Software Engineer - AI/ML

About The Company
For more than 50 years, NISC has been dedicated to developing innovative technology solutions tailored for its diverse membership base, primarily comprising over 960 energy (utility) and communication (broadband) organizations across North America. Our mission centers on delivering member-focused, high-quality, and cost-effective software solutions and services that empower our Members to serve their communities effectively. With a customer base exceeding 18 million end users—including residential and business customers receiving power, internet, television, and telephone services—our enterprise software enables Member employees to excel in operational efficiency and customer service. As an AI-forward organization, NISC is committed to leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance industry standards and operational outcomes. Recognized as one of ComputerWorld’s Best Places to Work for 23 consecutive years, we are continuously seeking talented professionals to join our team and contribute to our legacy of innovation and service excellence.
About The Role
We are seeking a high-agency, AI-native Software Engineer passionate about building real-world AI systems that deliver measurable impact. This is a hands-on, builder role focused on designing, developing, deploying, and continuously improving production-grade AI applications embedded within mission-critical software used by utilities and broadband providers across North America. Unlike research or experimental roles, this position emphasizes practical implementation, operational stability, and scalability of AI solutions that directly influence customer interactions, operational workflows, and automation processes. The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced environments, enjoys transforming ideas into tangible products, and believes AI should generate real business value. As a key contributor, you will help shape how AI transforms our Members' ability to serve their communities, ensuring solutions are practical, reliable, and aligned with operational realities.
Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field; Master’s Degree in Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning preferred
• 8-10+ years of software development experience, with at least 3+ years in AI/ML software development
• Proven experience deploying AI solutions used by real users, not just prototypes or academic projects
• Expertise in integrating LLMs into applications, including prompt engineering, fine-tuning, and API orchestration
• Experience designing Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines, embeddings workflows, and working with vector databases
• Proficiency in deploying AI systems in cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
• Strong Python skills and familiarity with ML frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow
• Experience building scalable APIs and backend services
• Understanding of agentic architectures, orchestration frameworks, or multi-agent systems
• Ability to optimize AI performance, cost, and latency in production settings
• Knowledge of observability, evaluation frameworks, and model monitoring techniques
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate technical AI capabilities into business value

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy production AI-powered features and applications utilizing LLMs, RAG pipelines, agentic workflows, and modern ML techniques
• Take ownership of outcomes by rapidly prototyping, validating with users, iterating based on feedback, and ensuring reliability and performance in production environments
• Integrate foundation models, fine-tuned models, and multi-agent systems into enterprise-grade applications securely and at scale
• Design and optimize data ingestion pipelines, embeddings workflows, and vector database implementations to support high-quality AI responses
• Deploy resilient, observable, and cost-efficient AI systems that meet scalability and performance standards
• Align AI solutions with operational realities of utilities, broadband providers, and cooperatives to ensure practical and intuitive applications
• Continuously explore new AI capabilities, evaluate their applicability, and incorporate innovative features to enhance products and development practices
• Collaborate with product, architecture, and engineering teams to embed AI functionalities across our enterprise platform
• Adhere to established software development methodologies and procedures
• Perform other duties as assigned to support organizational goals

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with $100 monthly contributions from NISC
• Opportunity to earn up to $800 annually through our Wellness Rewards program
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Fully covered life insurance up to three times the annual base salary
• Short- and long-term disability coverage at no cost to employees
• 401(k) retirement plan with a traditional or Roth option, including up to 6% employee match and 4% employer contribution
• PTO accrual based on years of service, along with 120 Life Leave Event hours and nine paid holidays
• $2,500 interest-free technology loan program
• $25,000 educational assistance program for employee development
• Participation in volunteer, wellness, family events, and other employee engagement activities
• Employee Assistance Program supporting employees and dependents with personal and life challenges
• Benevolence Committee providing financial support during hardships such as medical emergencies or funerals

Equal Opportunity
We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.