GENERAL SUMMARY: The AI Application Developer participates in all phases of the application development life cycle, with a primary focus on leveraging AI-assisted development (“vibe coding”) as a core engineering practice. This role emphasizes using AI tools to design, generate, optimize, and maintain high-quality software solutions within the .NET ecosystem. The AI Application Developer will interact regularly with other Information Technology personnel as well as end users and must demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills. A key expectation of this role is the proactive and effective use of AI to accelerate development, improve decision-making, and enhance software quality
PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Develop and maintain applications, integrations, web services, APIs, reports, and other processes using C#, .NET, ASP.NET, and Microsoft SQL Server, with AI-assisted development as a primary approach.
2. Actively leverage AI-powered development tools (e.g., code generation, intelligent refactoring, automated documentation, and debugging assistants) to significantly improve productivity and reduce development time.
3. Integrate AI into the software development lifecycle, including: AI-assisted requirements analysis and clarification, AI-supported solution design and architecture recommendations, AI-generated code scaffolding and refactoring, AI-assisted test case generation and validation, and AI-enhanced debugging and root cause analysis
4. Apply “vibe coding” practices by combining developer expertise with AI-generated insights to rapidly prototype, iterate, and refine solutions.
5. Produce high-quality deliverables aligned with requirements, business processes, departmental standards, and best practices, while maximizing efficiency through AI utilization.
6. Participate in all phases of application development including regular consultation with client users to validate understanding of requirements, creation of design specifications for application code, user interface, data flow, and system components, and execution of unit, system, integration, parallel, and performance testing using AI-assisted tools where applicable
7. Identify opportunities to embed AI capabilities into applications (e.g., intelligent automation, predictive logic, natural language interfaces, or data-driven decision support).
8. Continuously evaluate, adopt, and champion emerging AI tools, frameworks, and best practices to improve team performance and innovation.
9. Promote responsible and secure use of AI, including validation of AI-generated outputs, adherence to data privacy standards, and mitigation of potential risks.
10. Other duties as assigned.
REPORTING RELATIONSHIP: Associate Director of Application Development
MEASURES OF SUCCESS:
1. Effective and consistent use of AI tools to significantly increase development speed and efficiency.
2. Delivery of high-quality solutions with minimal rework and defects through AI-assisted development.
3. Demonstrated ability to integrate AI into both development processes and application features.
4. Adherence to development standards and responsible AI usage practices.
5. Ability to rapidly analyze, troubleshoot, and resolve issues using AI-enhanced approaches.
6. Positive feedback from application users.
7. Positive feedback from Operations and other Technology employees.
8. Timely delivery of projects within budget, with measurable productivity gains from AI utilization.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
1. Bachelor’s degree required, degree in Computer Science (or related field) preferred.
2. A minimum of four years of experience in developing and supporting applications required.
3. Strong experience with C#, .NET, ASP.NET, and modern development tools (e.g., Visual Studio, DevOps pipelines) required.
4. Proven experience using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude Code , or similar) to enhance coding, debugging, testing, and documentation required.
5. Demonstrated ability to incorporate AI into daily development workflows and decision-making processes required.
6. Experience developing, implementing, debugging, and maintaining applications in a team environment required.
7. Experience with Microsoft SQL and SQL Server required.
8. Ability to translate functional requirements into technical designs, leveraging AI to accelerate and enhance the process required.
9. Strong verbal and written communication skills required.
10. Ability to take initiative and drive innovation through AI adoption in a collaborative environment required.
11. Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines consistently required.
12. Strong awareness of emerging AI technologies, trends, and their practical application in software engineering required.
The compensation range for this position is $120K - $145K (depending on experience and skills).
“The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University''s .
Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call or email with their request.”
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