AI Engineer

K1; Manhattan Beach (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

K1 Investment Management in Manhattan Beach, CA is building its founding AI team and seeking an AI Engineer to join directly with no middle management. This role will be one of the first AI-focused members, reporting to a Founding Partner and delivering real automations across a portfolio of 275+ companies.

You will work at the intersection of AI, enterprise software, and private equity operations, shipping tools, building dashboards, and owning projects from day one with ownership and impact.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in CS, data science, or related field.
• Prior internship or project in AI/ML, software engineering, or data science.
• Proficiency with Claude as a daily tool and integration into 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; ability to ship working code.
• Bias toward action and comfort with ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and deploy AI-powered automations across the firm and portfolio.
• Rapidly prototype AI tools and agents and iterate based on user feedback.
• Evaluate emerging AI models and synthesize recommendations for the investment team.
• Build internal dashboards, data pipelines, and agentic workflows for investment professionals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

AI/ML experience

Software engineering

Data science

Python

JavaScript

Prompt engineering

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in CS/Data Science/Related

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.