Founding AI Engineer: Build Enterprise AI Automations

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

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.