Software Engineer, Multimodal AI, XR

Google; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 147,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Google is seeking a software engineer to advance multimodal and conversational AI for next-generation XR wearables. You will develop on-device language and vision models for glasses and headsets, balancing power, latency, and performance while collaborating across XR product teams.

Role involves rapid prototyping, evaluation planning, and contributing to a future of ambient AI experiences on lightweight devices. Expect competitive compensation and strong growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 1 year of experience with one or more ML frameworks such as JAX, TensorFlow, or PyTorch.
• 1 year of experience with speech/audio, reinforcement learning, ML infrastructure, or related ML field.
• 2 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and optimization of on-device and hybrid multimodal models for XR devices.
• Create evaluation plans for hybrid systems and define KPIs for model accuracy and efficiency.
• Identify, implement, and ship latest modeling innovations with emphasis on edge-cloud orchestration and personalization.
• Prototype on-device AI features and collaborate with XR product teams for testing.
• Collaborate with research scientists, engineers, and product teams to drive technical roadmap and publish findings.

Skills

Software development

ML experience

Prototyping & experimentation

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience

Master's degree or PhD in CS or related field

Tools

JAX

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Job description

In most instances, this position requires in-person interviews as part of the hiring process.

Applicants in San Francisco: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: San Jose, CA, USA; New York, NY, USA; San Francisco, CA, USA.

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 2 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages, or 1 year of experience with an advanced degree.
• 1 year of experience with one or more of the following: speech/audio (e.g., technology duplicating and responding to the human voice), reinforcement learning (e.g., sequential decision making), ML infrastructure, or specialization in another ML field.
• 1 year of experience with relevant ML frameworks such as JAX, TensorFlow, or PyTorch.

Preferred qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, or related technical fields.
• Experience with multimodal learning, large language models, or AI agents.
• Experience with prompt engineering, few-shot learning, post-training techniques, and evaluations.
• Familiarity with on-device model training and deployment.

About the job

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google's needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

We are seeking a highly motivated and innovative software engineer focused on advancing in multimodal and conversational AI for next-gen wearable computers.

In this role, you will conduct development on large language models (LLMs) and agents, particularly in the multimodal domain (vision, audio), focusing on developing more capable AI for XR devices (glasses, goggles). This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to AI research and seeing your work define the next-generation of computing products.

For decades, the computing revolution has reshaped our world driven by breakthroughs in compute, connectivity, mobile, and now, AI. Google's XR team is at the frontier of the next major leap - the convergence of AI and XR. This is more than just new devices - it's about reimagining how we interact with the world around us. We're building a future where lightweight XR devices like smart glasses and headsets pair with helpful AI to augment human intelligence, offering personalized, conversational, and contextually aware experiences. Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $147000 - $210000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits

Responsibilities

Learn more about benefits at Google .

• Lead the development and optimization of on-device and hybrid multimodal models for XR devices. Utilize techniques like prompting, few-shot learning, and post-training (e.g., quantization) to enhance performance and robustness while adhering to strict device power and latency constraints.
• Create comprehensive evaluation plans for hybrid systems, from dataset development to defining KPIs that measure model accuracy and on-device efficiency.
• Identify, implement, and ship the latest modeling innovations, focusing on hybrid agent architectures, orchestration between edge and cloud, multimodality, tool integrations, and personalization.
• Prove out concepts for on-device AI features through rapid prototyping and iterative development, facilitating team testing and in close partnership with XR product teams.
• Work closely with research scientists, engineers, and product teams to drive the technical roadmap. Foster a collaborative environment and share findings through conference publications while contributing to impactful product launches.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form .