Applied AI Engineer
$160K–$200K+ Offers For Graduates $160K–$200K+ Offers For Graduates 

3 weeks remote, 7 weeks onsite in Austin, TX
80–100 hours/week for 10 weeks
In-person
Short-term contract
full-time (90 hrs/week)

Applied AI Engineer   $160K–$200K+ Offers For Graduates $160K–$200K+ Offers For Graduates 

Description

Engineers frequently discuss creating impactful work. Here's where you demonstrate that capability: continuous delivery, rigorous assessment, and applied AI infrastructure directly influencing United States government operations. No résumé posturing. No abstract problem sets. Only measurable production results each week, delivered under deadline.

Gauntlet for America is a fully funded, competitive 10-week fellowship program built to develop AI-native engineering talent for the U.S. government. It operates as a high-pressure testing environment for seasoned engineers prepared to show they can construct and maintain production-quality AI systems where security, reliability, and tangible impact are non-negotiable.

Participants deliver weekly, work under continuous evaluation, and collaborate with other elite engineers. After successful program completion, fellows transition into federal GS-12 engineering positions (~$150K + comprehensive federal benefits), contributing to systems that directly affect government operations.

The fellowship spans 10 weeks: an initial 3-week remote phase, then 7 weeks onsite in Austin, Texas. Expect a demanding schedule (80–100 hours/week) structured to accelerate skill development, performance visibility, and career advancement.

Program Outcomes:

  • 10+ production-ready AI systems delivered throughout the fellowship
  • Direct transition into a federal engineering position (GS-12 equivalent, ~$160K–$200K+ based on experience + full benefits)
  • Contribution to high-impact infrastructure shaping how the U.S. government develops and deploys technology
  • Access to a network of AI-native engineers working at the leading edge of public sector technology

If you're prepared to be assessed on your output — not your educational background — submit your application now.

What you will be doing

  • Deliver production-ready AI applications weekly under firm deadlines
  • Develop with contemporary AI-first methodologies (agents, tool integration, evaluations, retrieval, deployment)
  • Work alongside and compete with exceptional engineering talent in a high-feedback setting
  • Engage with authentic, undefined problem domains reflecting government and enterprise conditions
  • Transform operational briefs into scoped, dependable, production-ready systems

What you will NOT be doing

  • Attending theoretical instruction or passive presentations — every session is dedicated to development and deployment
  • Experiencing months-long delays before production deployment — you'll ship functioning systems each week
  • Depending on academic credentials, institutional prestige, or interview charisma to secure your role — only your production work counts
  • Operating in a consequence-free testing environment — your systems must meet actual security and reliability standards

Key responsibilities

Deliver production-grade AI systems under operational constraints that validate readiness for federal engineering positions.

Candidate requirements

  • U.S. citizenship required (no exceptions; background check required)
  • Demonstrated engineering ability (new grads and experienced engineers considered)
  • Willing to relocate to Austin, TX for 7 weeks (full-time, in person)
  • Willing to relocate to the Washington, DC area upon program completion (no remote roles)
  • Strong problem-solving ability, learning speed, and clear reasoning under pressure
  • High responsiveness to feedback and ability to operate in high-intensity environments

Meet a successful candidate

Watch Interview
Fabiano Lucchese
Fabiano  |  SVP of Software Engineering
Brazil

Does your company encourage your natural creativity? This Brazilian engineering leader rediscovered his purpose after unleashing both his an...

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Applying for a role? Here’s what to expect.

Crossover's skill assessment process combines innovative AI power with decades of human research, to take the guesswork, human bias, and pointless filters out of recruiting high-performing teams.

Chat-style
screening interview.
STEP 1

Chat-style
screening interview.

Cognitive 
aptitude test.
STEP 2

Cognitive 
aptitude test.

Prove real-world 
job skills.
STEP 3

Prove real-world 
job skills.

Interview with the hiring manager.
STEP 4

Interview with the hiring manager.

Pass
proctored test.
STEP 5

Pass
proctored test.

Accept job offer.
STEP 6

Accept job offer.

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What you will learn

Phase 1: Remote (Weeks 1–3) — AI-First Engineering Foundations

  • AI-first development workflows (coding agents, MCP, real-time collaboration)
  • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), embeddings, and vector databases
  • Rapid project sprints focused on shipping under constraints

Phase 2: Onsite in Austin (Weeks 4–10) — Production AI at Scale

  • Agent systems, evals, verification, and observability (LangChain/LangSmith/LangFuse/CrewAI)
  • Enterprise-grade delivery: QA, reliability, and high-standards execution
  • Fine-tuning + deployment patterns (LoRA/QLoRA + production integration)
  • Multi-agent modernization of real-world codebases
  • Multimodal AI builds (image/video/voice) and scalable infrastructure (AWS/Azure)

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The Olympics of work

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Premium pay for premium talent

Premium pay for premium talent

Over 50% of new hires double or triple their previous pay. Why? Because that’s what the best person in the world is worth.

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Shortlist by skills, not bias

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