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Senior AI Engineer, AI Labs
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NPR Get AI‑powered advice on this job and more exclusive features. Overview
A thriving, mission‑driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award‑winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. Intro to Position
The Senior AI Engineer, AI Labs, is a foundational role in building NPR's first Generative AI (GAI)‑focused product development team. Reporting to the VP of AI Labs, this engineer will be responsible for the technical development and implementation of generative AI solutions. The core mission is to engineer systems that leverage GAI to enhance the quality and actionability of our content metadata, thereby directly supporting the organization's goals of improving content personalization and increasing editorial efficiency. This role involves hands‑on work in integrating AI products into core NPR systems, ensuring solutions are scalable, align with ethical guidelines, and are built upon industry best practices. Responsibilities
Engineer and implement scalable generative AI solutions focused on enhancing content metadata quality and actionability. Establish and champion technical best practices for generative AI systems, including MLOps, RAG architectures, prompt engineering, and model evaluation. Collaborate closely with product managers, data scientists, software engineers, and infrastructure teams to translate product requirements into robust production‑ready AI systems. Optimize system performance through data‑driven methods, A/B testing, and performance monitoring. Communicate technical architectures and progress to product and non‑technical stakeholders. Integrate ethical AI principles and compliance standards into all AI products in alignment with company policies. Research emerging AI technologies, frameworks, and industry trends to drive continuous innovation within AI Labs. Minimum Qualifications
5+ years of professional experience in software development, data science, or machine learning engineering, with a focus on building and deploying production systems. 2+ years of hands‑on experience with generative AI, machine learning, or data products. Expert proficiency in Python and experience creating functional prototypes. Deep understanding of large language models, RAG architectures, prompting, function calling, retrieval, vector databases, embeddings, fine‑tuning, and model evaluation. Familiarity with building and integrating MCP servers and agentic workflows. Experience creating QA systems for AI processes and development. Excellent communication skills and ability to articulate technical architectures to product and non‑technical stakeholders. Collaborative, respectful approach and adaptability to change. Deep commitment to NPR’s mission and responsible implementation of generative AI technologies. Preferred Qualifications
Experience designing highly scalable, production‑grade AI/ML pipelines and services. Proficiency with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP) and MLOps tools (MLFlow, Vertex AI). Experience with DevOps practices, including CI/CD and infrastructure‑as‑code. Understanding of media delivery systems and experience in media organizations. Work Location & Requirements
Hybrid role: employee required to be in the Washington, D.C. location at least two to three days a week. Job Type
Full‑time, exempt position. Compensation
Salary Range: $160,000 – $186,000 plus benefits, depending on location and experience. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life, disability, and retirement savings, for eligible employees working 30 hours or more per week. EEO Statement
NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non‑conforming status, intersex status, sexual orientation, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law. If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application process, please reach out to employeerelations@npr.org.
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Senior AI Engineer, AI Labs
role at
NPR Get AI‑powered advice on this job and more exclusive features. Overview
A thriving, mission‑driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award‑winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. Intro to Position
The Senior AI Engineer, AI Labs, is a foundational role in building NPR's first Generative AI (GAI)‑focused product development team. Reporting to the VP of AI Labs, this engineer will be responsible for the technical development and implementation of generative AI solutions. The core mission is to engineer systems that leverage GAI to enhance the quality and actionability of our content metadata, thereby directly supporting the organization's goals of improving content personalization and increasing editorial efficiency. This role involves hands‑on work in integrating AI products into core NPR systems, ensuring solutions are scalable, align with ethical guidelines, and are built upon industry best practices. Responsibilities
Engineer and implement scalable generative AI solutions focused on enhancing content metadata quality and actionability. Establish and champion technical best practices for generative AI systems, including MLOps, RAG architectures, prompt engineering, and model evaluation. Collaborate closely with product managers, data scientists, software engineers, and infrastructure teams to translate product requirements into robust production‑ready AI systems. Optimize system performance through data‑driven methods, A/B testing, and performance monitoring. Communicate technical architectures and progress to product and non‑technical stakeholders. Integrate ethical AI principles and compliance standards into all AI products in alignment with company policies. Research emerging AI technologies, frameworks, and industry trends to drive continuous innovation within AI Labs. Minimum Qualifications
5+ years of professional experience in software development, data science, or machine learning engineering, with a focus on building and deploying production systems. 2+ years of hands‑on experience with generative AI, machine learning, or data products. Expert proficiency in Python and experience creating functional prototypes. Deep understanding of large language models, RAG architectures, prompting, function calling, retrieval, vector databases, embeddings, fine‑tuning, and model evaluation. Familiarity with building and integrating MCP servers and agentic workflows. Experience creating QA systems for AI processes and development. Excellent communication skills and ability to articulate technical architectures to product and non‑technical stakeholders. Collaborative, respectful approach and adaptability to change. Deep commitment to NPR’s mission and responsible implementation of generative AI technologies. Preferred Qualifications
Experience designing highly scalable, production‑grade AI/ML pipelines and services. Proficiency with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP) and MLOps tools (MLFlow, Vertex AI). Experience with DevOps practices, including CI/CD and infrastructure‑as‑code. Understanding of media delivery systems and experience in media organizations. Work Location & Requirements
Hybrid role: employee required to be in the Washington, D.C. location at least two to three days a week. Job Type
Full‑time, exempt position. Compensation
Salary Range: $160,000 – $186,000 plus benefits, depending on location and experience. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life, disability, and retirement savings, for eligible employees working 30 hours or more per week. EEO Statement
NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non‑conforming status, intersex status, sexual orientation, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law. If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application process, please reach out to employeerelations@npr.org.
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