Software Engineer – AI & Automation

Software Engineer – AI & Automation

at Singapore’s leading AI training provider

Full-time | Singapore | Technology | Onsite

The opportunity

Vertical Institute is looking for a Software Engineer – AI & Automation to build and improve the systems powering our learning platform and internal operations. This is a hands-on role focused on developing scalable software solutions and leveraging AI and automation to improve business processes.

You will work closely with the CEO and teams across admissions, sales, finance, and operations to translate business needs into practical technical solutions and automations.

We’re looking for a strong, curious engineer who enjoys solving real-world problems, exploring AI technologies, and taking ownership from development through implementation in a lean, fast-moving environment.

What You Will Own

1. Technical Leadership & Strategy

Architecture & Direction: Set technical standards, choose scalable architectures, and maintain system security and reliability.

Roadmap & Trade-offs: Partner with the CEO to turn business goals into an actionable engineering roadmap while managing technical debt.

Engineering Quality: Raise the team’s standard through thoughtful design and code reviews.

2. Hands-On Engineering & Integrations

Core Systems: Stay actively coding to build and maintain the core learning platform.

Operations & Tooling: Build internal automations and tools to streamline sales, admissions, finance, and support.

SaaS Integrations: Connect LMS, CRM, payment systems, and third-party tools for long-term maintainability.

3. AI & Automation Innovation

Practical AI Integration: Proactively identify and build AI features, agents, and workflows to improve efficiency and decision-making across the business.

4. Team Culture & Growth

Mentorship: Coach engineers, enforce best practices (testing, docs, CI/CD), and foster an ownership-driven culture.

5. Stakeholder Communication

Bridge Technical & Business: Translate complex tech concepts clearly for the CEO and non-technical teams, building cross-functional trust.

What We Are Looking For

Essential Experience

1–2 Years of Experience: 1–2 years of professional software engineering experience, with strong hands-on exposure to building and maintaining production-grade applications.

Engineering Background: Strong full-stack or backend development experience, with the ability to work across the application stack and take ownership of technical deliverables.

System Design: Solid foundation in architecture, database design, API design, integrations, and performance optimisation.

Technical Ownership: Demonstrated ability to take ownership of features or systems, make sound technical decisions, troubleshoot issues, and deliver reliable software with minimal supervision.

Leadership Potential: Experience mentoring peers, leading technical initiatives, or taking ownership of projects is highly valued. We are looking for someone with the potential to grow into a strong technical lead.

Clear Communication: Ability to explain technical concepts and trade-offs clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice-to-Haves

Ruby on Rails experience.

Background in EdTech / Learning Management Systems (LMS).

Hands-on experience building with modern AI APIs or automation tools.

Experience integrating CRM, payment, and analytics platforms.

Prior startup or scale-up experience.

Experience working in a lean engineering team with a high degree of ownership.

Why this role

Genuine technical authority

You set the architecture, the standards, and the direction. The technical decisions are yours to make and yours to stand behind.

Direct CEO access

You work directly with the CEO on the technical roadmap. Your input shapes business decisions, not just engineering backlogs.

AI at the core

You are building AI-powered systems for an AI training company. The subject matter and the tools are genuinely aligned in a way most tech roles cannot offer.

Build the function

The engineering team is lean and the scope is large. What you build here - technically and culturally - will define how technology operates at Vertical Institute as the company scales.

About Vertical Institute

Vertical Institute is Singapore's leading AI and technology training provider. We are a Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) Registered Training Provider and IBF-accredited institution. Over 50,000 professionals have trained with us across individual programs and enterprise engagements, including partnerships with government agencies, MNCs, and financial institutions. We are headquartered at the Lifelong Learning Institute.