Staff Software Engineer – AI Center of Excellence

The Opportunity

We are seeking a talented Staff Software Engineer, AI COE to lead a new engineering team designed as a force multiplier to guide our team to the next level of enterprise agentic software development. In this role, you’re not only a hands-on developer, but also a guide to drive our modernization strategy. We are in the midst of an exciting transformation initiative having set our ambitions on creating everything net new with AI harnessing. It’s not any one team you’ll be focusing on, rather you will play an integral part in our digital evolution.

This is a highly strategic, hands-on leadership opportunity serving as our principal subject matter expert responsible for designing the look and feel of our AI journey. As the founding team member, you have the opportunity to build and lead a dedicated team destined to become Neilson’s AI center of excellence. Your team will drive the redesign of existing platforms while incorporating the latest Agentic AI tools so that we can continue to grow.

Why Join?

As our new Staff Software Engineer, AI COE, you will be instrumental in shaping development culture while enabling the transformation of a high-growth company offering products our customers need during a moment that shapes the future for those they love most. Every day you’ll tackle complex challenges while partnering with leadership, engineering, infrastructure, and multiple other teams to create and deploy new iterations across the entire organization.

The Role

This mission critical role isn’t for someone who can just prompt Claude – the perfect match for us is an engineer already versed in muti agent harnessing. You’ve got the chops along with a command of cloud infrastructure (Azure/AWS) along with all the other associated DevOps knowledge. Beyond this, architecting and building as securely and efficiently as possible to ensure that policies and standards remain aligned with Neilson Financial Services’ multi-market insurance business objectives to expand existing and new lines of business across the UK, Canada, Australia and other markets.

Key Responsibilities

· Serve as the technical leader for the AI Center of Excellence, establishing engineering patterns, frameworks, and best practices that enable AI-assisted software development across the organization

· Design and implement scalable multi-agent AI harnesses and developer workflows that accelerate software delivery while maintaining security, reliability, and governance

· Partner with engineering teams to modernize existing applications and guide the adoption of AI-driven development practices across multiple product domains

· Architect cloud-native solutions leveraging Azure, AWS, infrastructure-as-code, and modern DevOps practices to support enterprise-scale software delivery

· Evaluate emerging AI tooling, local and hosted LLMs, inference frameworks, SDKs, and orchestration technologies, recommending solutions that align with business objectives

· Establish reusable engineering standards, reference implementations, and technical frameworks that enable teams to build AI-powered applications consistently

· Mentor engineers across the organization, acting as a trusted technical advisor while helping teams adopt modern software engineering and AI development practices

· Collaborate closely with product, infrastructure, security, and architecture teams to ensure AI solutions meet enterprise standards for scalability, compliance, and operational excellence

· Drive proof-of-concepts through production deployment, demonstrating measurable improvements in developer productivity and software delivery

· Build and lead a small team of engineers as the AI Center of Excellence grows

Required Qualifications

· Demonstrated expertise in designing and delivering complex software systems in modern cloud environments

· Deep experience building production software using Python and at least one compiled language such as Go or .NET

· Strong knowledge of Azure and/or AWS cloud platforms, cloud-native architecture, and distributed systems

· Experience with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform or equivalent technologies

· Proven experience integrating AI capabilities into software development workflows, including experience with LLM APIs, SDKs, agent frameworks, orchestration platforms, or local inference solutions

· Strong understanding of secure software engineering, CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and modern software delivery methodologies

· Experience developing architectural standards, reusable frameworks, and engineering patterns used by multiple development teams

· Ability to influence technical direction across teams through collaboration, mentorship, and technical leadership rather than organizational authority

· Comfortable working in Agile environments with a bias toward pragmatic, iterative delivery and continuous improvement

· Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for both engineering and executive audiences

Preferred Qualifications

· Experience designing or implementing multi-agent AI systems and autonomous software workflows.

· Familiarity with Anthropic models, OpenRouter, local LLM deployment, model orchestration, and AI developer tooling

· Experience modernizing enterprise applications and guiding organizations through cloud and AI transformation initiatives

· Knowledge of AI governance, model evaluation, observability, prompt management, and responsible AI practices

· Experience building internal developer platforms, engineering enablement tools, or Centers of Excellence

· Experience working in highly regulated industries where security, compliance, and operational reliability are critical

· Demonstrated ability to identify emerging technologies and successfully introduce them into enterprise engineering organizations

· Passion for coaching engineers and fostering a culture of experimentation, continuous learning, and technical excellence

If you are a dedicated and passionate leader who appreciates transformative initiatives and minimum viable bureaucracy, we want to hear from you! Join us and help shape the future of our technology landscape.

About Neilson

At Neilson, our mission is to make life insurance simple and accessible to everyone. We’re dedicated to helping families secure financial protection for their loved ones with a range of options. Since launching in 2012, Neilson has successfully expanded from a UK-only business with 100 employees to an award-winning international operation and leader in the global life insurance market, now with 1000 employees and offices in USA, Canada, Ireland, and Australia.

We Offer:

Neilson provides a competitive total compensation package, extensive learning opportunities, and a dynamic environment where you can grow your career. Compensation will be based on experience, skill set, and business needs. Additionally, we offer a robust benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, LTD, STD, AD&D, Life, 401(K) with company match, and a generous PTO policy.

California, Washington and New York Only

Compensation for this role is expected to be between $275,000 and $350,000. Actual pay will be determined considering factors such as relevant skills and experience, and comparison to other employees in the role.

Accessibility For Job Applicants

We strive to make our job application process accessible to all individuals, including those with disabilities. If you require accommodation at any stage of the application, interview, or selection process, please contact our Human Resources department. Our team will work with you to provide suitable accommodations to ensure your participation.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Neilson Financial Services is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and abilities. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is fundamental to our company culture.