Staff AI / Machine Learning Engineer

Blackbird.AI helps organizations detect and understand emergent threats through our AI-powered Narrative and Risk Intelligence Platform. We build systems that surface, contextualize, and explain complex information ecosystems so customers can make informed decisions in high-stakes environments. We are a fast-growth start-up recognized as the undisputed leader in the Narrative Intelligence market that we created. We are mission-driven high performers looking to welcome like-minded individuals to our team.

As a Staff AI / Machine Learning Engineer, you will design and build production-grade AI systems that combine large language models, machine learning, and structured data. You will focus on turning advanced AI capabilities into reliable, explainable, and scalable platform features, working closely with data and backend engineers to ensure real-world performance and trustworthiness.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role for engineers who enjoy shipping complex AI systems—not just experimenting with models.

What You’ll Do

• Build and operate production-grade AI systems that combine machine learning, large language models, and structured data
• Translate ambiguous problem spaces into reliable, explainable AI capabilities that customers can trust
• Apply machine learning and AI techniques to graph-structured and networked data, enabling reasoning over entities, relationships, and complex information structures
• Design AI systems with strong guarantees around correctness, transparency, and performance
• Partner with data and backend engineers to bring AI capabilities into scalable platform services
• Evaluate, iterate, and improve AI systems using both quantitative metrics and real-world feedback
• Make thoughtful trade-offs across model quality, latency, cost, and system complexity
• Own AI components end-to-end, from initial design through deployment and long-term maintenance
• Provide technical leadership through design reviews, mentorship, and shared best practices.

Core Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in software engineering, ML engineering, or applied AI or equivalent senior experience with demonstrated Staff-level impact
• Strong experience building production AI systems, not just prototypes
• Deep proficiency in Python and modern ML/AI frameworks
• Hands-on experience with LLMs, including prompting, retrieval-augmented generation, tool use, and evaluation
• Experience designing explainable and auditable ML systems
• Solid understanding of API-driven architectures and data contracts
• Experience working with graph-structured or networked data, including reasoning over entities and relationships
• Ability to reason about performance, cost, and reliability in real systems
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with agentic AI or multi-step reasoning systems
• Experience with graph data models, network analysis, or knowledge graphs, including relationship modeling, traversal, or graph-based reasoning
• Experience applying ML or LLM techniques to graph or network-based problems (e.g., relationship discovery, influence propagation, community detection, or other network analysis)
• Experience building ranking, influence, or scoring models
• Experience designing LLM evaluation and validation frameworks
• Background in trust & safety, security, intelligence, or risk domains
• Startup or fast-paced product environment experience
• Experience with Databricks or similar platforms
• Comfort using AI-assisted development tools in daily workflows

What We Value

• Pragmatic AI: You know how to turn cutting-edge ideas into dependable systems
• Explainability: You care deeply about transparency and trust
• Ownership: You take responsibility for outcomes, not just code
• Collaboration: You work effectively across engineering and product boundaries
• Impact: You focus on solving meaningful, real-world problems
• Continuous Learning: You evolve with the AI landscape without chasing hype

Leveling Note

This role is scoped at the Staff level. Candidates with exceptional experience and demonstrated organization-level impact may be considered for Senior Staff or Principal level.

• Competitive compensation package, 401(k), and equity - everyone has a stake in our growth!
• Comprehensive health benefits for you and your loved ones, including wellness days and monthly wellness reimbursements - an apple a day doesn't always keep the doctor away!
• Generous vacation policy, encouraging you to take the time you need - we trust you to strike the right work/life balance!
• A flexible work environment with opportunities to collaborate with your team in person - you can have it all!
• Inclusion and Impact - soar to new heights!
• Professional development stipend - never stop learning!