At Yardzen, we believe people are at their best when they’re outside.

Our mission is simple: help people envision the outdoor spaces of their dreams, entirely online, and connect them with trusted local contractors to bring those designs to life. Since our launch in 2018, we’ve empowered thousands of homeowners to transform their outdoor spaces, make sustainable choices, enhance property value, and enjoy life outdoors.

We’re transforming the $200 billion outdoor renovation industry with AI, data, and technology—offering a modern, seamless, and transparent design-build experience. Recognized as a Fast Company Most Innovative Company and named to Inc. Magazine’s Best Places to Work, our work has been featured in Architectural Digest, The New York Times, Sunset Magazine, House Beautiful, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes. And we’re just getting started.

We’re hiring Yardzen’s first Founding AI Engineer to help shape and build out our AI strategy. This is an opportunity to help define the roadmap and develop high-impact AI solutions that enhance both client and internal experiences. You’ll work closely with product, engineering, and leadership to identify and execute key opportunities where AI can make a measurable difference - from design automation to operational efficiency to personalized client journeys.As our founding AI hire, you’ll drive end-to-end execution: from exploring cutting-edge technologies (LLMs, CV, recommendation systems) to production deployment and iteration. You’ll be instrumental in bringing AI into the core of Yardzen’s product and operational DNA.

Key Responsibilities:

Help Drive Yardzen’s AI roadmap: Collaborate with Product to Identify, prioritize, and lead AI initiatives across client features and internal tooling
Develop and deploy production-ready AI features: Work across LLMs, computer vision, and/or recommendation systems to solve real product and business challenges
Prototype and ship quickly: Build, test, and iterate on AI-powered features, collaborating closely with product and engineering teams
Lay the technical foundation for AI at Yardzen: Establish best practices for engineering workflows, model training, deployment, monitoring, and scaling
Drive tangible impact: Focus on AI solutions that improve client experience, accelerate our landscape design workflows, and improve operational efficiency
Act as a thought partner: Educate and collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify new AI use cases and possibilities across the whole organization

Qualifications:

5+ years of experience in applied AI/ML engineering, with demonstrated success building and deploying AI driven features in production environments
Hands-on experience with modern AI frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) and working knowledge of LLMs (OpenAI, Claude, or open-source models)
Strong software engineering fundamentals, ideally with experience integrating AI solutions into web applications (our stack includes React and Python/Django)
You thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments, and love building from 0→1
You enjoy balancing technical execution with product thinking — focusing on solutions that drive real business impact
Excellent communication skills and comfort working across technical and non-technical stakeholders

Nice To Have:

Experience with MLOps and scalable model deployment
Experience in consumer-facing tech or marketplaces
Interest in home improvement, design, or architecture

What We Offer:

Remote work, always: We're a remote-first company
Full coverage for you: 100% paid medical, dental, and vision insurance
Competitive compensation: Salary that matches your skills and experience
Support for growing families: 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave
Monthly perks: Wellness, cell phone, and internet stipends to keep you connected and cared for

At Yardzen, we’re committed to creating a space where our employees can bring their full selves to work and have equal opportunities to succeed. We are looking for people that will add to our culture, not just fit in. So regardless of race, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, origin, ability, age, or veteran status, if joining this mission speaks to you, we encourage you to apply!

If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation as part of the application or the recruiting process, please contact us at recruiting@yardzen.com.

Yardzen is registered as an employer in many, but not all, states. If you are not located in a state where Yardzen is registered, you will not be eligible for employment.

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