ABOUT THE TEAM
Technology is at the core of what we do. The AI Core team at Basis Technologies builds Compass, the AI agent platform behind Basis. Compass agents plan and execute media planning, buying, and operations work on behalf of agencies and brands. We build the orchestration, tooling, and evaluation infrastructure that lets LLM-powered agents work reliably in a complex ad tech domain, and we expose the Basis platform to our own and our customers’ agents through MCP and A2A. The AI Core team also functions as an enabling team for all of Basis Engineering, developing the patterns and best practices for agentic and AI-assisted development that other teams build on.
WAYS YOU’LL CONTRIBUTE
As a Staff AI Engineer, you will be the technical lead for the AI Core team, specializing in the architecture and development of our agentic platform. Other ways you will contribute:
Set the technical direction for Compass and our LLM-powered features. Architect multi-agent systems, own the major design decisions, and balance rapid experimentation with stable, scalable long-term architecture.
Lead the design and evolution of the MCP servers, A2A integrations, and APIs that connect internal and external agents to the Basis media buying toolkit.
Own agent orchestration, evaluation, and observability. Define how we measure agent quality and ensure agents reason, plan, and execute reliably in production. Own our software end to end, including production support for Compass.
Serve as the team’s primary technical point of contact for Product, QA, Design, Operations, other Engineering teams, and relevant stakeholders. Represent the team in cross-team planning, architecture discussions, and RFCs.
Drive large-scale technical projects that span multiple teams and systems, from ideation through production. Own team deliverables, decisions, quality, process, and technical direction. Develop a deep understanding of our business domain and stakeholder needs, translate business goals into realistic technical plans, and proactively identify risks and blockers.
Own the team’s technical quality bar through design and code reviews. Onboard new engineers, mentor senior and mid-level engineers, and set a positive example on how to collaborate in pull requests, demos, and working relationships.
Lead the adoption of AI-assisted and agentic development across Basis Engineering by establishing best practices and building the examples and infrastructure other teams adopt.
Embody Basis’ core principles while fostering a positive culture within the team. Actively promote Basis in the community.
WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TABLE
Minimum of 8 years of professional software engineering experience, including recent experience shipping production LLM-powered applications or agent systems.
A track record of technical leadership, including owning the technical direction of a team or major system and influencing architecture beyond your immediate area of ownership.
Expert-level proficiency in Python, with a history of architecting production APIs and backend services and integrating with protocols such as MCP and A2A.
Deep experience building and operating production-grade agentic systems with frameworks such as Strands, LangChain, or the Claude Agent SDK, including asynchronous and event-driven patterns, prompt engineering, structured outputs, and techniques for improving agent reliability. Sound judgment on when to optimize for speed and when to invest in quality.
Experience with evaluation and observability tools such as Langfuse or LangSmith, including designing evaluation strategies from the ground up.
Fluency with AI coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, etc.) as a core part of the development workflow, paired with strong judgment and full ownership of AI-generated output.
Proven ability to mentor engineers and to explain complex agentic systems clearly to engineers, Product and Operations partners, and non-technical stakeholders.
Thoughtful approach to collaboration, design, and decision-making that prioritizes equity, access, and continuous learning, and a commitment to creating inclusive, respectful environments where all voices are valued and supported.
BONUS POINTS
Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
Prior experience in ad tech, media planning systems, or programmatic advertising platforms.
Hands-on experience with AWS Bedrock, including Bedrock AgentCore (Runtime, Gateway, Identity).
Experience designing MCP tool sets or skills libraries adopted by multiple teams or external partners.
Experience with authentication and authorization for non-human actors, such as OAuth 2.0 flows for agents and token vaulting for third-party integrations.
Experience with RAG systems, vector databases, or knowledge retrieval approaches.
OUR TECH STACK
Languages: Python
Frameworks: LangChain, LangGraph, FastMCP, FastAPI
Protocols & Integrations: MCP, A2A, AG-UI, REST APIs
Evaluation & Observability: Langfuse, custom evaluation frameworks
Data: Snowflake, S3
Infrastructure: AWS, AWS Bedrock (including Bedrock AgentCore)
Skills Required
- Minimum 8 years of professional software engineering experience
- Recent experience shipping production LLM-powered applications or agent systems
- Track record of technical leadership and owning technical direction for a team or major system
- Expert-level proficiency in Python
- Experience architecting production APIs and backend services
- Experience integrating protocols such as MCP and A2A
- Experience building and operating production-grade agentic systems
- Experience with Strands, LangChain, or Claude Agent SDK
- Experience with asynchronous and event-driven patterns, prompt engineering, structured outputs, and agent reliability techniques
- Experience with evaluation and observability tools such as Langfuse or LangSmith
- Ability to design evaluation strategies from the ground up
- Fluency with AI coding tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex
- Ability to mentor engineers and explain complex agentic systems to technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Bachelor's or advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
- Experience in ad tech, media planning systems, or programmatic advertising platforms
- Hands-on experience with AWS Bedrock and Bedrock AgentCore
- Experience designing MCP tool sets or skills libraries adopted by multiple teams or external partners
- Experience with authentication and authorization for non-human actors, including OAuth 2.0 and token vaulting
- Experience with RAG systems, vector databases, or knowledge retrieval
What the Team is Saying
Basis Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Policies are described as including flexible/unlimited PTO, year‑round half‑day Fridays, and a paid three‑week sabbatical at tenure milestones. Feedback suggests these practices signal an emphasis on recharge and flexibility beyond standard offerings.
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Parental & Family Support — Offerings include up to 16 weeks of paid leave for birthing parents, 8 weeks for non‑birthing parents, and adoption/surrogacy support with financial assistance and access to Maven. Feedback suggests the package addresses multiple family‑building paths in a structured way.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) program is characterized by a company match (e.g., 50% up to 8%) with immediate vesting in multiple sources. Feedback suggests this structure provides meaningful long‑term savings support.
Basis Insights
What We Do
Basis is a leading global provider of automation software designed specifically for enterprise marketers. Our platform, Basis, is the industry’s only comprehensive digital media solution that seamlessly integrates programmatic, site-direct, advanced TV, search, and social media within a single interface. By unifying these functions, Basis simplifies complex and disconnected media operations, automates repetitive tasks, and minimizes manual processes, enabling marketing teams to focus on strategy and creativity. Our software is built to consolidate various tools and systems, driving productivity while ensuring that advertisers maximize the performance of their multi-channel media investments. With features that streamline workflows and improve efficiency, Basis delivers a powerful solution for optimizing campaign outcomes across multiple channels. Headquartered in Chicago, Basis is recognized not only for our innovative technology but also for our dedication to creating an outstanding workplace culture. Our commitment to our people and our customers underpins everything we do, as we continue to push the boundaries of what's possible in digital marketing automation.
Why Work With Us
Our mission is to make the ad industry better for everyone. We invest in our culture and support our employees – from development opportunities to competitive health and wellness programs. If you’re looking for a community that values your whole self, celebrates your wins, and has your back in challenging times – come change the industry with us.
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Basis Offices
Remote Workspace
Employees work remotely.
Basis empowers employees to work where they thrive. As a remote-first company, we trust our people to work remotely, AND offer access to our Chicago HQ and shared workspaces across the U.S., ensuring team members are supported where they are.
