Senior Software Engineer, Applied AI

$165K - $205K Remote Senior AI Software Engineer

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Skills & Technologies

AwsBedrockClaudeEmbeddingsLlamaMistralPython

About This Role

AI job market dashboard showing open roles by category

Company Description About VIVIO

VIVIO Health, a Public Benefit Corporation, is revolutionizing pharmacy benefits management through data and technology. Our foundational principle - "The Right Drug for the Right Person at the Right Price" - drives everything we do. Since 2016, our evidence-based approach has delivered superior health outcomes while reducing costs for self-insured employers and health plans. By ensuring each patient receives the most appropriate medication for their specific condition at a fair market price, we're replacing the obsolete PBM Model with innovative solutions that work better for everyone.

Why Join VIVIO?

  • Innovation: Challenge the status quo and shape healthcare's future
  • Impact: Directly influence patient care and help change healthcare delivery
  • Collaboration: Work with passionate teammates dedicated to making a difference
  • Culture: Enjoy autonomy and reliability in a micromanagement-free environment
  • Growth: Expand your opportunities as we expand our business

Job Description About the role

VIVIO Health is transforming how it operates with AI, and we are hiring a senior engineer to build the features that make that real: language-model capabilities for our clinical, client success, and member experience teams, built on AWS Bedrock and related models and shipped to real users. Your job is to take a business problem from one of those teams, work out where a model helps and where it does not, and deliver something the team uses every day. This is not a research role. The AI work lives inside our production platform, so you will also ship application features, work with the integrations that exchange data with our partners and build the test and quality practices that keep all of it reliable.

Our clinical programs are the first area we are transforming with AI, so your early work will be with the clinical team and the documents, reviews, and decisions that run through it. Other business areas follow as the platform stabilizes.

The role is remote, with structured written communication as the default working mode. You report to the Head of Engineering and work directly with the business owners of the problems you solve.

What you will do

  • Build and extend LLM-backed capabilities on AWS Bedrock and related models: document OCR and extraction on clinical and claims paperwork, summarization and decision support for clinical review, Knowledge Bases for retrieval over plan and policy documents, and workflow automation for internal teams
  • Establish and maintain evals for the AI features you ship, so we know when quality drifts
  • Handle the practical side of production AI: structured output, failure modes, cost, latency, and knowing when a deterministic approach beats a model
  • Use agentic coding tools (Claude Code and Kiro) as a core part of your workflow, and own the verification of what they produce
  • Design, build, test, and ship features in our Python and FastAPI back end on MySQL and AWS, and our Jinja2, Tailwind, and Alpine.js front end, with a bias toward fixing what is broken before adding what is new
  • Work with the integrations that exchange eligibility, accumulator, and claim data with carriers and pharmacies, including NCPDP D.0 and X12 270/271 transactions and the file formats behind them
  • Put test and lint gates in place where they are missing, and treat CI as part of the definition of done
  • Treat PHI handling as a first-class design constraint in everything you build
  • Write clear specs, prompts, and design notes; at this level, written communication is an engineering skill

How we work

Development happens in a managed Linux environment that you reach by remote desktop from a Windows endpoint; PHI never lands on a laptop. You need to be fluent in both: Linux for the actual engineering, Windows as the workstation you get there from.

Qualifications What we need

  • 7+ years building production software, with real ownership of systems that other people depend on
  • Strong Python with production FastAPI (or a comparable async framework) experience, solid SQL on MySQL or Postgres, and working knowledge of AWS
  • Comfortable in a server-rendered front end (Jinja2, Tailwind, Alpine.js or htmx); we are not looking for a React specialist
  • Fluent in Linux for development and comfortable working from a Windows workstation over remote desktop into a secure environment
  • Daily use of AI coding tools on real work, and a clear point of view on where they help and where they fail
  • At least one LLM-powered feature shipped to real users, including how you evaluated it and what went wrong
  • Practical knowledge of prompt and context engineering, retrieval, embeddings, and structured output
  • Working knowledge of healthcare data exchange standards and file-based integrations: NCPDP D.0, X12 270/271, SFTP, fixed-width and delimited formats, and reconciliation
  • Direct communicator who names tradeoffs plainly and asks when something is unclear

Nice to have

  • Healthcare or other regulated-data experience (HIPAA, PHI, SOC 2)
  • Pharmacy benefits, claims, or clinical program experience
  • Self-hosting open-source models (Llama, Qwen, Mistral, or similar) with vLLM, Ollama, or TGI, including GPU sizing, quantization, and serving inside a private network
  • Fine-tuning or adapter training on domain data
  • Classical ML for prediction or scoring (scikit-learn, XGBoost), with model monitoring in production
  • Master's degree in computer science or a related field

How we hire

An HR phone screen, a technical interview that includes a short practical exercise (extract structured data from messy documents and show us your evals), a conversation with the Head of Engineering, and a final conversation with one or more of the business leaders you would support. Our interviews are a mix of phone calls, Video interviews and an on-site visit to our corporate office.

