AI Engineer

Pathwork; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

401(k) match

Paid health benefits

Generous PTO policy

Direct collaboration with founders

Hybrid work culture in SF and NYC

Job summary

An innovative insurance technology company is seeking an AI Engineer to lead the development of cutting-edge AI systems. The role requires 5-10 years of experience, focusing on transforming prototypes into impactful products. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in AI system development, full-stack capabilities, and experience shipping products. You will work closely with founders in a collaborative environment, contributing to meaningful projects within a vibrant culture and hybrid work model.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of experience building AI or ML-powered systems in high-growth environments.
• Experience launching products using LLMs and orchestration.
• Ability to explain complex ideas clearly to non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design and own end-to-end agentic systems for AI.
• Scale architecture across data pipelines and streaming infrastructure.
• Partner with product and design for rapid AI feature deployment.

Skills

AI system development

Machine learning

Full-stack development

In real-world applications

Agile methodology

Tools

Python

TypeScript

Node.js

FastAPI

Postgres

AWS

Terraform

React

Next.js

Job description

AI Engineer

Location: San Francisco or New York City

About Pathwork

Pathwork is redesigning life & health insurance jobs for the AI age. We believe the 2.5M professionals in the $1T life and health insurance industry don’t need better tools; they need a new operating system.

We’ve already proven it:

• 40+ top brokerages and national carriers use Pathwork
• Active pilots with multiple top-10 insurance companies
• 150%+ QoQ growth, every quarter since launch

Built from day one as AI-native, Pathwork uses agentic orchestration, structured data pipelines, predictive models, and generative AI to transform insurance distribution—bringing speed, structure, and intelligence to outdated workflows.

Why Join Us

• Category-defining product already in use by national brokerages and insurers
• $3.75M in funding from top VCs
• Deep founder experience: Work closely with experienced founders who’ve built and scaled companies from zero to IPO in insurance and AI
• Scenic, focused, intentional: Work from the Presidio in SF or our Domino Park office in Brooklyn—spaces built for walking meetings, deep work, and ambitious thinking.
• Early team, deep ownership, real impact: You’ll shape the systems, the stack, and the trajectory of the product.
• High-trust & Long-term oriented: Grow with a team that values trust, authenticity, learning, and lasting impact. Your contributions will help shape our product, culture, and the long‑term legacy of the company.

Our Stack

Python · TypeScript · Node.js · FastAPI · Postgres · Qdrant · LangGraph · Whisper · AWS (Lambda, EC2, ECS, S3) · Terraform · React · Next.js

About the Role

We’re hiring an AI engineer, a full‑stack, strategic builder who can take a large project from a working prototype to an industry‑defining product. You’ll lead development of our agentic AI systems, owning model orchestration, retrieval, real‑time inference, evaluation, and production infrastructure, and collaborating closely with the founding team on product and technical strategy.

What You’ll Own

• Build the engine: Design and own end‑to‑end agentic systems—retrieval, orchestration, inference, eval, and feedback loops
• Scale the stack: Shape our architecture across model interfaces, data pipelines, vector DBs, and streaming infrastructure
• Ship fast: Partner with product and design to prototype, test, and launch AI‑driven features that deliver real value
• Improve performance: Continuously optimize accuracy, latency, and robustness through fine‑tuning, eval frameworks, and data iteration
• Learn from the field: Join sales and customer calls to understand real‑world pain points, pressure‑test features, and translate feedback into product improvements
• Support growth: Build infrastructure and tools that help the whole company move faster—debugging, observability, agent testing
• Build your team: Hire, mentor, and collaborate with engineers who care about craft, velocity, and real‑world impact

You Might Be a Fit If You…

• Have 5–10 years of experience building AI or ML‑powered systems, ideally in high‑growth or early‑stage environments
• Have shipped real products that use LLMs, retrieval, orchestration, or streaming inference—not just prototypes
• Think full‑stack, end‑to‑end: You’re comfortable moving between modeling, infra, and product‑facing code
• Have an entrepreneurial mindset and thrive on building from scratch—systems, processes, tools, and the team
• Can explain complex ideas clearly, especially to non‑technical teammates, customers, and stakeholders
• Thrive in ambiguity and take ownership in fast‑paced, high‑trust environments
• Bonus: Experience with vertical software businesses or agentic AI systems

What You’ll Get

• Competitive comp + meaningful equity
• Employee‑centric benefits including:
  • High 401(k) match and FSA program
  • Modern, employer‑paid health benefits designed to support you on your terms
  • Generous PTO policy with clear guidelines so you can take real time off without the guilt or guesswork of “unlimited” PTO
• Real ownership, autonomy, and direct collaboration with the founders
• A chance to define a category and shape a product from scratch
• A hybrid culture anchored in SF and NYC—4 days a week in our Presidio HQ or our Williamsburg office on Domino Park—where you'll work side‑by‑side with the founding team, shape our rituals, and help create the moments and memories that define our company.