Forward-Deployed AI Engineer
WFA Digital Insight
As demand for AI specialists in the mortgage lending industry grows, Saaf Finance is at the forefront with its innovative approach to combining AI with proven lending operations. With the market for digital mortgage solutions expected to see significant growth, professionals with expertise in AI systems building are in high demand. Saaf Finance stands out for its commitment to deploying AI as a core building material, making it an exciting opportunity for those looking to make a real impact. Before applying, candidates should be prepared to showcase their experience in shipping AI-powered products and their ability to work in a fast-paced, systems-thinking environment.
Job Description
About the Role
The Forward-Deployed AI Engineer position at Saaf Finance represents a unique opportunity to design and ship AI-powered products and agents from end to end, transforming the mortgage lending industry. This role is about taking ownership of the full arc from identifying a business problem to deploying a working AI system in production. The successful candidate will be working directly on projects that matter most, such as automating underwriting decisions, building intelligent borrower-facing experiences, and creating agents that navigate complex loan workflows.Day-to-day, the Forward-Deployed AI Engineer will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to understand business problems and develop AI solutions that make a tangible impact. The role is ideal for someone who thinks in systems, considering LLM calls, tool use, retrieval, evaluation, and feedback loops as design primitives. The ability to move fast and take ownership of projects from concept to deployment is crucial.
Saaf Finance is part of American Heritage Lending, a top-10 private lender with over 15 years of growth. The company is backed by some of the largest asset managers and funds and is committed to using AI as a core component in its operations. This commitment to innovation and growth makes Saaf Finance an exciting place to work for professionals looking to be at the forefront of AI deployment in the mortgage lending industry.
What You Will Do
- Design and ship AI-powered products and agents from end to end for mortgage lending processes
- Develop multi-step LLM agents that can navigate loan files, evaluate conditions, flag exceptions, and surface recommendations to underwriters
- Build agentic workflows with tool use, structured output, memory, and human-in-the-loop checkpoints
- Integrate AI agents with internal systems, external data sources, and third-party APIs
- Extend and improve document extraction pipelines using the latest extraction and classification models
- Design feedback mechanisms that use reviewer corrections to improve extraction accuracy over time
- Build retrieval-augmented systems that let underwriters and borrowers query complex loan files in natural language
- Create AI-generated task lists and smart checklists that adapt to each borrower's loan scenario
- Develop intelligent routing and prioritization systems to manage loan officer workload effectively
- Design conversational AI experiences that guide borrowers through complex decisions without requiring a loan officer on every interaction
- Build evaluation frameworks that measure AI output quality against ground truth
- Monitor production AI performance and iterate relentlessly to improve accuracy, coverage, and failure modes
What We Are Looking For
- Proven experience in shipping AI-powered products or agents to production
- Strong background in AI systems building, with expertise in LLM, tool use, retrieval, and feedback loops
- Ability to think in systems and design end-to-end AI workflows
- Experience working in a fast-paced environment with a focus on taking ownership and delivering results
- Strong understanding of mortgage lending operations and the potential for AI to transform the industry
- Experience with natural language processing, machine learning, and software development
- Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams, including business stakeholders and technical teams
- Strong communication and problem-solving skills
- Experience with integration of AI agents with internal and external systems
Nice to Have
- Experience with cloud-based AI platforms and tools
- Knowledge of regulatory requirements in the mortgage lending industry
- Familiarity with agile development methodologies
- Experience with data analytics and visualization tools
Benefits and Perks
- Opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI projects that transform the mortgage lending industry
- Competitive compensation package
- Comprehensive health insurance
- Generous paid time off policy
- Remote work stipend
- Professional development opportunities
- Equity in a growing company
- Access to the latest AI tools and technologies
- Collaborative and dynamic work environment
How to Stand Out
- Ensure your portfolio showcases your ability to design and deploy end-to-end AI systems, highlighting projects that demonstrate your expertise in LLM, tool use, and feedback loops.
- Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you have used AI to solve complex business problems in previous roles.
- Familiarize yourself with the current trends and advancements in AI and mortgage lending to demonstrate your interest and passion for the field.
- Be ready to explain your approach to integrating AI with existing systems and workflows, and how you handle data privacy and security.
- Highlight any experience you have with cloud-based AI platforms and your understanding of regulatory requirements in the mortgage lending industry.
- Practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
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