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

Description

Engineers often describe their work as meaningful. This opportunity requires you to demonstrate that claim through continuous delivery, rigorous assessment, and operational AI systems that influence United States government operations directly. There is no focus on academic background. No abstract problem sets. Only production deliverables each week, executed under demanding conditions.

Gauntlet for America is a fully funded, competitive 10-week fellowship that develops AI-native engineering capacity for U.S. government agencies. It functions as a high-intensity validation environment for seasoned engineers prepared to show they can construct and maintain production-grade AI systems where reliability, security, and tangible impact are non-negotiable.

Fellows deliver weekly outputs, work under rigorous evaluation protocols, and collaborate with other top-tier engineers. Following successful completion, graduates transition into federal GS-12 engineering positions (~$150K + comprehensive federal benefits), contributing to systems that shape government operational frameworks.

The program spans 10 weeks: the first 3 weeks are conducted remotely, then 7 weeks onsite in Austin, Texas. Participants should anticipate an intensive workload (80–100 hours/week) structured to accelerate learning velocity, signal clarity, and career advancement.

Program Outcomes:

  • Over 10 production-ready AI systems delivered throughout the fellowship
  • Guaranteed placement into a federal engineering position (GS-12 equivalent, ~$160K–$200K+ based on experience + full benefits)
  • Contribution to high-impact systems influencing how the U.S. government builds and deploys 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 your output — not your credentials — submit your application now.

What you will be doing

  • Deliver production-ready AI applications weekly against firm deadlines
  • Develop systems using modern AI-first methodologies (agents, tool use, evaluations, retrieval, deployment)
  • Operate and compete in a high-feedback environment with elite engineering peers
  • Engage with genuine, ambiguous problem domains comparable to government and enterprise contexts
  • Convert actual project briefs into well-scoped, dependable, deployable systems

What you will NOT be doing

  • Attending theoretical coursework or passive instruction sessions — every hour is allocated to building and deploying
  • Waiting months before your work reaches production environments — you will release live systems each week
  • Depending on credentials, institutional pedigree, or interview performance for placement — production output is the sole assessment criterion
  • Operating in low-risk practice environments — the systems you create are subject to authentic security and reliability requirements

Key responsibilities

Deliver production-grade AI systems under authentic 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...

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.

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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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Salary without side gigs

Salary without side gigs

Top performers earn what they’re worth. Six-figure education roles aren’t fantasy here – they’re the baseline for excellence.

Skills make the grade

Skills make the grade

Skills carry more weight that resumes here. Demonstrate learning mastery, AI fluency and passion for what’s next. That’s what counts.

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