Internship Software Engineer Optum Jobs in Rhode Island

Description

Description

AI Software Engineer 

We are seeking a motivated and curious AI Software Engineer to help build and support next-generation AI solutions, including Agentic AI capabilities that can plan, reason, and complete tasks using tools and workflows. This is an excellent opportunity for a recent college graduate or early-career engineer with a passion for artificial intelligence, software development, and solving real-world business problems.

Working alongside experienced engineers and AI specialists, you will contribute to the design, development, testing, and deployment of AI-powered applications that improve customer experiences and business operations while learning modern AI engineering practices.

This is not a Remote position but 4 days in the office and 1 Hybrid

Key Responsibilities

AI Application Development

• Assist in designing, developing, and testing AI-powered applications and intelligent workflows.
• Build and integrate APIs, internal services, and data sources that support AI solutions.
• Help develop AI agents capable of completing business tasks using large language models (LLMs) and workflow orchestration tools.
• Participate in improving the reliability, quality, and performance of AI applications.

Software Engineering

• Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code using modern software engineering practices.
• Contribute to cloud-based applications and backend services.
• Support CI/CD pipelines, testing, monitoring, and deployment activities.
• Troubleshoot issues and participate in debugging and performance improvements.

Learning & Innovation

• Learn emerging AI technologies, including large language models, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), prompt engineering, and AI agent frameworks.
• Experiment with new tools and techniques to improve AI capabilities.
• Participate in code reviews, design discussions, and team knowledge sharing.

Collaboration

• Work closely with software engineers, product managers, architects, and data teams to deliver AI solutions.
• Help translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Contribute ideas and continuously improve development processes.

Security & Responsible AI

• Follow secure coding practices and organizational security standards.
• Help ensure AI applications protect sensitive information and comply with company policies.
• Learn and apply responsible AI principles when developing AI solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• Internship, research, academic, or personal project experience developing software applications.
• Familiarity with Python and an interest in learning additional programming languages as needed.
• Basic understanding of REST APIs, object-oriented programming, and software development fundamentals.
• Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) through coursework or projects is a plus.
• Coursework or hands-on experience with machine learning, generative AI, or large language models is preferred.
• Familiarity with Git and collaborative software development practices.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Eagerness to learn new technologies and grow in a collaborative environment.

Experience with any of the following through coursework, internships, research, hackathons, or personal projects:

• Python AI frameworks such as Lang Chain, Llama Index, or similar tools
• Prompt engineering or LLM application development
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
• Docker or containerization
• SQL and relational databases
• JavaScript, Java, or Go
• GitHub Actions or CI/CD concepts
• AI coding assistants such as GitHub Copilot or Cursor

What Success Looks Like

• Successfully contributes to AI projects while growing technical expertise.
• Delivers reliable, well-tested code and collaborates effectively with teammates.
• Continuously learns new AI technologies and applies them to solve business problems.
• Demonstrates curiosity, initiative, and a willingness to take on new challenges.
• Helps build AI solutions that improve customer experience and business operations.

Some job boards have started using jobseeker-reported data to estimate salary ranges for roles. If you apply and qualify for this role, a recruiter will discuss accurate pay guidance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Citizens, its parent, subsidiaries, and related companies (Citizens) provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all colleagues and applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, citizenship, physical or mental disability, perceived disability or history or record of a disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, genetic characteristic, marital or domestic partner status, victim of domestic violence, family status/parenthood, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy/childbirth/lactation, colleague's or a dependent's reproductive health decision making, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state and/or local laws. At Citizens, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all colleagues to bring their best selves to work every day and everyone is expected to be treated with respect and professionalism. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, performance and capability.