Junior AI Engineer

You'll be given plenty of responsibility, but you'll never be on your own. You'll work alongside experienced engineers, receive hands-on mentoring, and grow quickly both technically and professionally.

You'll be joining a company that's evolving rapidly. That means variety, new challenges, and not always having a predefined roadmap. We're looking for someone who enjoys pioneering, likes experimenting with new ideas, and is excited to discover what works together with the team.

What will you do?

• Build AI applications such as LLM tools, copilots, AI agents and intelligent applications.
• Develop prototypes and evolve them into MVPs or production-ready software.
• Work with modern AI stacks, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and APIs.
• Help build VitalSail's scalable AI products.
• Explore new use cases and translate them into practical solutions for clients.
• Experiment with new models, tools and development approaches.
• Contribute ideas on how AI can be successfully implemented and adopted within organisations.

You won't just be building isolated experiments. You'll create AI solutions that are used in practice and designed to scale.

Who are we looking for?

You:

• Recently graduated from a university of applied sciences (HBO) or university (WO) programme, for example in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science or a related field.
• Have a solid foundation in Python and/or JavaScript.
• Are passionate about AI, software engineering and automation.
• Enjoy understanding how technology works under the hood and value strong programming fundamentals.
• Like turning ideas into working prototypes and applications.
• Preferably have personal projects, university projects or GitHub repositories that demonstrate your skills.
• Are curious, eager to learn and entrepreneurial.
• Take initiative, think pragmatically and work carefully.

You don't need to know everything yet. What's most important to us is that you have a strong technical foundation, enjoy learning and are ready to take ownership.

How do we work?

At VitalSail, we combine entrepreneurship, technical expertise and a practical island mentality. Whether you're working from our office in Middelharnis or remotely, we focus on what's ahead, recognise opportunities and take initiative. We don't wait for things to happen; we build, test and continuously improve.

We set high standards while keeping people at the centre of everything we do. Technology is never an end in itself. An AI solution is only successful when it is technically robust and genuinely helps people and organisations move forward.

Our culture is open, collaborative and focused on continuous development. We share knowledge, give honest feedback and learn from one another, regardless of role or experience.

Our island mentality is reflected in short communication lines, clear agreements and a hands-on approach. We avoid unnecessary complexity and never promise more than we can deliver. We're ambitious, but grounded. Curious, but critical. Fast, but never careless.

What do we offer?

The essentials

• A competitive salary based on your knowledge and experience.
• 25 vacation days and 8% holiday allowance.
• A one-year contract for 24–40 hours per week.
• A high-quality laptop and professional development tools.
• Hybrid and flexible working, with the freedom to choose where and when you work.

Your role

• Work on real AI solutions and products from day one.
• Take on meaningful responsibility, with the support to grow into it.
• Help shape our products, engineering practices and future growth.
• If it suits your interests, combine your technical expertise with customer-facing projects.

Your development

• An intensive learning journey that combines hands-on project work with structured coaching and knowledge transfer.
• Personal guidance from a senior engineer, including pair programming.
• Rapid growth in AI by applying new knowledge directly in real-world projects.
• The freedom to discover your strengths and explore the direction within VitalSail that suits you best.
• A monthly knowledge lunch where we share new insights, technologies and experiences, and enjoy lunch together.
• Excellent opportunities for professional growth and career development.

Sounds like a good fit?

We'd love to get to know you. We're eager to hear what motivates you, what you're excited to learn, and how you'd like to grow in your career. Of course, we'll also be happy to tell you why we're so excited about VitalSail and what you can expect from working with us.

Have a few questions first? Feel free to call or email Marije at +31 6 30 69 42 72 or m.vanderlinden@vitalsail.ai.

You don't need to write a lengthy cover letter. A short introduction, your CV or your LinkedIn profile is more than enough to start the conversation.