Staff Software Engineer: Applied AI

Every day, thousands of shipments cross borders, change hands, and hit unexpected problems. For decades, fixing those problems meant phone calls, emails, and humans heroically firefighting. We think that's about to change completely.

We've been building AI agents that spot trouble before it happens, reroute shipments, and keep goods moving—with our team of experts in the loop where it counts. The early results have been jaw-dropping. We're now going all in on a future where supply chains run themselves, and we're looking for the people who want to build that future with us.

This isn't a role where you join a team and pick up tickets. You'll find the highest-leverage problems, design the solutions, and ship them to operators moving freight across 112 countries. If that sounds like your idea of a good time, read on.

What You'll Do

You'll build the cutting-edge agents and AI-powered applications that make Flexport's operations smarter, faster, and increasingly autonomous. That means:

• Designing and shipping end-to-end AI agents that handle real logistics work—customs compliance, document processing, exception management, and more
• Crossing organizational boundaries to understand problems deeply, align stakeholders, and get things done without waiting for permission
• Moving fast from idea to production, treating every deployment as a learning opportunity
• Working directly with operators, domain experts, and leadership to turn ambiguous problems into shipped solutions

You Should Have

• 10+ years of software engineering experience; you've built with LLMs extensively—whether in production, side projects, or just because you couldn't stop yourself
• Strong product instincts: you can identify what's worth building, not just execute on a spec
• LLM fluency: agent patterns, RAG, prompt engineering, tool use, evaluation. You know what works in production and what looks good in demos
• Full-stack capability in TypeScript and Next.js—you can own a feature end to end
• An entrepreneurial drive: you thrive in ambiguity, move fast, and don't wait to be told what to do
• Excellent communication: you can work across teams and disciplines to get alignment and unblock yourself
• An audacious appetite for impact: you're not here to maintain—you're here to change how global trade works

Nice to Have

• Experience with workflow orchestration (Temporal, etc.)
• Experience building internal tools or operator-facing applications

How We Work

• We come to the office 3 times a week to hang out, whiteboard, and ship together
• We have the latest hardware and software—including frontier AI models on day one
• We're agile, but not dogmatic. Teams decide how they work best
• Stack: Next.js, TypeScript, Postgres, Snowflake. For AI: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google AI APIs

Why This Role Is Special

• Your work is visible: This is a small, senior team reporting directly to the VP of Engineering. What you build gets noticed, and your ideas shape the direction
• Real stakes: thousands of containers, 112 countries, $19 billion of goods. Your agents will have immediate, measurable impact
• Full ownership: from problem definition to production deployment, it's yours
• You're early: the playbook for applied AI in enterprise logistics doesn't exist yet—you'll help write it

What's in it for you: 

• An opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing companies, where you’ll have the chance to create a global impact while being a part of a  thriving multinational environment 
• Daily catered lunches incl. vegetarian options, breakfast, snacks and soft drinks available in our office on daily basis 
• Commute expenses: Flexport will cover  home-office commuting costs for employees living outside of Amsterdam
• 25 working days as vacation days based on full time employment.
• Health insurance: Flexport offers a collective health insurance plan including a basic package and any available additional packages. Your monthly premium is fully paid by Flexport. 
• A defined pension contribution scheme
• Equity program: every team member becomes a shareholder, aligning our success with yours. As a private company in a multi-trillion dollar industry, you have a direct stake in our collective growth and success.
• Employee Assistance Program through Aetna Resources for Living: Flexport provides an employer-sponsored program at no cost to you and your household members
• Parental leave benefit: Flexport is here to support you and your families in one of the most important times in life – the birth of a child! Our parental leave program allows both mothers and partners to take time off from work for pregnancy, childbirth, and to bond with your new child.