AI Innovator Fellowship Program

Job Description:
Unbound AI Innovator Fellowship Program
Locations: Bellevue, WA • Boston, MA • Plantation, FL
Program Length: Up to 12 months (3-month immersion phase + 9-month acceleration phase)
The Opportunity:
The Unbound AI Innovator Fellowship is a fast-paced, immersive program within Chewy's AI & Data Innovation organization. Designed for builders discovering Chewy for the first time, the fellowship invites participants to bring fresh perspective, technical curiosity, and bold thinking to teams eager to push the boundaries of what's possible with AI. Fellows will join a team in Bellevue, WA; Boston, MA; or Plantation, FL, collaborating with peers and leaders to explore ambitious problem spaces and build solutions that shape Chewy's future.
As a Fellow, you'll be part of a team of 4-6 emerging innovators selected for creativity, technical strength, and a passion for building. Fellows will begin the program with a three-month immersion phase where you'll work in rapid, collaborative sprints to investigate opportunities, test concepts, and demonstrate high-quality execution. Those who successfully meet or exceed all performance expectations during the immersion phase will advance into the nine-month acceleration phase, focused on delivering production-ready AI systems that scale across Chewy and create meaningful, real-world impact.
What You'll Do:

• Design, prototype, and implement AI-driven systems using modern LLMs, multimodal models, agent frameworks, retrieval architectures, and supporting infrastructure

• Build end-to-end solutions, including data ingestion, preprocessing, model integration, evaluation pipelines, orchestration logic, and application-level components

• Engineer scalable, reliable prototypes that evolve into well-structured systems suitable for operational use across Chewy

• Conduct technical discovery within defined problem spaces-analyzing datasets, workflows, constraints, and automation opportunities

• Collaborate with product, engineering, data science, operations, and subject-matter experts to ensure feasibility and maximize real-world impact

• Apply rigorous experimentation, error analysis, and performance optimization to refine approaches and improve system quality

• Implement backend services, pipelines, and interfaces leveraging Python, cloud technologies, vector stores, knowledge graphs, and modern AI tooling

• Document architectures, assumptions, and implementation details clearly and thoroughly for handoff or continued development

• Communicate technical progress and insights to stakeholders, including senior technical and business leaders

• Maintain a consistently high bar for technical craftsmanship, innovation, and execution-contributing meaningfully to the cohort's impact

What You'll Need

• Currently enrolled in accredited bachelor's degree program, with anticipated graduation date of Spring 2026

• Candidates must have unrestricted authorization to work in the United States. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship

• Ability to start full-time in Boston, MA, Bellevue, WA or Plantation, FL on July 13, 2026

• Demonstrated ability to build real AI systems, such as LLM-powered applications, retrieval pipelines, agentic workflows, multimodal tools, fine-tuned models, or custom integrations

• Proficiency in Python and hands-on experience implementing AI applications or prototypes beyond classroom assignments

• Ability to take an ambiguous technical problem and make it concrete, identifying data needs, architectural options, and feasible solution paths

• Experience with one or more of the following: vector databases, embeddings, RAG architectures, cloud compute or backend services for AI workloads, model orchestration or agent frameworks, and data engineering for unstructured or semi-structured data

• Comfort operating in high-autonomy, high-expectation environments where initiative and curiosity drive progress

Bonus:

• Evidence of iterative engineering instincts, rapid prototyping, disciplined experimentation, and learning through building

• A portfolio of work (projects, research, open-source contributions, prototypes, etc.) demonstrating how you think and what you build

Compensation:
The annualized salary for this Fellowship is $135,000 (fixed), with a $50,000.00 completion bonus, structured as follows:

• Immersion Phase (3-months): $33,750

• Acceleration Phase (9-months): $101,250

• $50,000 completion bonus for completion of the full Fellowship

Progression to the Acceleration Phase and receipt of the $50,000 completion bonus is subject to applicable program terms and eligibility criteria.
This position is also eligible to participate in Chewy's benefits programs, which include medical, dental, and vision coverage; a 401(k) retirement savings plan; relocation stipend; and other standard employee benefits including 10% off pet insurance and 20% off at Chewy.com.
Exempt salary team members have unlimited PTO, subject to manager approval. Team members will receive six paid holidays per year. Team members may be eligible for paid sick and family leave in compliance with applicable state and local regulations.
Chewy is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need an accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, or if you need a religious accommodation, please contact [email protected].
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