Hybrid Software Engineer, AI

at Tend

• Job title: Software Engineer, AI
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Junior, Mid level
• Salary: $120,000 - $140,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Tech skills: AWS, Cloud, Django, EC2, JavaScript, Microservices, Next.js, Node.js, Python, React, TypeScript
• Location requirements: Hybrid, United States

About the role

• Software Engineer developing AI solutions for Tend, a dental startup focused on patient experience. Collaborating with teams to build reliable software and improve care workflows.

Responsibilities

• Translate complex clinical and operational use cases into structured AI solutions that are reliable, safe, and production-ready
• Partner closely with Product and Operations to identify where AI can reduce friction, automate manual steps, and improve patient outcomes
• Evaluate emerging Claude capabilities and advocate for their adoption when they meaningfully advance our product roadmap
• Build and maintain backend services and APIs that support our studio-facing and patient-facing products
• Develop integrations with external systems — including our dental management platforms, scheduling tools, and communication infrastructure
• Write clean, well-tested code with a focus on performance, reliability, and long-term maintainability
• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines, deployment practices, and cloud-native architecture on AWS
• Work cross-functionally with engineers, product managers, and clinical operations teams throughout the product lifecycle
• Participate in code reviews, technical planning, and sprint ceremonies in an agile environment
• Help document AI implementations clearly so teammates can understand, iterate on, and extend your work
• Stay close to how our studio teams and members use our tools — feedback from the field shapes what we build

Requirements

• 2–5 years of software engineering experience with a track record of shipping production-quality features
• Hands-on experience building with the Claude API (Anthropic), including prompt engineering, tool use, multi-turn conversations, and agentic workflows
• Proficiency in Python (Django or similar frameworks) and/or JavaScript/TypeScript (Node.js, React, Next.js)
• Experience building and maintaining RESTful APIs and microservices
• Comfort working in cloud-native environments — AWS is preferred (Lambda, S3, EC2 or similar)
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and modern development practices
• Strong written and verbal communication skills — you can explain what you built and why
• Ability to travel to Nashville, TN one to two times per month (if remote)

Benefits

• 🩺 Health Comes First – Medical, dental, and vision insurance — plus our own Dental Wellness Program
• 🌴 Time to Recharge – Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and company holidays — because rest is productive
• 💰 Plan for the Future – 401(k) plan to help you grow your nest egg
• 💸 Bonus Eligible – Annual bonus potential tied to company performance and individual impact
• 💡 Support, When You Need It – Life & AD&D insurance, EAP, legal support, and health advocacy resources
• 🛍️ Smart Spending Options – FSAs, HSAs, and pre-tax transit and parking benefits
• 🎓 Learning & Development – Ongoing opportunities to grow your skills and stay close to the latest in AI and engineering