Senior AI Engineer / AI Architect

As a Senior AI Engineer, you'll play a key role in shaping our technical direction. You'll design system architectures, make fundamental decisions about tooling and infrastructure, and help transform promising prototypes into robust, production-ready products.

From our base on Goeree-Overflakkee (NL), we work with organisations throughout the Netherlands. We combine technical ambition with a practical island mentality: short communication lines, clear decisions, and a relentless focus on building solutions that truly work.

What will you do?

You'll work at the intersection of software engineering, AI architecture and product development. Your responsibilities will include:

• Designing architectures for AI systems, including RAG solutions, AI agents, workflows, integrations and AI infrastructure.
• Turning prototypes into scalable, production-ready solutions.
• Making key technical decisions regarding infrastructure, tooling and engineering standards.
• Helping build reusable, scalable AI products.
• Translating customer challenges into robust and practical technical solutions.
• Mentoring junior engineers and supporting their technical and professional growth.
• Helping shape our engineering practices, quality standards and technical roadmap.

Who are we looking for?

We're looking for an experienced engineer who sees the bigger picture, takes ownership and combines technical depth with a pragmatic mindset.

You:

• Have four to ten or more years of experience in software engineering.
• Have extensive experience with Python, APIs, cloud platforms and modern software architecture.
• Have experience with, or a strong affinity for, LLMs, generative AI, RAG, AI agents and intelligent automation.
• Think in terms of systems, scalability, reliability and maintainability.
• Can clearly explain and justify technical decisions to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders.
• Take ownership and don't wait for others to set the direction.
• Critically evaluate new technologies rather than automatically adopting the latest trend.
• Consider the impact of AI on users, business processes and organisations.
• Enjoy mentoring other engineers and sharing technical knowledge (preferred).

You don't need to be a specialist in every area of AI. What matters most is that you have a strong software engineering foundation, quickly master new technologies and are comfortable taking responsibility for technical decisions that will shape our products over the long term.

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 look 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 sound 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 level.

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 contract for 24 to 40 hours per week.
• A high-quality laptop and professional tools.
• Hybrid and flexible working, with the freedom to choose where and when you work.

Your role

• A key position within a fast-growing AI company.
• Direct influence on our technology stack, architecture, engineering standards and product strategy.
• The opportunity not only to advise on technical decisions, but to implement them as well.
• Work on real AI solutions for clients while helping build VitalSail's scalable AI products.
• Significant responsibility from day one, with short decision-making lines and direct impact.

Your development

• The opportunity to deepen your expertise in AI architecture, scalability, security and AI governance.
• Strategic and technical sparring with founders, engineers, customers and external experts.
• A development path tailored to your ambitions, whether that's technical leadership, AI architecture or further specialisation.
• The opportunity to help shape VitalSail's engineering standards, architectural principles and technical roadmap.
• The freedom to showcase your expertise through knowledge sessions, publications, industry events and customer presentations.

Sounds like a good fit?

We'd love to get to know you. We'd love to hear your perspective on AI engineering, what motivates you and what you're looking for in your next challenge. Of course, we'll also be happy to tell you why we're so excited about VitalSail, where we're heading, and the role you could play in our journey.

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.