Software Engineer at Ronin Consulting LLC – Franklin, Tennessee

RŌNIN CONSULTING

Sr Generative AI Engineer

AI Transformation, Integration & Hybrid Cloud ● Contract-to-Hire | 9 Months ● Nashville, TN (Local Candidates Only)

Where AI Engineering Meets Full-Stack Craftsmanship

Company:

Rōnin Consulting

Team:

AI Transformation, Integration & Hybrid Cloud

Level:

Senior

Type:

Contract-to-Hire | 9-Month Engagement

Location:

Nashville, TN (On-site / Local Candidates Only)

ABOUT THE ROLE

Join an elite innovation team at Rōnin Consulting where AI engineering and full-stack software development converge. This is a contract-to-hire engagement — a 9-month contract with a clear path to permanent placement for the right candidate. As a Sr AI & Software Engineer based in Nashville, TN, you will provide technical leadership in designing and implementing cutting-edge Generative AI solutions while delivering robust, enterprise-grade software applications that drive measurable outcomes for our clients.

You will play a dual role: architecting advanced AI systems — including Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines, agentic workflows, and LLM grounding strategies on Google Cloud Platform — while also building the full-stack applications that bring those systems to life. GCP and its affiliated tooling (Vertex AI, Gemini, Dataflow, PubSub, and Cloud Run) are at the center of this work. You'll collaborate with product managers, data scientists, and client stakeholders to translate complex AI concepts into real-world solutions.

This is a role for a curious, adaptable engineer who thrives at the frontier of AI innovation and is equally comfortable designing a vector store schema, writing a clean API, or mentoring a junior developer — and who is ready to plant roots in the Nashville area.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Generative AI & Agentic Systems

Lead the design, development, and deployment of scalable, enterprise-grade Generative AI solutions on Google Cloud Platform, with a strong focus on the Vertex AI suite and Gemini models

Architect and build sophisticated Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems that ground LLMs in proprietary and domain-specific data, ensuring response accuracy and factual reliability

Design and implement efficient data pipelines for preparing, processing, and embedding data for use in vector stores such as Vertex AI Vector Search

Develop innovative grounding strategies and design the data structures needed to connect LLMs with real-world, real-time information sources

Spearhead the exploration and implementation of Agentic AI concepts to create autonomous systems capable of complex reasoning and multi-step task execution

Champion and integrate the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to standardize communication between LLMs and external tools, enhancing system interoperability and capability

Perform proof-of-concept and proof-of-technology work to secure stakeholder buy-in for new AI initiatives

Full-Stack Software Engineering

Design client-side and server-side architecture with clearly defined AI integration points

Build enterprise-grade applications in your language of strength (Python, Java, Node.js, C#, or similar), as well as front-end applications through intuitive, human-centered design

Write effective APIs, including integrations with AI services, LLM endpoints, and third-party platforms

Develop and manage robust databases and application layers, including reusable data objects and automated testing frameworks

Build features with mobile-responsive design and implement security and data protection protocols

Partner with data scientists and AI engineers to optimize intelligent features and ensure system performance

Leadership & Collaboration

Provide technical mentorship and foster a collaborative, growth-oriented team environment

Translate complex AI concepts into actionable strategies for business stakeholders, product managers, and development teams

Lead investigations and solution proposals for complex development and design challenges in the AI domain

Guide team members in scope-of-work estimation and forecasting for AI-related projects

Collaborate with stakeholders to capture functional and non-functional requirements for AI systems

Drive development initiatives using Agile practices and principles

Write clear technical documentation for systems, APIs, and AI workflows

REQUIREMENTS & SKILLS

Skill / Experience

Level

5+ years of full-stack software engineering experience

Required

Advanced hands-on experience with GCP Vertex AI, Gemini, and Vertex AI Studio

Required

Deep experience designing and building RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architectures

Required

Proven experience with Vector Stores and embedding pipeline design (e.g., Vertex AI Vector Search)

Required

Strong experience designing grounding data structures and data grounding pipelines

Required

Knowledge of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and its application with LLMs and external tools

Required

GCP data pipeline tooling: Dataflow, Pub/Sub, BigQuery, and/or Cloud Composer

Required

Cloud-native development on GCP: Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, GKE, or serverless architectures

Required

Full-stack proficiency in one or more languages: Python, Java, Node.js, C#, or similar

Required

Database experience with SQL and/or NoSQL (BigQuery, Cloud Spanner, Firestore, SQL Server, MongoDB)

Required

Experience with message queue / event streaming systems (GCP Pub/Sub, Kafka, or similar)

Required

Experience with DevOps tooling (GitHub, Cloud Build) and CI/CD for ML (MLOps / Vertex AI Pipelines)

Required

Strong understanding of Agile methodology and software development lifecycles

Required

Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical concepts to diverse stakeholders

Required

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills; experience with log analysis and load testing

Required

Experience integrating with CRM, ERP, eCommerce, or EMR/EHR systems and common integration patterns

Required

Familiarity with UI/UX principles and responsive web design frameworks

Required

Local to Nashville, TN — on-site availability required

Required

Agentic AI frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LangGraph) for autonomous and multi-agent system design

Preferred

Experience with GCP AI Agent Builder or Vertex AI Agent Engine

Preferred

Experience with .NET Core / C# in enterprise application contexts

Preferred

Experience with Azure services (DevOps, Data Factory, EventHub) in a hybrid-cloud context

Preferred

Experience with diagramming tools (e.g., Visio, Lucidchart) for architecture documentation

Preferred

Familiarity with prompt engineering patterns and LLM evaluation techniques

Preferred

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Growth mindset and genuine curiosity in the rapidly evolving field of AI

Adaptability and comfort navigating diverse technical ecosystems and ambiguous problem spaces

Strong organizational skills and great attention to detail

Collaborative spirit with the ability to work independently and lead a team toward specific outcomes

Ability to lead community events and internal knowledge-sharing focused on software development and delivery

Strong understanding of codebase context and its relationship to broader business objectives

EDUCATION

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Statistics, or a relevant technical field. Equivalent practical experience with a strong portfolio of AI and software engineering work will be considered.

WHY RŌNIN CONSULTING

Competitive contract compensation with a structured path to full-time placement

Contract-to-hire structure: 9-month engagement with conversion for the right candidate

Collaborative, close-knit team of AI and engineering specialists in Nashville

Leadership committed to technical excellence and quality delivery

Opportunity to work at the absolute forefront of GCP-native AI development

Diverse client portfolio spanning healthcare, finance, government, and enterprise