Junior AI Engineer

Do you want to turn complex problems into smart technical AI solutions and see the impact of what you build? Are you excited by AI-assisted coding, critical problem-solving and the opportunity to develop quickly? At SKIM, we don’t just follow trends, we help shape them. We are looking for a Junior AI Engineer in Rotterdam to help build the next generation of our Nexus platform.

For over 45 years, we’ve been trusted partners to the world’s largest CPG, technology, and healthcare companies. We specialize in understanding decision-making in Revenue Management, Innovation, and Brand Communications. Our approach combines methodological rigor, marketing expertise, and deep client understanding to build lasting strategic partnerships.

With 13 offices across the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, we collaborate closely with clients to navigate the right strategies. Ranked #3 in GRIT’s most innovative research agencies, we continuously enhance our solutions. Above all, we foster a culture where smart, genuine people support each other, pursue their dreams, and thrive together.

Job description

This is a unique opportunity to work on Nexus, SKIM’s AI-powered platform for making complex data analysis faster, easier and more accessible. Nexus reduces the time consultants spend manipulating and transforming data, allowing them to focus sooner on insights, shaping business decisions and building the client narrative. For clients, it makes scenario analysis faster and easier, helping them to accelerate decision-making. As a Junior AI Engineer, you will contribute directly to the applications and automated pipelines that make this possible.

This is a hands-on development role where you will learn by building. You will work closely with experienced colleagues, starting with clearly scoped technical problems and growing towards broader ownership as your skills develop. The role is a great fit for someone who enjoys understanding a problem, creating a structured plan, building a solution with AI-assisted development tools and then critically validating whether the result is genuinely robust.

Specifically, you will be expected to:

• Identifying the problem: understand the user need, available data and intended outcome before starting to build.
• Planning the solution: break the problem into clear technical steps, choices and dependencies.
• Building and executing: use AI-assisted coding and core engineering skills to develop applications, pipelines and platform functionality.
• Validating thoroughly: verify not only that the solution functions, but that the code is stable, maintainable, efficient, consistent and understandable to colleagues and AI systems.
• Maintaining and communicating: resolve issues, improve existing work and keep the senior and relevant contributors informed about progress, decisions and risks.

Qualifications
The ideal candidate combines substantial hands-on engineering experience with structured problem-solving, sound technical judgement and the ability to connect technology to real user and business objectives. Typically, we are looking for someone with the following profile:

• A strong technical academic background, for example Computer Science, Econometrics, Mathematics, (Applied) Mathematics,( Applied) Physics, Mechanical Engineering or a comparable quantitative field
• 0-2 years of relevant professional experience, including hands-on engineering or data-science work and meaningful experience applying AI in software or data products.
• Hands-on experience with AI-assisted coding and the ability to work effectively with tools such as Claude or comparable coding agents
• Experience with, or a strong interest in, cloud infrastructure. AWS experience is a plus, and Azure or Google Cloud experience is also relevant
• Evidence that you can approach technical problems systematically: understand the problem, create a plan, execute it and critically assess the result
• A hands-on, proactive and creative mindset, with an interest in building things and tackling problems that may not yet have an established solution
• An entrepreneurial and ambitious attitude: you are motivated to learn quickly, take initiative and actively shape your development within SKIM
• Clear professional communication in English
• You are authorised to work in the Netherlands (resident, citizen, valid visa or other)

Our offer
A salary and benefits package designed to support you in your role and reward your contributions, including:

• A fixed annual salary
• Performance based profit sharing
• Company pension scheme
• A hybrid working environment
• A flat organizational structure where everyone is treated as equal regardless of any differences
• A place where taking initiative isn’t just encouraged. It’s valued
• Harmony between work and personal life
• A combination of learning through onboarding, active training programs, and on-the-job and guidance from experienced SKIMmers
• A team that enjoys the ride – regular outings, events, and a culture that celebrates wins together

At SKIM, we value diversity, equity and inclusion. With increased diversity comes greater variety of perspectives, ideas and creativity, and we foster an environment where everyone feels welcome and comfortable to be their authentic selves. Therefore, we welcome diversity in applicants and base our hiring decisions regardless of age, race, color, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, genetic characteristics, marital or military status.

Additional information

Thank you for taking the time to read the description of this role, and we look forward to reading your submission if this role sounds very exciting to you! We read each application carefully and will get back to you as soon as we can.

Please note that only completed applications, consisting of a resume and cover letter, written in English, will be considered.