
Applied AI Engineer at PermitFlow (New York, NY)
PermitFlow· New York, NY· $175k–$250k·
Role details
Job description
PermitFlow is redefining how America builds. We’re an applied AI company serving the nation’s builders, tackling one of the largest information challenges in the economy: understanding what can be built, where, and how. Our AI agent workforce helps the fastest-growing construction companies navigate everything from permitting and licensing to inspections and project closeouts – accelerating housing, clean-energy, and infrastructure development across the country. Despite being a $1.6T industry, construction still suffers from massive delays, wasted capital, and lost opportunity. PermitFlow has already delivered unprecedented speed, accuracy, and visibility to over $20B in development, helping contractors reduce compliance time, de-risk projects, and scale with confidence. As the U.S. enters a new capex supercycle across data centers, factories, housing, and renewables, joining PermitFlow means building the AI infrastructure at the core of every construction project driving the next wave of reindustrialization. We’ve raised over $90M, most recently completing our Series B, from top-tier investors including Accel, Kleiner Perkins, Initialized, Y Combinator, Felicis, and Altos Ventures, with backing from leaders at OpenAI, Google, Procore, ServiceTitan, Zillow, PlanGrid, and Uber.
Our HQ is in New York City with a hybrid schedule (3 in-office days per week). We prefer NYC-based candidates or those open to relocation.
Role Overview
As an Applied AI Engineer, you will design and deploy the AI agents that power PermitFlow’s pre-construction platform. You will own the full lifecycle of intelligent agents—from model development to orchestration, productionization, and evaluation—while contributing to core platform engineering.
What You’ll Do
- Develop and deploy AI agents that automate permitting workflows end-to-end
- Orchestrate multiple models and tools to create reliable, multi-step AI systems
- Build the internal tools and infrastructure that power and monitor these agents
- Design and implement backend and frontend services, APIs, and data pipelines, integrating AI functionality into user-facing features when needed
- Contribute to system architecture and core platform design with the engineering team
- Design and maintain a suite of evaluations and benchmarks to measure agent accuracy, reliability, and cost-effectiveness
- Optimize inference pipelines and backend systems for speed, scalability, and cost
What We’re Looking For
- 3+ years in software or ML engineering post-BS/MS
- Hands-on experience shipping production AI/ML systems or AI-powered products
- Experience building multi-step ML systems, pipelines, or agentic workflows
- Strong backend and API development skills, with some frontend experience
- Track record of building reliable products with attention to quality and detail
- Startup grit and comfort in fast-moving, evolving environments
What We Offer
- Competitive salary and meaningful equity in a high-growth company
- 100% company-paid base medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees + healthcare FSA
- 401(k) savings plan
- Unlimited PTO and paid family leave
- Home office & equipment stipend
- Daily in-office lunch and dinner provided
- Commuter benefits (pre-tax transit and parking)
PermitFlow provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or family status, as protected by applicable law.
We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and welcome people from all backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and abilities. All employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs.
Why work at PermitFlow
- Mission-driven work: Solving a critical, overlooked problem – housing shortages, aging infrastructure, and rising costs – by making construction faster and more affordable.
- Fast-paced, ownership culture: Core values include Urgency, Ownership, Team Player, and Thrive on Change. Employees are encouraged to take full responsibility for outcomes and move quickly.
- Remote/hybrid flexibility: Some roles are fully remote (e.g., Administrative Assistant, Mid-Market Account Executive), while others are NYC hybrid (e.g., Permit Operations Lead). The company operates across 5 countries (U.S., Canada, India, Pakistan, UK).
- Strong engineering culture: Building “serious tech” with AI agents, a large dataset, and modern stack. The CTO (Samuel Lam) is a Harvard CS & Statistics grad and former Uber engineer.
- Growth trajectory: 48% headcount growth YoY, 40+ open roles, and $90.5M in funding signal a rapidly scaling company with ample career advancement opportunities.
- Compensation & culture: Rated 4.1/5 on employer review sites, with strong marks for compensation (4.1) and career growth (4.1). Benefits and perks are typical of a well-funded startup.