Interested in this AI Software Engineer role at Mercola?
Apply Now →Skills & Technologies
About This Role
Some engineers write features. Others build the systems that entire businesses depend on. This is your opportunity to become one of them.
You'll own meaningful work from first idea to production, creating experiences that customers rely on every single day. Every improvement you make creates momentum. Every release becomes part of your professional legacy. You'll solve challenging problems alongside experienced engineers who trust you with real ownership, encourage continuous growth, and celebrate curiosity.
You'll experience the excitement of learning quickly, shipping confidently, and seeing your work make an immediate difference. You'll build software that helps people access trusted health products and information while continuously expanding your own capabilities. You'll help reshape the future of intelligent software by combining thoughtful engineering with modern AI\-powered development to set a new standard for quality, speed, and innovation.
This is the kind of role ambitious engineers remember because they truly own what they build.
Senior Software Engineer — Full\-Stack, Platform \& Applied AI
ROLE SNAPSHOT
- Pay: $145,000 to $185,000 annually
- Location/Schedule: Remote (United States)
- Purpose: Build, ship, and operate production software across a modern commerce, content, and AI platform while owning features end\-to\-end.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Design, build, deploy, and operate production software across the full application stack.
- Own features from architecture through deployment and ongoing production support.
- Develop secure APIs, backend services, data models, and integrations.
- Build and improve customer\-facing applications and internal engineering systems.
- Work across cloud infrastructure, deployment pipelines, application reliability, and security.
- Collaborate closely with business stakeholders and communicate technical concepts clearly.
- Use modern AI coding assistants daily while applying sound engineering judgment.
- Continuously improve systems, processes, and engineering quality through ownership and initiative.
MUST\-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS
- Demonstrated experience building and operating production software end\-to\-end.
- Strong full\-stack engineering background including frontend, backend, databases, and deployment.
- Strong SQL skills and database schema design experience.
- Experience developing secure APIs and third\-party integrations.
- Excellent written communication for both technical and non\-technical audiences.
- Ability to collaborate during regular US Eastern business hours.
- Current, hands\-on experience using AI coding tools such as Claude Code, Codex, or an equivalent.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with React.
- Experience with TypeScript, Node.js, Python, or C\#/.NET.
- Experience with PostgreSQL.
- Experience with AWS and/or Azure.
- Experience with Kubernetes and CI/CD.
- Experience with Shopify or Microsoft Dynamics 365 integrations.
- Experience with voice AI or applied machine learning integrations.
- Leadership or mentoring experience.
WHAT WE OFFER
- Remote full\-time employment.
- High\-autonomy engineering culture.
- End\-to\-end product ownership.
- Opportunity to work across multiple modern platforms and technologies.
- Daily use of state\-of\-the\-art AI development tools.
- Direct collaboration with a senior engineering team.
- Meaningful opportunities for technical growth and expanded ownership.
Honest Challenge
This is a high\-ownership engineering role. You'll be expected to learn quickly, take responsibility for production systems, and occasionally participate in planned weekend deployment windows for higher\-risk releases.
PLEASE NOTE: While we appreciate candidates who reach out directly, given the volume, we are unable to respond to each inquiry individually.
The pay range for this position is $145,000 to $185,000 annually. Please note that the quoted pay range for this job is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) experience, including industry or specific experience, education, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, and/or other applicable laws.
This position is benefits\-eligible. Mercola provides competitive, affordable, and diverse benefit programs that support your total health – from a healthy body to a healthy mind. These benefits support you and your family in all aspects of life:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
- Accident, Hospital Indemnity, and Critical Illness
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Employer Paid Life and AD\&D Insurance
- Optional Supplemental Life and AD\&D Insurance
- Short\- and Long\-Term Disability Insurance
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Health Savings Accounts
- Dayforce Wallet – get paid as you earn
- Employee Discount
- Retirement Planning (401k with matching contribution)
- Pet Insurance
- Wellness Program Offerings
- Paid Time Off, accrued per pay period based on years of service, starting at 15 days annually.
- 9 Paid Holidays per year, including 1 floating holiday.
The compensation and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. The Company reserves the right to modify this information at any time, with or without notice, subject to applicable law.
The Company expects to accept applications for this position until July 20, 2026, but encourages interested applicants to apply as soon as possible. We will review this information, and one of our Talent Acquisition professionals will reach out if your background aligns with the position.
Our Commitment to Equal Opportunity and Inclusion
Mercola and its affiliates (“Mercola”) are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race (including hairstyle and texture), color, religion or belief (or lack thereof) (including religious grooming and dress practices), sex, nationality, national or ethnic origin, civil status, age, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, familial status, marital or registered civil partnership status, pregnancy or parental status, gender identity, gender reassignment, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. If you need accommodation, please send an email to [email protected] to let us know the nature of your request.
Salary Context
This $145K-$185K range is below the median for AI Software Engineer roles in our dataset (median: $183K across 194 roles with salary data).
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 3,708 AI roles we're tracking, AI Software Engineer positions make up 7% of the market. At Mercola, 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 $219,250 based on 424 positions with disclosed compensation. Senior-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $230,000. This role's midpoint ($165K) sits 25% below the category median. Disclosed range: $145K to $185K.
Across all AI roles, the market median is $217,500. Top-quartile compensation starts at $272,100. The 90th percentile reaches $325,000. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($300,000) and Research Engineer ($280,000). By seniority level: Entry: $120,000; Mid: $200,000; Senior: $230,000; Director: $272,150; VP: $250,000.
Mercola AI Hiring
Mercola has 1 open AI role right now. They're hiring across AI Software Engineer. Based in Remote, US. Compensation range: $185K - $185K.
Remote Work Context
Remote AI roles pay a median of $185,334 across 717 positions. About 14% of all AI roles offer remote work.
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 3,708 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 102 entry-level, 1,705 mid-level, 1,469 senior, and 432 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 14% of the market (508 positions). The remaining 3,180 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $217,500. Top-quartile compensation starts at $272,100. The 90th percentile reaches $325,000. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($300,000 median, 21 roles); Research Engineer ($280,000 median, 147 roles); AI Architect ($254,798 median, 67 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 3,708 open positions across 16 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (2,605), Data Scientist (310), AI Software Engineer (259). 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 (102) are outnumbered by mid-level (1,705) and senior (1,469) 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 432 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 14% of all AI roles (508 positions), with 3,180 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 $217,500. Top-quartile roles start at $272,100, and the 90th percentile reaches $325,000. 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 $300,000 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $140,000. 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 (1,890 postings), Aws (1,103 postings), Azure (877 postings), Rag (855 postings), Gcp (631 postings), Prompt Engineering (560 postings), Pytorch (545 postings), Claude (498 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
Get Weekly AI Career Intelligence
Salary data, skills demand, and market signals from 16,000+ AI job postings. Every Monday.