Jobs

This is a remote position.

Senior Applied AI Engineer (Agentic Systems & MCP)

Location: Remote

Team: Product & Engineering

Reports to: CTO

Downstream Systems, Inc. is a leading marketplace platform that's transforming the waste and construction industries from the ground up. We're on a mission to bring simplicity, transparency, and sustainability to two of the most essential—but often overlooked—sectors of our economy.

At Downstream, we make it easy for contractors, builders, and businesses to find and book critical services like dumpster rentals, hauling, and site clean-up—all in just a few clicks.

No more endless calls, confusing pricing, or waiting around. Our platform connects customers with vetted, reliable providers so they can get what they need, when they need it—without the headache.

But we’re not just about convenience—we’re about impact. By streamlining logistics and digitizing the supply chain, we’re helping reduce waste, cut emissions, and build a cleaner, more sustainable future for everyone. Whether you're managing a small job site or a major development project, Downstream is here to help you keep things moving—efficiently, affordably, and responsibly.

The Role

We are hiring a Senior Applied AI Engineer to architect the intelligence layer of the Downstream marketplace. We aren't looking for a web developer who simply calls OpenAI APIs; we need a systems engineer capable of building autonomous agents, robust evaluation pipelines, and standardized context servers.

You will lead the integration of AI into our construction rentals platform, building the "nervous system" that connects our data to our users. You will work directly with the CTO to design Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, recommendation engines, and agentic workflows that solve complex logistics problems.

Requirements

What You Will Build (Responsibilities)

• Architect MCP Servers: Design and implement Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to standardize how our data (inventory, logistics, pricing) is exposed to AI agents. You will treat context as a first-class product.
  
• Agentic Orchestration: Build the backend logic for multi-agent systems that can plan, reason, and execute tasks. You will ensure these agents can plug into client-facing Chat UIs (built in Flutter/React) via structured, reliable protocols.
  
• LLM-Powered Recommendation Engines: Develop predictive engines that analyze historical construction data and project requirements to proactively recommend rentals and services.
  
• Rigorous LLM Evaluation (LLMOps): You will implement comprehensive logging and evaluation pipelines using tools like Weights & Biases (WandB). You are responsible for measuring drift, hallucination rates, and agent success metrics— ensuring we ship reliable intelligence, not just "vibes."
  
• Production Python Backend: Write high-performance, maintainable Python code. Whether it's a microservice or a monolith, you ensure the AI logic is scalable and secure.
  

What We’re Looking For

• Senior Applied AI Experience: You have moved beyond prototypes. You have experience deploying LLM applications where reliability and latency matter.
  
• Mastery of the AI Stack: Deep expertise with orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LangGraph, or custom implementations) and vector databases.
  
• MCP Expertise: You understand the Model Context Protocol and how to build servers that provide context to LLMs efficiently.
  
• Evaluation-First Mindset: You don't guess if a prompt is better; you prove it. Extensive experience with logging and evaluation platforms (WandB, LangSmith, Ariz) is required.
  
• Strong Python Fundamentals: You are an expert in Python. You understand concurrency, async/await patterns, and API design (REST/gRPC).
  
• Builder’s DNA: You are comfortable with ambiguity and iteration. You build scrappy to validate, but architect for scale.
  

Nice-to-Haves

• Django Experience: Our core platform is built on Django. Familiarity is helpful, but strong Python fundamentals are what matter.
  
• Mobile/Frontend Awareness: Experience working with Flutter or modern JS frameworks. You don't need to write the UI, but you need to understand how to feed it.
  
• Logistics Domain Knowledge: Familiarity with marketplaces, supply chain, or construction tech.