VIVIO does not provide employer support or sponsorship for any immigration related employment benefit for this role.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a fulltime basis without the need for employer support, visa transfer support, DSO documentation or sponsorship now or in the future. This includes having the legal right to work in the United States without the need for VIVIO support or sponsorship for any immigration related employment authorization (e.g., H1B, O1, E3, H1B1, TN, F1 OPT, F1 STEM OPT, F1 CPT, E-2, E-3 etc.) now or in the future.

Additional Information Compensation and Benefits:

  • The anticipated salary range for this position is $165K-$205K base. The actual salary offered will be determined by a variety of factors, including the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and the position's geographic location.
  • Bonus Eligible
  • Comprehensive Benefits Package:
  • Medical, Pharmacy, Dental, Vision
  • Life Insurance
  • Stock Options
  • 401(k) with Company Match
  • PTO
  • Full-time position
  • Dynamic, collaborative work environment
  • Opportunity to make a real impact at a growing Public Benefit Corporation

VIVIO Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Please be advised that job opportunities will only be extended after a candidate submits a completed job application and goes through our interview process, including 1:1 and/or group interviews via phone, video conferencing, and/or in-person. All legitimate correspondence from a VIVIO employee will come from our Smart Recruiter Applicant Tracking System "@smartrecruiter.com" or "@viviohealth.com" email accounts.

Salary Context

This $165K-$205K range is below the median for AI Software Engineer roles in our dataset (median: $193K across 172 roles with salary data).

Role Details

Company VIVIO Health
Title Senior Software Engineer, Applied AI
Location Remote, US
Category AI Software Engineer
Experience Senior
Salary $165K - $205K
Remote Yes

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 9,653 AI roles we're tracking, AI Software Engineer positions make up 5% of the market. At VIVIO Health, 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

Aws (9% of roles) Bedrock (2% of roles) Claude (4% of roles) Embeddings (2% of roles) Llama Mistral Python (17% of roles)

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 1,448 positions with disclosed compensation. Senior-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $228,700. This role's midpoint ($185K) sits 16% below the category median. Disclosed range: $165K to $205K.

Across all AI roles, the market median is $213,400. Top-quartile compensation starts at $264,230. The 90th percentile reaches $319,400. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($253,100) and Research Engineer ($252,000). By seniority level: Entry: $110,408; Mid: $193,200; Senior: $228,700; Director: $272,275; VP: $235,000.

VIVIO Health AI Hiring

VIVIO Health has 1 open AI role right now. They're hiring across AI Software Engineer. Based in Remote, US. Compensation range: $205K - $205K.

Remote Work Context

Remote AI roles pay a median of $185,906 across 2,124 positions. About 6% 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 9,653 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 193 entry-level, 4,500 mid-level, 3,455 senior, and 1,505 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 6% of the market (568 positions). The remaining 9,010 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.

The market median for AI roles is $213,400. Top-quartile compensation starts at $264,230. The 90th percentile reaches $319,400. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($253,100 median, 57 roles); Research Engineer ($252,000 median, 419 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($251,622 median, 51 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 9,653 open positions across 16 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (7,301), Data Scientist (441), AI Software Engineer (438). 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 (193) are outnumbered by mid-level (4,500) and senior (3,455) 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 1,505 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.

Remote work availability sits at 6% of all AI roles (568 positions), with 9,010 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 $213,400. Top-quartile roles start at $264,230, and the 90th percentile reaches $319,400. 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 $253,100 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 (1,605 postings), Aws (916 postings), Azure (724 postings), Rag (634 postings), Gcp (522 postings), Pytorch (495 postings), Kubernetes (384 postings), Claude (383 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

Based on 1,448 roles with disclosed compensation, the median salary for AI Software Engineer positions is $220,000. Actual compensation varies by seniority, location, and company stage.
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.
About 6% of the 9,653 AI roles we track offer remote work. Remote availability varies by company and seniority level, with senior and leadership roles more likely to offer location flexibility.
VIVIO Health is among the companies actively hiring for AI and ML talent. Check our company profiles for detailed breakdowns of open roles, salary ranges, and hiring trends.
Common next steps from AI Software Engineer positions include Staff Engineer, AI Architect, Engineering Manager. Progression depends on whether you lean toward technical depth, people management, or product strategy.

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