AI Applications Engineer

Overview

Edmund Optics is seeking an AI Applications Engineer to build AI-powered business application. This role will work directly with business stakeholders to understand workflows and turn business problems into working software that connects AI models with company data, tools, and human review. This role will partner with the analytics, IT, cybersecurity, and continuous improvement teams to develop, deploy, and improve AI-driven solutions for Edmund Optics, owning scoped projects. The ideal candidate is an early-career engineer who has already built AI applications, takes initiative, and can translate AI capabilities into measurable value for a global optics and photonics manufacturer. This position is based in Barrington, NJ.

We encourage applicants to include a link to their GitHub profile, portfolio, or relevant projects on their resume to help showcase their technical skills and experience. 

Responsibilities

• Application Development: Build applications that connect AI models with APIs, business data, and tools, including Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and multi-step agent workflows. Write, debug, test, and maintain application code and integrations, selecting the appropriate AI, analytical, or conventional software approach for each problem.
• Stakeholder Discovery: Meet with business stakeholders to understand workflows, clarify requirements, and agree on practical measures of success.
• Rapid Prototyping: Take initiative to identify useful next steps, build small working versions, and improve them through rapid testing and feedback.
• Quality & Reliability: Evaluate application behavior and AI outputs, including missing information, incorrect answers, tool failures, and cases requiring human review.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate with IT, analytics, cybersecurity, continuous improvement, and business owners to deploy and support reliable applications within company policies and AI governance.
• Ownership & Follow-Through: Surface blockers with possible next steps, communicate progress, document decisions, and address issues after launch.
• Business Impact: Measure business results and improve solutions over time. Initial work may include customer documentation workflows and demand forecasting applications.
• Innovation & Emerging Tech: Stay current on advances in AI models, agent frameworks, tool integrations, and development practices. Test promising capabilities in small prototypes and recommend adoption based on usefulness, reliability, cost, and maintainability.

Qualifications

To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Requirements:

• Demonstrated initiative and follow-through: moves work forward without needing every task assigned, and exercises judgment about when to clarify or escalate.
• Experience building a working AI application that uses external tools or APIs, with the ability to explain personal contributions, how tool calls are executed, and how results and failures are checked.
• Ability to write, explain, debug, and test software in at least one relevant programming language.
• Working knowledge of APIs, data structures, databases, and version control.
• Working knowledge of agent tool/function calling, structured outputs, retrieval and context management, and agent orchestration, including how MCP clients and servers connect AI applications to tools and data.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to understand business workflows and explain technical choices to non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated habit of learning and experimenting with emerging AI capabilities, applying feedback, and explaining what a new approach improves and where it falls short.
• US Citizenship or permanent residence required. 
• Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field.
• Early-career candidates are welcome. Relevant AI application experience may come from employment, internships, research, coursework, or independent projects; no minimum years of professional experience is required.
• When applying, include a resume and a brief description of one AI application you built. A GitHub repository, portfolio website, demo, or project write-up is welcome but optional.

The following qualifications are preferred:

• Experience with production deployment, monitoring, SQL, or business system integrations.
• Hands-on experience building or integrating MCP servers or evaluating agent workflows.
• Experience with forecasting or other applied data methods.
• Experience with AI data platforms, especially Snowflake.
• Exposure to optics, photonics, precision manufacturing, or a related technical industry.
• Experience with cloud platforms, especially Microsoft Azure (e.g., Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Foundry, Azure Functions)

Physical Requirements:

Ability to operate office equipment such as a copier; ability to see details at a close range; ability to sit at a desk or PC for long periods of time; work in an office setting.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Think you meet some of the requirements but not all? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs for which they do not meet every qualification. If you see a role that interests you, we encourage you to apply, regardless of whether or not your experience is completely aligned with the job description. Edmund Optics is committed to becoming the most diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace within the Optics and Photonics Industry and beyond. You may be a great candidate for this role or others within Edmund Optics.

Compensation Range Transparency:

At Edmund Optics, we are committed to transparency and equity in our hiring practices. The posted salary range for this role reflects the expected base pay. The actual offer will be based on multiple factors, including but not limited to relevant skills, education, work experience, business needs, and geographic location.

Salary Range:$91,000 – $120,000 per year

Benefits:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Life, AD&D, Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match up to 3%
• Daycare and Gym Reimbursement
• Paid Parental Leave and New Mother Benefits
• Training and Development Opportunities

Availability of these benefits may depend on the country and employment type.