AI Engineer

k1im; Manhattan Beach (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

K1 Investment Management is seeking an AI Engineer to join its founding AI team in Manhattan Beach, CA. You will ship real automations, build tools, and drive impact across a 275+ portfolio, reporting directly to a Founding Partner with no middle management.

This in-office role requires ownership from day one and a hands-on approach to enterprise AI within private equity. You will prototype AI tools, evaluate models, and deliver dashboards and data pipelines to empower investment professionals

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Business + CS, or a related field.
• At least one internship/role or substantive project experience in AI/ML, software engineering, or data science.
• Proficiency with Claude (Anthropic) as a daily working tool — prompt engineering, multi-step workflows, and integration into real tasks.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft 365 (Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams); familiarity with Power Automate or Copilot Studio is a plus.
• Proficiency in Python and/or JavaScript — you don't need to be a systems engineer, but you need to ship working code.
• Bias toward action, comfort with ambiguity, and a genuine obsession with where AI is headed.
• Ability to work in-office in Manhattan Beach 5 days per week.

Responsibilities

• Designing, building, and deploying AI-powered automations using Claude, Microsoft 365 (Power Automate, Copilot, SharePoint), and custom integrations to eliminate manual processes across the firm and portfolio companies.
• Rapid prototyping AI tools and agents — from competitive intelligence scrapers to board-report generators — and iterating quickly based on real user feedback.
• Evaluating emerging AI models, tools, and frameworks and synthesizing findings into actionable recommendations for the investment team.
• Building internal dashboards, data pipelines, and agentic workflows that give K1's investment professionals an unfair advantage.
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Skills

Claude

Python

JavaScript

Microsoft 365

Power Automate

Copilot Studio

AI/ML experience

Prompt engineering

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Business + CS, or a related field

Tools

Claude (Anthropic)

Microsoft 365

Power Automate

Copilot Studio

SharePoint

Job description

AI Engineer

Founding AI Team Reporting Directly to Partner

If you want to move fast, ship real things, and haveoutsizedimpactata leading PE firm—keep reading.

Position Summary

K1 is seeking an AI Engineer to join our founding AI team in Manhattan Beach, CA. This is not a typical role. You will be one of the founding members of K1's internal AI function,reporting directly to a Founding Partnerwith no middle management, nobusywork, and real ownership from day one. You will work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, enterprise software, and private equity operations — shipping real automations, building real tools, and driving real impact across a portfolio of 275+ companies. The right candidate will embody the values of K1 – Passion, Persistence, Humility, and Excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Designing, building, and deploying AI-powered automations using Claude, Microsoft 365 (Power Automate, Copilot, SharePoint), and custom integrations toeliminatemanual processes across the firm and portfoliocompanies;
• Rapidly prototyping AI tools and agents — from competitive intelligence scrapers to board-report generators — and iterating quickly based on real userfeedback;
• Evaluating emerging AI models, tools, and frameworks and synthesizing findings into actionable recommendations for the investmentteam;
• Building internal dashboards, data pipelines, and agentic workflows that give K1's investment professionals an unfairadvantage;
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Business + CS, or a related field;
• At least one prior internship/role or substantive project experience in AI/ML, software engineering, or datascience;
• Proficiencywith Claude (Anthropic) as a daily working tool — prompt engineering, multi-step workflows, and integration into realtasks;
• Working knowledge of Microsoft 365 (Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams); familiarity with Power Automate or Copilot Studio is aplus;
• Proficiencyin Python and/or JavaScript — youdon'tneed to be a systems engineer, but you need to be able to ship workingcode;
• Bias toward action, comfort with ambiguity, and a genuine obsession with where AI isheaded;
• Ability to work in-office in Manhattan Beach 5 days per week.

About K1

K1 Investment Management is one of the largest investors in small-cap AI-powered software. Dedicated to transforming lives and industries by building category leaders in technology, K1 has invested in over 275 companies sinceinception. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, the firm partners early with founders and management teams to build AI-powered, mission-critical systems of record for enterprise clients globally.

For more information, visit k1.com and follow K1 Investment Management on LinkedIn.