Staff Software Engineer, AI

MEA Energy; San Francisco, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 280,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

MEA Energy, a Bay Area–based AI-forward SaaS startup, seeks a Staff Software Engineer, AI, to own end‑to‑end features from concept through production. You will craft LLM-powered assistants and robust AI infrastructure in a high‑ownership environment.

You’ll design RAG pipelines, advance internal ML tooling, and iterate on prompts while collaborating with product, design, and infra to deliver real-world impact. Expect fast iteration and strong ownership.

Qualifications

• Backend engineering experience and system design
• Exposure to AI systems including LLMs and RAG
• Proficiency in Python and distributed systems
• Familiarity with embeddings and vector databases
• Ability to ship production features from idea to deployment

Responsibilities

• Build LLM-powered assistants to streamline expert workflows
• Design RAG pipelines using structured and unstructured data
• Develop internal ML tooling for versioning and observability
• Tune prompts, build eval harnesses and iterate on feedback
• Contribute to platform components enabling scalable experimentation

Skills

Backend engineering

Distributed systems

Python

Applied AI

NLP

Tools

Postgres

Temporal

Vector databases

OpenAI API

Job description

Staff Software Engineer, AI

Compensation: $280,000 - $300,000 basic salary + equity

Location: Bay Area (occasional travel to office)

Join a mission-driven SaaS startup that’s reimagining how complex professional services are delivered. This is a high-ownership environment where AI isn’t an afterthought - it’s the foundation. With strong investor backing and a seasoned leadership team, they’re entering a new phase of growth, and AI is at the center of the rebuild!

The Mission

This company is using automation and applied AI to modernize an industry riddled with manual workflows and inefficiencies. By combining domain-specific expertise with cutting-edge LLMs and RAG pipelines, they’re building intelligent tools that make expert work faster, smarter, and more consistent.

The Role

You’ll be part of a cross-functional AI task force reporting into engineering leadership, working closely with product, design, and infra. This is a hands‑on, end-to-end role ideal for engineers who want to prototype, ship, and scale real features - not just build demos. You’ll split your time between user-facing copilots and the backend infra that powers them.

What You’ll Do

• Build LLM-powered assistants to streamline domain expert workflows
• Design RAG pipelines using structured and unstructured internal data
• Develop internal ML tooling for versioning, observability, and orchestration
• Tune prompts, build eval harnesses, and iterate based on real-world feedback
• Contribute to platform components that enable scalable experimentation

What You’ll Bring

• Ample experience in backend or systems engineering
• Exposure to applied AI systems (LLMs, NLP, RAG)
• Proficiency in Python; experience with distributed systems is a plus
• Familiarity with embeddings, vector DBs, and prompt iteration
• Ability to move fast and own projects from idea through production
• Bonus: experience building eval frameworks or internal ML infra

Tech Stack

• Python, TypeScript
• Postgres, Temporal
• LLM APIs (e.g., OpenAI, Claude), vector databases
• Prompting libraries, orchestration tooling

Why Join?

• Zero-to-One AI: Join during a full-stack AI rebuild from the ground up
• Real Ownership: Your work will ship fast and shape real-world outcomes
• Backed to Win: Strong investor support, high-trust environment
• Collaborative by Default: Work tightly with domain experts, designers, and PMs

About People In AI

We help top AI-first startups find and hire engineers who want to build lasting systems, not just one-off demos. Every role we post is technically challenging, high-impact, and vetted for long-term growth.