Software Engineer, AI/ML Platforms (Early Career)

Software Engineer, AI/ML Platforms (Early Career) 

Location: San Diego, CA (On-site) 

Experience: 0–2 years 

Company: Cornerstone First Mortgage 

About Cornerstone First Mortgage 

Cornerstone First Mortgage is a nationally operating full-service mortgage bank headquartered in San Diego, with a large, distributed workforce across multiple branches in the United States. The company supports loan officers, processors, and underwriting teams across the full lifecycle of mortgage origination, from application through closing. 

We are making a long-term investment in building internal software and AI systems to modernize how loans are structured, evaluated, and processed. This includes developing production-grade internal platforms, integrating with core industry systems such as Encompass (LOS) and Optimal Blue (pricing), and introducing AI-driven decision support across the loan lifecycle. 

We have already built and deployed MortgageLab, an internal platform used for loan scenario analysis and client presentation. We are now expanding into a broader initiative: 

Building an AI-powered loan lifecycle copilot that assists with underwriting readiness, product selection, risk detection, and workflow automation. 

This effort represents the foundation of a growing internal software and AI/ML engineering organization, and this role is an opportunity to join early and help shape it. 

About the role 

This is a product-focused, systems-oriented engineering role working on real production software used daily by loan officers and operations teams. 

You will work across the stack, contributing to: 

• backend systems and APIs 
• data modeling and workflow logic 
• frontend product features 
• AI-assisted decisioning systems 

We are looking for self-starters, engineers who take initiative, operate with ownership, and are comfortable working in an environment where problems are not always fully defined. 

This is not a narrowly scoped role. You will be expected to: 

• understand real-world workflows 
• build pragmatic solutions 
• contribute to systems that balance speed, correctness, and scalability 

You will also have the opportunity to contribute to the development of internal machine learning systems as our data infrastructure and modeling capabilities evolve. 

What you’ll work on 

• Building and improving internal platforms such as MortgageLab and the underwriting copilot system 
• Developing backend services, APIs, and event-driven workflows 
• Designing systems that model mortgage and underwriting processes 
• Integrating with systems such as Encompass and Optimal Blue 
• Implementing AI-assisted features using LLMs, retrieval systems, and structured decision logic 
• Contributing to internal data models that support analytics and future ML systems 
• Building tools that improve operational efficiency and reduce loan processing friction 
• Participating in the full software development lifecycle, including design, development, testing, deployment, and monitoring 
• Contributing to CI/CD pipelines and improving development workflows for reliability and scalability 
• Participating in system design and architecture discussions as the platform evolves 

Minimum qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field (or equivalent experience) 
• 0–2 years of industry experience in software engineering or related technical work 
• Strong programming fundamentals 
• Experience with at least one modern programming language (e.g., TypeScript, JavaScript, Python) 
• Familiarity with web applications, APIs, and modern application architectures  
• Ability to learn quickly and work through ambiguity 

Preferred qualifications 

• Internship or research experience in software engineering, data systems, or AI/ML 
• Exposure to AI/ML concepts such as: 
• LLM APIs 
• prompt engineering 
• basic machine learning workflows 
• data pipelines 
• Experience building or contributing to full-stack applications 
• Familiarity with cloud platforms, APIs, or system integrations 
• Exposure to modern development practices such as version control, testing, CI/CD pipelines, or deployment workflows 
• Interest in building data-driven or workflow-oriented systems 

Strong signals 

We are especially interested in candidates who demonstrate: 

• Self-starter behavior — You take initiative and move work forward independently 
• Ability to build and ship real systems (academic, internship, or personal projects) 
• Comfort working across multiple layers of a system (frontend, backend, or data) 
• Curiosity about how real-world systems and workflows operate 
• Strong attention to detail and product quality 
• Understanding of software development best practices (testing, version control, CI/CD, code quality) 
• Interest in applied AI/ML systems and how they integrate into production software 

What success looks like 

• In your first 3–6 months, you will: 
• Ship production features used by real users 
• Take ownership of scoped problems and drive them to completion 
• Build an understanding of mortgage workflows and system design constraints 
• Contribute to backend systems and product decisions 
• Work on early components of the AI-driven underwriting/copilot system 

Over time, you will: 

• Own meaningful parts of the system 
• Identify problems and propose solutions proactively 
• Contribute to system design and architecture 
• Help shape the direction of internal AI/ML platforms 

Why this role is compelling 

• You will help build a long-term internal AI/ML initiative from the ground up 
• Your work will directly impact how loans are structured, evaluated, and processed 
• You will gain exposure to product engineering, backend systems, data infrastructure, and applied AI 
• You will have high ownership early in your career 
• You will be part of a small, growing team building a new internal engineering function from the ground up 

Tech stack (current + evolving) 

• React + TypeScript + Tailwind 
• Firebase (Firestore, Cloud Functions, Auth) 
• APIs and system integrations (Encompass, Optimal Blue) 
• OpenAI / LLM integrations 
• Emerging backend and data infrastructure (event-driven systems, data pipelines, etc.) 

Compensation and benefits 

• Job Type: Full-time
• Pay: $30-$35 per hour DOE
• Expected hours: 40 per week
• Benefits:
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance
• Schedule:
• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

How to apply 

Please submit: 

• Resume 
• Links to relevant work (GitHub, projects, etc. if applicable) 

We are looking for candidates who demonstrate: 

• Initiative 
• Curiosity 
• strong engineering fundamentals 
• and the ability to operate as a self-starter in a fast-moving environment