Engineer, AI Engineer

Zed is a next-generation code editor that's engineered from scratch in Rust to be fast, elegant, and collaborative. As we extend Zed with AI capabilities, we're looking for engineers with a strong AI background to form a new AI Foundations team.

Your role will be to optimize Zed's interaction with language models through rapid prototyping and rigorous evaluation. Using Python or another lightweight scripting language, you'll explore the frontier of model capabilities and validate approaches before we sink time into implementing production-grade features. You'll collaborate with the whole Zed team to envision new AI capabilities, then take ownership over the prompts, fine-tuning, and dataflow while Rust engineers focus on editor integration.

This role offers a unique opportunity to combine your AI expertise with a team that excels at crafting world-class user interfaces for code. At Zed, if you can envision an AI-powered coding interface, our team can bring it to life. Your innovations will push the boundaries of what's possible in code editing, transforming how developers interact with AI in their daily work.

• Own and shape the AI experience in Zed
• Lead the evaluation, selection, and fine‑tuning of language models for coding‑specific tasks
• Design and implement data collection strategies to improve model performance
• Develop prompting strategies and evaluation frameworks
• Create and maintain testing methodologies for AI features
• Work closely with the engineering team to bring AI capabilities to production
• Share AI expertise across the team through mentorship and knowledge sharing
• Stay current with AI research and identify new opportunities for application
• Participate in regular pair programming sessions and code reviews

• Strong background in machine learning and natural language processing
• Extensive experience working with large language models, including prompt engineering and fine‑tuning
• Proficiency in Python and AI/ML frameworks
• Experience developing AI agents and working with agentic control flow frameworks
• Ability to design and implement reliable, production‑grade AI systems using rigorous, repeatable processes
• Track record of deploying AI in production environments
• Ability to self‑direct and lead strategic vision for AI initiatives
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate with cross‑functional teams
• Passion for developer tools and improving the coding experience
• Proficiency in Rust
• Enthusiasm for pair programming and real‑time collaboration

• Experience with code analysis or generation using AI
• Background in developer tools

Location: Remote (American or European time zones) or Boulder, Colorado