Senior AI Engineer

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is looking for a Senior AI Engineer to join the Infrastructure Automation & Orchestration team. The Senior AI Engineer is responsible for designing, building, and operationalizing enterprise-scale Generative AI solutions, agents, and AI-powered applications. This role develops scalable AI systems leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), agentic workflows, Model Context Protocol (MCP) frameworks, tools, hooks, and custom integrations.
The Senior AI Engineer will partner closely with business stakeholders, software engineers, architects, and data teams to identify high-value AI opportunities and translate them into production-ready solutions. This role requires hands-on experience building AI applications, integrating enterprise systems, developing autonomous and semi-autonomous agents, and implementing governance, security, and operational best practices in an enterprise environment.
ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Design, develop, and deploy enterprise Generative AI solutions using commercial and open-source foundation models.
Build and maintain AI agents, agent orchestration frameworks, and multi-agent systems to automate complex business processes.
Develop and implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures leveraging enterprise knowledge repositories and structured/unstructured data sources.
Design and develop custom AI tools, hooks, skills, and integrations to extend agent capabilities and improve business outcomes.
Build and maintain MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers and related infrastructure to securely integrate AI systems with enterprise applications and services.
Develop AI-powered applications using Python, APIs, cloud-native services, etc.
Monitor, optimize, and scale data workflows to improve performance and cost-efficiency.
Develop best practices for data engineering processes, documentation, and governance.
Partner with infrastructure and security teams to implement scalable, secure, and compliant AI solutions.
Collaborate with stakeholders to identify, prioritize, and deliver high-impact AI use cases.
Provide technical guidance on AI architecture, implementation patterns, and emerging industry capabilities.
EDUCATION
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience in lieu of formal education.
Legal IT experience a plus but not required.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Required
5 - 8 years of experience in software engineering, cloud engineering, or AI engineering.
2+ years of experience designing and deploying Generative AI or LLM-based solutions in enterprise environments.
Strong experience with Python and modern software development practices.
Experience building AI agents/frameworks and AI-powered automation solutions.
Experience developing custom AI tools, skills, functions, and integrations.
Experience integrating AI solutions with enterprise APIs, databases, and SaaS platforms.
Strong understanding of prompt engineering, context management, model evaluation, and AI application architecture.
Knowledge of vector databases, semantic search, and document retrieval techniques.
Strong understanding of AI security, governance, and data privacy practices.
Exceptional analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving abilities.
Excellent communication skills and experience working with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Preferred
Experience with Claude Code, Anthropic APIs, MCP servers, and agentic development frameworks.
Experience with Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Search, and related Azure AI services.
Salary Information
NY Only: The estimated base salary range for this position is $175,000 to $200,000 at the time of posting.
The actual salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job. This role is exempt meaning it is not overtime pay eligible.
Simpson Thacher will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.
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Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is committed to a collegial work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. The Firm prohibits discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, citizenship status, disability, marital or partnership status, sexual orientation, veteran’s status or any other legally protected status. This Policy pertains to every aspect of an individual’s relationship with the Firm, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits, training and development, promotion, transfer, discipline, termination, and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment.
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