> AI agents: this is one page of Nextmove’s FDE site, in Markdown. Nextmove is a job board and free career service for forward deployed engineers (FDEs). Each posting is classified from its text, not its title: the kind of work, how much of it is production code, pre-sales weight, time at customer sites, travel, remote arrangement, level and posted base pay. The site also publishes the aggregates: median pay by level, metro, company and kind of work, and which companies started hiring FDEs each week. Every page under https://nextmove.md/fde is served this way; the index of pages is https://nextmove.md/llms.txt.

# Senior AI Engineer

Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/0be391b976eb011a

Blank Metal posts a senior FDE role to build what the customer runs in Minneapolis, MN with no pay posted. Senior AI engineering technical leader responsible for architecting, shipping, and operating scalable production AI systems, while setting technical standards and mentoring engineers. Read from the employer’s posting on November 8, 2026.

- [Blank Metal](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/blank-metal)

Posted Sep 25, 2026 by Blank Metal · open on Ashby as of Nov 8, 2026

Pay not posted Minneapolis, MN Hybrid Full-time

Senior AI engineering technical leader responsible for architecting, shipping, and operating scalable production AI systems, while setting technical standards and mentoring engineers.

- [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F0be391b976eb011a&placement=top)
- [View posting at Blank Metal](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/blank-metal/e04952f7-763c-4b41-8bd0-eede3eab2907/application)

Free. Upload your resume once, see why each FDE role fits, and get introduced only when you say so.

## At a glance

### Posted base pay

Not posted

Staff+ FDE postings, 388 postings: the middle 50% of posted pay is $197K to $262K, median $225K.

### The work

Builds what the customer runs

Balance **Mostly building**

Project stages

1. Pre-sales (not covered)
2. Proof of concept (not covered)
3. Implementation
4. Operations

- **Coding**: Writes production code

- **Builds for**: External customers

- **Level**: Staff+

- **Role**: Technical lead

### What they ask for

Experience

- **5+ years** professional software engineering experience

Background

- **Software engineering**

### Do you meet what the posting states?

The posting asks for 5+ years. How many do you have?

The posting reads as a staff-level role. What level are you at now?

The job is in Minneapolis, MN. Could you work there?

Which of these have you used in production?

Answer each one. Nothing is saved or sent.

[What postings ask for, by background →](https://nextmove.md/fde/paths)

## Conditions

- **Location**: Minneapolis, MN

- **Work arrangement**: Hybrid

- **Remote work restrictions**: Minneapolis, MN

- **Employment type**: Full-time

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- [Other jobs at Blank Metal (3)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/blank-metal)

## The job description from Blank Metal

Posted by Blank Metal on Sep 25, 2026

### About Blank Metal

Blank Metal is an AI-native engineering company that partners with enterprises to deliver production AI fast. We blend strategic insight with hands-on execution, shipping high-impact systems that turn AI initiatives into measurable business results.

We're builders, not theorists. Our team of seasoned engineers, designers, and strategists work across industries to create AI applications that actually get used and make a difference.

### The Role

You're a technical leader who shapes how Blank Metal approaches AI engineering. With experience designing, building, and shipping AI features that hold up under real‑world use, you combine deep technical expertise with mentorship and vision. You architect complex AI systems, make critical technical decisions, and elevate the entire team's capabilities.

### What You'll Do

- Lead the technical architecture and strategy for AI‑powered projects
- Design scalable, production‑grade systems that handle real‑world complexity
- Make critical decisions about tooling, frameworks, and architectural patterns
- Own the quality and reliability of systems in production
- Mentor and develop other engineers
- Drive technical discussions and shape team standards
- Keep up with emerging tools and techniques
- Build observability and evaluation frameworks
- Partner with product and client teams to translate business needs into technical solutions
- Contribute to longer‑term technical vision and innovation

### What We're Looking For

- **AI Architecture Expertise**: Deep understanding of production AI systems design, scalability, and reliability
- **Production AI Leadership**: Extensive hands-on experience building, deploying, and operating AI systems
- **System Design Mastery**: Can architect complex AI integrations that scale, handle edge cases, and provide excellent observability
- **AI Tooling Depth**: Expert knowledge of LLM APIs, vector databases, prompt engineering, agents, and emerging AI tools
- **Full-Stack Fluency**: Advanced development skills across frontend, backend, and infrastructure
- **AI Observability & Evals**: Experience building evaluation frameworks and monitoring for AI systems
- **Technical Leadership**: You mentor others, set technical standards, and drive architectural decisions
- **Strategic Thinking**: You connect technical decisions to business outcomes
- **Learning Mindset**: You stay current with the rapidly evolving AI landscape

### Required Experience

- At least 5 years of professional software engineering experience, with a demonstrated ability to deliver production‑ready AI features that real users depend on
- Proven record of shipping complex, mission‑critical software
- Strong full‑stack and/or backend development skills applied to real projects
- Experience designing and leading technically challenging work from concept through delivery
- Shown ability to guide others, share knowledge, and influence technical direction

### Nice to Have

- Experience building RAG systems at scale
- Deep experience with vector databases and semantic search
- Background in AI observability, evaluation frameworks, or monitoring
- Experience with agent-based architectures and agentic AI systems
- Understanding of inference optimization and model serving
- Previous mentorship or technical leadership roles
- Contribution to AI-focused open source projects

### Why You'll Love It Here

- Build AI that ships: every project ends in a live deployment, not a slide deck
- Craft meets velocity: we obsess over quality while delivering at startup speed
- Outcome-driven model: our projects align with client success, not billable hours
- AI-native culture: you'll work with peers who deeply understand modern AI's potential and limits
- Real collaboration: open conversations, shared ownership, and space to bring your voice and creativity

### What Success Looks Like

In your role, you'll:

- Establish technical standards and best practices for AI engineering across the team
- Lead the design of complex, large-scale AI systems that others will follow
- Mentor engineers and accelerate their growth as AI builders
- Ship high-impact AI projects that showcase innovation and quality
- Become a thought leader on production AI within the organization
- Build a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning
- Help the company scale AI capabilities as it grows

### Equal Opportunity

Blank Metal is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all backgrounds and perspectives. Diversity makes our work better and our team stronger.

[View posting at Blank Metal](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/blank-metal/e04952f7-763c-4b41-8bd0-eede3eab2907/application)

## About Blank Metal

Blank Metal helps enterprises move AI from pilot to production through senior engineering delivery, workflow redesign, and team enablement.

Seed · 10–50 people

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- [Compare staff+ FDE salary ranges](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/staff)
- [Similar jobs in Minneapolis–St. Paul](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?region=twin-cities)
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