of vector databases, embedding APIs, and LLM integration patterns (function calling, structured outputs, retry logic) differentiates AI software engineers from general software engineers. Understanding cost optimization (caching strategies, model routing, batched inference) is valuable since inference costs can dominate application economics.
Strong postings describe the product you'll be building, the AI integration patterns you'll work with, and the scale requirements. Look for companies that have existing AI features and need engineers to improve and expand them, not companies that are 'planning to add AI' someday.
Compensation Benchmarks
AI Software Engineer roles pay a median of $220,000 based on 1,601 positions with disclosed compensation. Mid-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $193,200.
Across all AI roles, the market median is $213,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $263,911. The 90th percentile reaches $318,400. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($256,000) and Research Engineer ($252,000). By seniority level: Entry: $111,000; Mid: $193,200; Senior: $229,300; Director: $272,300; VP: $235,830.
GRADION AI Hiring
GRADION has 2 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across AI Software Engineer. Positions span Bangkok, Bangkok City, Thailand, Can Tho, Can Tho, Vietnam.
Location Context
Across all AI roles, 6% (531 positions) offer remote work, while 8,478 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: New York (3,078 roles, $221,000 median); San Francisco (2,646 roles, $261,000 median); Los Angeles (1,486 roles, $210,000 median).
Career Path
Common paths into AI Software Engineer roles include Software Engineer, Full-Stack Developer, Backend Engineer.
From here, career progression typically leads toward Staff Engineer, AI Architect, Engineering Manager.
If you're a software engineer, you're already 80% there. Learn the AI integration patterns: RAG, streaming inference, function calling, structured outputs. Build a project that demonstrates you can wrap an AI model in a production-quality application with proper error handling, caching, and user experience. That's the portfolio piece that gets you hired.
What to Expect in Interviews
Technical screens look like standard software engineering interviews with an AI twist. Expect system design questions about building reliable applications around probabilistic models: handling streaming responses, implementing retry logic for API failures, and designing caching strategies for LLM outputs. Coding rounds test standard algorithms plus practical integration patterns like async processing and rate limiting.
When evaluating opportunities: Strong postings describe the product you'll be building, the AI integration patterns you'll work with, and the scale requirements. Look for companies that have existing AI features and need engineers to improve and expand them, not companies that are 'planning to add AI' someday.
AI Hiring Overview
The AI job market has 9,079 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 106 entry-level, 4,384 mid-level, 3,343 senior, and 1,246 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 6% of the market (531 positions). The remaining 8,478 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $213,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $263,911. The 90th percentile reaches $318,400. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($256,000 median, 66 roles); Research Engineer ($252,000 median, 457 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($251,622 median, 55 roles).
AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.
The AI Job Market Today
The AI job market spans 9,079 open positions across 16 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (6,862), AI Product Manager (453), AI Software Engineer (451). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.
The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (106) are outnumbered by mid-level (4,384) and senior (3,343) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 1,246 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 6% of all AI roles (531 positions), with 8,478 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.
AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $213,000. Top-quartile roles start at $263,911, and the 90th percentile reaches $318,400. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.
Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $256,000 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $141,440. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.
The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (1,649 postings), Aws (898 postings), Azure (723 postings), Rag (671 postings), Gcp (536 postings), Pytorch (434 postings), Claude (410 postings), Kubernetes (406 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
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