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 claim they want to build impactful systems. Here, you will: ship relentlessly, submit to rigorous evaluation, and deploy real-world AI infrastructure that directly influences U.S. government operations. There is no room for credential posturing or abstract problem-solving. Only consistent production output delivered weekly, under demanding conditions.

Gauntlet for America is a fully funded, competitive 10-week fellowship created to develop AI-native engineering capacity for United States federal agencies. It functions as a high-stakes evaluation environment for seasoned engineers prepared to prove they can construct and maintain production-grade AI systems where reliability, security, and tangible impact are non-negotiable.

Fellows deliver output weekly, perform under continuous assessment, and train with other elite engineers. Upon program completion, successful participants transition into federal GS-12 engineering positions (~$150K + comprehensive federal benefits), contributing to systems that directly influence government operations.

The fellowship spans 10 weeks: 3 weeks conducted remotely, then 7 weeks onsite in Austin, Texas. Participants should anticipate a demanding schedule (80–100 hours/week) structured to accelerate learning velocity, generate clear performance signal, and optimize career trajectory.

Program Outcomes:

  • 10+ production-ready AI systems delivered throughout the fellowship
  • Immediate placement into federal engineering positions (GS-12 equivalent, ~$160K–$200K+ based on experience + full benefits)
  • Contribution to high-impact systems defining how the U.S. government constructs and operates technology
  • Access to a network of AI-native engineers working at the leading edge of public sector innovation

If you are prepared to be assessed on what you ship — not your educational pedigree — apply now.

What you will be doing

  • Deliver production-ready AI applications weekly against strict timelines
  • Construct systems using modern AI-first methodologies (agents, tool use, evals, retrieval, deployment)
  • Collaborate and compete with top-tier engineering talent in a high-feedback setting
  • Engage with authentic, ambiguous problem domains comparable to government and enterprise contexts
  • Convert real-world briefs into scoped, dependable, deployable systems

What you will NOT be doing

  • Attending theoretical coursework or passive instruction — every hour centers on building and deploying
  • Waiting months to see your work reach production — you will deploy functioning systems every week
  • Depending on credentials, pedigree, or interview results to secure placement — your production output is the sole evaluation criterion
  • Operating in a low-stakes environment — the systems you create must satisfy real security and reliability requirements

Key responsibilities

Deliver production-grade AI systems under real-world constraints that confirm 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...

Meet Fabiano

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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
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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
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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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