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Protege is building a platform to solve AI's biggest unmet need: secure, efficient, and privacy-centric access to high-quality training data. The company is backed by world-class investors and already powers partnerships with leading AI teams.
You'll join as a founding AI Engineer dedicated to building a new vertical from the ground up. This is a high-impact role that sits at the intersection of engineering, product judgment, and customer reality—not a standard implementation position.
In this role, you'll:
**Build the Technical Foundation**
Partner with the vertical's GM and early customers to define technical requirements. Build the first MVP of reusable patterns, integrations, and tooling that leverage Protege's core platform while extending it where needed. Make architectural decisions about what belongs in the platform layer versus vertical-specific tooling. Create the initial technical playbook so future field delivery engineers can build on a real foundation.
**Own First Deals End-to-End**
Lead the first customer engagements in the vertical from technical scoping through delivery and post-launch support. Write robust, production-grade code that solves immediate customer problems while compounding into reusable infrastructure. Navigate real-world complexity across customer data, integrations, workflows, and stakeholder dynamics. Translate messy customer requirements into durable, maintainable systems.
**Shape What Becomes Product**
Partner with Product and Engineering to identify which patterns from early customer work should become core platform capabilities. Surface repeatable use cases, infrastructure gaps, and product opportunities from live engagements. Help determine when the vertical is ready to evolve from bespoke delivery into a repeatable product motion.
**Partner Across the Company**
Work directly with the GM or Solutions Lead to define the vertical's technical strategy and commercial approach. Collaborate with the Data Lab on domain-specific data and research. Work with other field delivery engineers on shared patterns and tools that compound across verticals. Serve as the technical voice of the vertical as it grows.
Success in the first 90 days means: building deep understanding of the vertical and market dynamics, identifying customer and platform needs, making high-leverage technical bets, shipping the first version of the vertical's infrastructure, leading customer engagements end-to-end, and demonstrating reuse across multiple engagements.
