Senior AI / NLP Engineer

Salary: $120,000 – $160,000 per year

Job Summary

Kara Technologies, 2026 NZ Hi-Tech Award Startup of the Year, is in search of a Senior NLP Engineer with a strong emphasis on large language models and linguistics. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in the development and application of NLP techniques and a solid understanding of linguistic principles, aiming to drive advancements in natural language understanding and processing.

Responsibilities

1. Spearhead the development and refinement of large language models, focusing on enhancing linguistic accuracy and contextual understanding for diverse applications within our platform.

2. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate NLP solutions that address complex language-based challenges, contributing to the advancement of our technology offerings.

3. Lead the automation of text data processing, including analysis, cleaning, and preprocessing, to maintain high-quality data standards.

4. Design and implement NLP algorithms and systems, ensuring they are effective, scalable, and aligned with the latest advancements in language research.

5. Contribute to the strategic planning and development of our NLP infrastructure, prioritizing innovations in large language models and linguistic analysis.

6. Engage in continuous research and development to stay abreast of advancements in NLP, large language models, and linguistics, applying new findings to improve our solutions.

7. Provide expert guidance and mentorship to other team members in areas of NLP and linguistics.

Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Linguistics, Computer Science, AI, or a related field, with a strong emphasis on NLP.

2. Minimum of 3 years of experience in NLP, with a significant focus on large language models and their applications.

3. Deep understanding of linguistic theories and principles, with the ability to apply this knowledge practically in the development of NLP solutions.

4. Expertise in Python, with a strong portfolio demonstrating previous work in NLP and language model development.

5. Demonstrated ability to innovate and solve complex language processing challenges.

6. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with proficiency in English.

Preferred Skills

1. Extensive experience with state-of-the-art large language models, including customization and application to specific linguistic tasks. Deep understanding of transformers and attention mechanisms in LLMs.

2. Familiarity with Agile development methodologies and a collaborative, team-oriented approach to projects.

3. Experience deploying, operating, and maintaining cloud-based applications and infrastructure, preferably on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

4. Experience with NLP tools, frameworks, and libraries relevant to large language models.

5. Strong fundamental understanding of computer science theory, foundational AI and ML algorithms, and mathematics applications in AI / ML.

What We Offer:

1. Opportunity to be part of a high-tech startup and work on ground-breaking technologies.

2. A collaborative, flexible, and friendly work environment.

3. Competitive salary and benefits.

4. Opportunity for professional growth and development.