AI Engineer (Agentic Systems) at Toptal - Remote US — Columbus
Traveler-Friendly Insight
This role is fully remote within the US only — meaning it is geographically restricted to US-based workers. Digital nomads currently abroad or based outside the US are unfortunately not eligible, and the East Coast timezone preference adds a further constraint, requiring availability during roughly EST/EDT business hours (UTC-5/UTC-4).
For US-based nomads who travel domestically (e.g., hopping between cities or co-working in places like Austin, Miami, or NYC), this role fits well. The description emphasizes "remote autonomy" and low friction, suggesting async-friendly execution with minimal mandatory meetings, though the timezone soft preference implies some synchronous overlap with East Coast colleagues.
If you hold US residency and travel internationally for short stints, tourist visa stays (typically 30-90 days) in popular nomad destinations are viable if you maintain a US address and comply with tax obligations. However, extended stays abroad could create complications given the US-only hiring requirement.
- No salary data is provided, but senior AI Engineer roles at enterprise-focused companies (Toptal-style) typically range $160K–$220K/year — enough to live very comfortably in Medellín (~$1,500/mo) or Lisbon (~$2,500/mo) during domestic travel gaps.
- No explicit coworking stipend, equipment budget, or travel perks are mentioned.
Bottom line: best suited for a US-resident nomad who travels domestically or takes short international trips while maintaining US-based work logistics.
Headquarters: (Remote — US Only)
We are seeking a highly hands-on AI Engineer with a proven track record of shipping agentic AI systems into production for enterprise environments. In this role, you will design, build, and deploy production-grade AI agents capable of multi-agent orchestration, complex tool execution, and dynamic context management. You will implement robust safety guardrails and integrate frontier models using leading agent frameworks and cloud infrastructure.
This position is remote within the US (East Coast time zone slightly preferred) with minimal travel required.
Tasks and Deliverables
- Design and deploy autonomous and multi-agent orchestration workflows capable of executing complex, multi-step enterprise processes.
- Implement structured tool-use frameworks and integrate external APIs and services using protocols such as Model Context Protocol (MCP).
- Engineer advanced prompt strategies, dynamic context management, and memory layers to optimize model performance and reasoning accuracy.
- Implement production-grade guardrails, schema enforcement, latency optimization, and defensive exception handling across all agentic workflows.
- Deploy, scale, and maintain agentic microservices on cloud infrastructure using modern containerized and serverless platforms.
Required Experience
- Production Agent Experience: Demonstrated, hands-on software engineering experience building, testing, and shipping autonomous agent systems and tool-calling workflows into production environments.
- Framework & Model SDK Expertise: Strong proficiency in at least one major model ecosystem: Anthropic (Claude Agent SDK, Model Context Protocol), OpenAI (OpenAI Agents SDK, Responses API, File Search), or GCP Vertex AI (Gemini, Google ADK / Vertex AI Agent Engine).
- Cloud Infrastructure (GCP): Experience building and deploying distributed applications on Google Cloud Platform, using services such as GKE, Cloud Run, Pub/Sub, and BigQuery.
- Core Software Engineering: Strong foundation in software design patterns, API integrations, structured outputs (Pydantic/JSON schemas), and microservices architecture.
- Location: Based in the US (East Coast time zone slightly preferred).
Engagement Highlights
- Enterprise Production Scale: Move beyond proof-of-concept builds to deploy actual, living agent systems that automate mission-critical enterprise processes.
- Frontier Tech Stack: Work directly with state-of-the-art agent SDKs, Model Context Protocol, and multi-model ecosystems across Anthropic, OpenAI, and GCP.
- Remote Autonomy: Enjoy a fully remote US-based role with high execution agency and low friction.
To apply: https://weworkremotely.com/remote-jobs/toptal-ai-engineer-agentic-systems
Frequently Asked Questions
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