Senior Backend / Product Engineer (AI Platform)

Senior Backend / Product Engineer (AI Platform)Location: Remote Type: Full-time Team: Cost Optimisation (CO) – Product Engineering Reports to: Product Lead (CO)About VirtasantVirtasant is a global technology services company with a network of over 4,000 professionals across 130+ countries. We specialise in cloud architecture, engineering, and transformation, helping enterprises deliver at scale while building internal capability and reducing third-party dependency.We work with ambitious, forward-thinking organisations to solve real-world challenges through hands-on execution, deep technical expertise, and a delivery-led approach.The RoleWe're hiring a senior backend-first product engineer to help build and scale our AI-powered cost intelligence platform.This role is explicitly product-focused. You will not be pulled into client delivery. Your mission is to build core platform capabilities that mature our current FinOps platform into a smart intelligence platform – including AI-driven insights, workflows, and agent-based features that can be sold as standalone capabilities.You'll operate with high autonomy, significant ownership, and direct access to product leadership. Think founding engineer energy, without the chaos.You will help define how AI capabilities move from experimentation to durable product features, with an emphasis on reliability, cost efficiency, and clear user value – not just model novelty.What You'll Be DoingDesign and build backend-heavy platform features for our platformProductionalise AI-enabled capabilities (e.g. anomaly detection, recommendations, agent-based workflows)Implement AI thoughtfully across the entire SDLC – prototyping, testing, iteration, and deploymentCollaborate closely with Product to turn vision into shipped featuresIdentify blockers early, communicate clearly, and iterate fastHelp shape engineering standards and patterns as the product maturesYou will help define how AI capabilities move from experimentation to durable product features, with an emphasis on reliability, cost efficiency, and clear user value – not just model novelty.Design systems that support model evaluation, prompt/version management, and deterministic fallbacks to ensure AI-driven features are observable, testable, and production-safe.Build AI features with explicit evaluation criteria, feedback loops, and guardrails (accuracy, latency, cost, and explainability) so models improve predictably over time.Success in the first 6–12 months looks like:2+ production-ready features shippedTangible progress towards operating as a smart intelligence platformClear, repeatable engineering patterns for AI-enabled developmentUtilize lightweight but rigorous AI engineering practices (evaluation harnesses, rollout strategies, and rollback mechanisms) that allow the platform to scale AI features safely and repeatedly.What We're Looking For (Non-Negotiables)5+ years professional software engineering experienceStrong backend engineering background (full-stack a plus, not required)Hands-on experience building on AWSStrong proficiency in Python (Java/C++ acceptable as secondary languages)Demonstrated experience using AI in real production systems (not just experimentation – clear, repeatable patterns)Comfortable working in ambiguity with product-led directionAbility to architect backend services that support asynchronous workflows, event-driven pipelines, and AI agents that operate over time rather than single request/response cycles.Comfort articulating why certain AI approaches were not used, including trade-offs around latency, explainability, data availability, or long-term maintainability.What Matters More Than ChecklistsWe care deeply about how you think and build, not just what tools you've used.We're looking for engineers who can:Tell a compelling story about a product journey, not just features shippedExplain why decisions were made and what trade-offs were consideredFail fast, learn quickly, and iterate relentlesslyClearly articulate technical roadblocks and collaborate on solutionsThrive in a fast-paced, high-ownership environmentWhat This Role Is NotNot a Solutions Architect roleNot client-facing delivery workNot a support or "overflow" engineering positionThis role is protected, by design, to focus on product and platformWhy This Role Stands OutYou'll work on a real AI product, not internal tooling or demosNear-founding-engineer level autonomy and influenceDirect impact on product direction and commercial outcomesOpportunity to help shape a platform with standalone, licensable AI capabilitiesA rare chance to build product inside a consultancy without being consumed by client workYou'll build AI capabilities informed by real enterprise-scale cost and usage data, enabling smarter models and workflows than greenfield or synthetic-data products.Why VirtasantHigh ownership, high trust environmentOpportunity to own and shape technical delivery at scaleWork closely with experienced engineering and delivery teamsExposure to broader cloud optimisation and consulting initiatives over timeJ-18808-Ljbffr