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)

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

Description

Engineers frequently discuss building systems of consequence. Here is the opportunity to demonstrate it: continuous deployment, rigorous evaluation, and operational AI systems directly influencing how the United States government functions. No credential posturing. No abstract drills. Only production deliverables each week, under demanding conditions.

Gauntlet for America is a fully funded, competitive 10-week fellowship built to develop AI-native engineering capacity for the United States government. It serves as a high-intensity validation ground for seasoned engineers prepared to show they can construct and run production-quality AI systems in contexts where dependability, security, and tangible impact are paramount.

Fellows deliver weekly, work under rigorous assessment, and train with other high-caliber engineers. Following successful completion, graduates receive placement into federal GS-12 engineering positions (~$150K + comprehensive federal benefits), building systems that directly affect government operations.

The program spans 10 weeks: 3 weeks conducted remotely, then 7 weeks onsite in Austin, Texas. Fellows should anticipate a high-intensity schedule (80–100 hours/week) structured to optimize learning velocity, signal clarity, and career trajectories.

Outcomes:

  • 10+ production-ready AI systems shipped during the fellowship
  • Direct placement into a federal engineering role (GS-12 equivalent, ~$160K–$200K+ depending on experience + full benefits)
  • Work on high-impact systems shaping how the U.S. government builds and operates technology
  • Join a network of AI-native engineers operating at the frontier of public sector innovation

If you're prepared to be assessed on what you deliver — not your educational background — apply now.

What you will be doing

  • Deliver production-ready AI applications weekly against strict deadlines
  • Build using modern AI-first workflows (agents, tool use, evals, retrieval, deployment)
  • Collaborate and compete with top engineering talent in a high-feedback environment
  • Engage with real, ambiguous problem domains comparable to government and enterprise contexts
  • Transform real briefs into scoped, dependable, deployable systems

What you will NOT be doing

  • Attending theoretical coursework or passive lectures — every hour focuses on building and shipping
  • Waiting months for production deployment — you'll release real systems weekly
  • Depending on credentials, pedigree, or interview performance for placement — your production output is the sole metric that counts
  • Operating in a low-stakes sandbox — the systems you construct function under genuine security and reliability constraints

Key responsibilities

Deliver production-grade AI systems under real-world constraints that demonstrate readiness for federal engineering roles.

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

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.

Frequently asked questions

About Crossover

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)

Meet some people who've landed similar jobs

Why Crossover

Recruitment sucks. So we’re fixing it.

The Olympics of work

The Olympics of work

It’s super hard to qualify—extreme quality standards ensure every single team member is at the top of their game.

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.

Shortlist by skills, not bias

Shortlist by skills, not bias

We don’t care where you went to school, what color your hair is, or whether we can pronounce your name. Just prove you’ve got the skills.

Crossover Logo White
Follow us on
Have a question?

Get answers to common questions using our smart chatbot Crosby.

HELP AND FAQs

Join the world's largest community of  AI first Remote WorkersAI-first remote workers.