AI Research Engineer

Candidates for this role are required to sign the organizations Statement of Faith, which closely aligns with Come Nears mission-driven focus of inviting all people one step closer to the authentic Jesus from wherever they are. About Us Come Near is a group of people moved to raise the public conversation about Jesus. They create, curate, and connect people to authentic Jesus stories and experiences. Most widely recognized is the groups He Gets Us campaign, which invites people to reconsider Jesus and has reached millions of Americans since launching in 2021. To learn more, visit comenear.org. Position Summary Come Near is building a personalized digital experience to help neighbors find content that meets them where they are. We need someone who can build the technical systems that make that possible, with a strong mindset of iterating toward a working solution. This role is for a builder who takes well-formed concepts and early prototypes and develops them into functional systems, rapidly iterating until they perform. Youll recognize when a system is ready to hand off and when it needs another pass. The product is continually evolving, and the systems you build must keep pace with it. Essential Duties And Responsibilities Take AI-powered systems from early prototype to functional, iterating until they work well enough to ship or hand off to engineeringRun experiments, read the results, and use what you learn to make the next version betterInstrument systems so the right things are being measured, and so results are legible enough to act onOwn the diagnosis when something breaks or underperforms, in your own work or the systems around itCurrent focus areas include the personalization engine and Come Near Intelligence (CNI), our internal AI knowledge system COMPETENCIES Comfortable making reasonable technical decisions under ambiguityStrong troubleshooting instinct: digs in rather than escalates when something isnt workingEnough range to work across data pipelines, modeling, and serving infrastructureBuilds with AI as a natural part of their workflow, using it to move faster, go deeper, and do more with less Education And Experience Masters Degree in Computer Science, Engineering or another technical field, or equivalent research experience (approximately 2 or more years)Demonstrated experience building ML systems that shipped and ran in productionAlignment with Come Nears mission and values is essential PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES A personal relationship with Jesus and a passion for Come Nears mission.A heart for service, humility, and collaborative leadership.An initiative-taking, meticulous approach to planning and execution