AI Software Engineer - Basel

Basel, Switzerland · Full time · Permanent · On-site, with time at client sites

For people who figure things out, stay curious, and build things that actually work.

At ekona, we build production-grade AI systems for clients in life sciences, supply chain and finance, where quality is not optional. That means complete applications, AI agents embedded in real business processes, and governed AI platforms, all running in our clients' own cloud. Our clients trust us because we think independently, move fast, and deliver with Swiss reliability.

We're looking for engineers who do not wait for perfect instructions. Who explore, experiment, break problems down, and build solutions that matter. Who enjoy ambiguity because it gives them room to think. Who can sit with a client, understand their pain, and fix it with the right mix of engineering and AI.

If that sounds like you, keep reading.

What You'll Do

Real engineering. Real users. Real impact.

Understand problems deeply. Engage directly with clients and their domain experts. Ask the right questions, map the problem, challenge assumptions.

Build fast, build well. Prototype quickly, then turn prototypes into robust, production-ready systems. Design and deploy multi-agent workflows, document and vision AI, and LLM-powered applications. Working software reaches users within weeks, and we demo it every week.

Ship end-to-end. Own your work from architecture through testing, deployment, observability and iteration in cloud environments. You'll work in small project teams, with AI coding tools as part of your daily workflow.

Shape how we work. Influence our technical roadmap. Help develop our AI engineering playbook, frameworks and internal tooling. Your ideas will be heard.

What We're Looking For

The exact stack matters less than how you think, learn, and build. That said, you'll likely be a fit if you have:

• Several years of professional software engineering experience, shipping systems to real users
• Comfort with cloud-native development: containers, CI/CD, at least one major cloud platform
• Hands-on experience building with LLMs and agent frameworks, or a clear track record of picking up new technical domains fast
• The ability to talk to non-technical stakeholders and translate their problems into working software
• A strong bias toward shipping
• Very good English, spoken and written. German is a plus

What you'll work with (you don't need all of it): Python and FastAPI; TypeScript, Next.js and React; Postgres; LLM APIs from OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Google Gemini and Anthropic; LangGraph and our own agent tooling; Neo4j knowledge graphs; GCP, Azure and AWS.

Nice to have: domain experience in life sciences, pharma, supply chain or finance; knowledge graphs, RAG systems or LLM observability; experience in regulated environments.
Why ekona

• Momentum. We've grown steadily through 2026, and there's a lot more to build.
• Engineering quality actually matters. Our clients feel the difference, and so will you.
• Real projects, regulated industries. The work has weight.
• Early-team environment. Autonomy, trust, and direct influence on where we go next.
• No AI theater. No bureaucracy, no endless meetings, no demos dressed up as deliverables.
• Entrepreneurial culture. Fast-moving, pragmatic, grown-up.

Is This You?

If you're happiest planning, specifying, and polishing without ever putting something in front of a user, this probably isn't the right place.

If you want to ship impactful AI products alongside a small team that holds itself to a high bar, it probably is.

Interested?

Apply on our careers page with your CV and a link to something you built. Questions first? Write to [email omitted].