Contract: AI Productivity Solutions Engineer

In this role, you’ll shape the future of work by developing AI-powered applications and services that help our teams work smarter, faster, and more effectively. We believe AI should be a force multiplier for human talent, and we’re looking for an engineer who thrives at the intersection of software development, AI innovation, and business process optimization.

You will design and build server-side services, integrations, and user-facing applications that embed AI capabilities into the tools and workflows that power our business. You’ll also architect data pipelines, apply modern security practices, and experiment with emerging AI technologies to unlock new possibilities.

This role combines deep technical expertise, fluency in AI technologies (MCP, LLM APIs, prompt engineering), and a keen understanding of the tools and processes that drive productivity in a high-growth, global environment.

Work/Project Scope:

• Design and develop AI-powered tools and applications to improve productivity across Upwork.
• Build and maintain scalable, secure, and reliable server-side services and APIs.
• Integrate AI technologies, LLMs, MCP, RAG, and other advanced architectures into workflows and business systems.
• Develop and maintain integrations with existing SaaS solutions via their APIs, leveraging integration platforms or custom connectors.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify pain points, map business processes, and design AI-driven solutions.
• Develop end-user applications that make AI capabilities intuitive and accessible to non-technical audiences.
• Create and manage ETL processes, pipelines, and data models for AI and analytics workloads.
• Prototype and experiment with emerging AI tools to evaluate potential business impact.
• Apply modern authentication and security practices, including OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML.
• Ensure operational excellence in the deployment, monitoring, and scaling of AI solutions.

Must Haves (Required Skills):

• Proven track record building production-grade server-side applications (Node.js, Python, or similar).
• Deep understanding of AI concepts, including LLM APIs, prompt engineering, MCP, and related frameworks.
• Experience designing integrations between AI solutions and enterprise tools (e.g., Google Workspace, Jira, Slack, Notion) via APIs or middleware platforms.
• Familiarity with SaaS ecosystem APIs and integration solutions.
• Understanding of modern authentication and security protocols, including OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML.
• Solid grounding in cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and DevOps practices.
• Experience with ETL, data transformation, and working with large structured/unstructured datasets.
• Strong communication skills to translate technical concepts into business value.
• Ability to work autonomously on complex projects and deliver measurable outcomes.