Staff AI Engineer, Agent Orchestration

About CookUnity

Food has lost its soul to modern convenience. And with it, has lost the power to nourish, inspire, and connect us. So in 2018, CookUnity was founded as the first-of-its-kind platform that connects the world with the source of truly great food: chefs. Today, CookUnity delivers 35 million meals a year from the industry’s best chefs to homes all over the country. Fresh. Ready-to-eat. And crafted with the passion that nourishes body and soul.

Unwilling to stop there, CookUnity is expanding beyond delivery to become an ever-innovating marketplace focused on our singular mission: empower Chefs to nourish the world.

If that mission has you hungry in more ways than one, you’ve found the right job posting.

The Role

We are seeking a Staff AI Engineer, Agent Orchestration to lead the development of next-generation agentic systems that infuse Generative AI into every layer of the software delivery lifecycle. This is a hybrid role that blends full-stack engineering (Kotlin + TypeScript) with LLM systems design, focused on transforming developer workflows, CI/CD pipelines, observability, and runtime operations through AI-native automation.

As a technical spearheader, you will be responsible for architecting and scaling intelligent developer tools, copilots, and runtime agents that extend far beyond prompt engineering—enabling an accelerated, self-healing, and insight-driven engineering ecosystem.

Responsibilities

• Architect and deliver full-stack GenAI-integrated systems, leveraging Kotlin (Ktor/Spring), Python, React/TypeScript, and AWS tooling.
• Operationalize LLMs and agent frameworks to automate SDLC stages: from requirements parsing and code generation to test synthesis, deployment validations, and post-deploy analytics.
• Develop multi-agent orchestration patterns (e.g., tool use, planning, memory) across backend and frontend development flows.
• Embed GenAI-driven workflows into developer tooling: Full Test Driven Development cycle, PR summarization, AI-assisted code reviews, and contextual documentation retrieval.
• Extend CI/CD systems with LLM-based capabilities: dependency change impact prediction, and build-time telemetry analysis.
• Instrument systems with DataDog and AI-native observability: anomaly detection, root cause localization, and natural language log exploration.
• Partner cross-functionally with product, infra, and data teams to identify and prioritize AI-native engineering opportunities.
• Scout, evaluate, and hands-on integrate cutting-edge GenAI frameworks and developer tooling—bringing innovative capabilities into our stack to radically streamline coding, testing, and deployment workflows.
• Contribute to engineering-wide technical direction through architecture reviews, RFCs, and mentorship.

Requirements

• 7+ years of designing and building distributed back-end services in Kotlin (or Java) and modern TypeScript-based front-ends (React/Next.js).
• Ability to ship robust, production-grade Python code—owning everything from design and performance tuning to deployment.
• Proven track record shipping LLM/GenAI features to production, with experience across the lifecycle: prompt engineering, fine-tuning, latency optimization, evaluation, and safety alignment.
• Deep fluency with modern software delivery practices: test strategy, blue-green and canary deployments, observability, and rollback mechanisms.
• Demonstrated experience driving adoption of automated testing strategies (TDD/BDD) and CI/CD best practices.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to synthesize complex trade-offs for both technical and cross-functional stakeholders.

Preferred requirements:

• Strong full-stack development experience with Kotlin and React.
• Experience building and deploying multi-agent LLM systems with memory, reasoning, or dynamic planning.
• Familiarity with RAG pipelines, vector search, embeddings, and semantic caching.
• Prior experience in a high-growth, product-centric startup environment.

Where You'll Be:

• We offer you the flexibility to work where you work best!
• This team operates within the Eastern Standard time zone for collaboration.

Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Team Management:
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a cross-functional AI/ML team, including data engineers and embedded data engineers.
  • Foster a community-driven culture that encourages knowledge sharing, collaboration, and continuous learning.
  • Align team objectives with broader company goals, ensuring that projects are executed effectively and efficiently.
• AI/ML Strategy & Implementation:
  • Drive the development of scalable AI/ML solutions that support both operational and strategic goals at CookUnity.
  • Develop and implement machine learning models that improve customer personalization, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.
  • Lead the integration and adoption of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI (GenAI) to enhance product features, improve customer experience, and accelerate business growth.
  • Stay at the forefront of emerging AI/ML technologies, including LLMs and GenAI, and apply relevant innovations to solve complex problems.
• Data Infrastructure & Architecture:
  • Oversee the architecture of CookUnity’s data pipelines, ensuring they are robust, scalable, and efficient to support machine learning, analytics, and GenAI model deployments.
  • Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of data processing, including ingestion, storage, transformation, and analytics.
  • Collaborate with the infrastructure team to ensure data platforms are optimized for performance, reliability, and security.
• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Partnerships:
  • Work closely with product, engineering, and business teams to understand their data needs and deliver impactful solutions.
  • Drive the integration of embedded data engineering into core product development cycles.
  • Engage with senior leadership to align AI/ML strategies with broader company initiatives and business outcomes.
• Community & Knowledge Sharing:
  • Establish and nurture a community of AI/ML experts across CookUnity to share best practices, solve challenges, and promote innovation.
  • Spearhead internal forums, workshops, and seminars to accelerate the adoption of LLMs and GenAI, ensuring that team members are up to speed with new technologies and trends.
  • Foster a culture of continuous learning and ensure the team is equipped to leverage the latest advancements in AI/ML.
• Reporting & Analytics:
  • Define and implement key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the success of AI/ML and GenAI solutions.
  • Present regular updates to the executive team, including the CTO, on project progress, challenges, and opportunities related to AI/ML and GenAI adoption.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in AI/ML, data engineering, or related fields, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Proven experience leading cross-functional teams in an agile environment, with a strong ability to balance technical execution and strategic vision.
• Expertise in machine learning algorithms, data pipelines, and AI/ML model deployment at scale.
• Solid understanding of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI (GenAI), and how to integrate these technologies into business operations.
• Strong understanding of cloud technologies (AWS, GCP, Azure) and modern data stack solutions (e.g., Apache Kafka, Snowflake, Redshift).
• Deep knowledge of data engineering best practices, including ETL processes, data warehousing, and data governance.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to drive change, inspire innovation, and foster a collaborative and results-driven team environment.

Preferred requirements:

• Experience with embedded data engineering, working closely with product development teams.
• Familiarity with data privacy and security regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Background in food-tech, consumer goods, or related industries.

Learn More About CookUnity

We believe great leadership starts with alignment on vision, values, and ways of working. To give you deeper insight into who we are and what we’re looking for, we invite you to explore: CookUnity's Leadership Principles – The values and behaviors that guide how we operate, collaborate, and scale.

We hope this provides valuable insight into our culture and product vision. If this excites you, we’d love to connect!

Benefits

🩺 Health Insurance coverage

🌅 401k Plan

📈 We grow, you grow: Stock Options Plan granted on Day 1

🌟 Eligible for a bi-annual performance bonus

⛱ Unlimited PTO

🗓️ 5- year Sabbatical: After 5 years with CookUnity, you get a 4-week paid sabbatical

🐣 Paid Family leave

🕯 Compassionate Leave: 3-5 days each time the need arises

🥘 A generous amount of CookUnity credits to enjoy our amazing meals, added to your account, monthly

🧘🏽‍♀️ Wellness perks: access to a nutritional coach and fitness subsidies to build a healthy lifestyle

👩🏾‍🏫 Personalized Spanish coach

🌟 Awesome opportunity to join a company that is looking to change how we eat and how chefs work!

Compensation

If you’re interested in this role, please submit your application and if we think you might be a fit, we'll get in touch with you. Thank you for your time!

CookUnity is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are dedicated to creating a community of inclusion and an environment free from discrimination or harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or physical or mental disability.