Staff Software Engineer, AI

International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO); San Francisco, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 280,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, AI to join a mission-driven SaaS startup in the Bay Area. The role emphasizes ownership and hands-on AI work to prototype, ship, and scale real features.

You'll work across product, design, and infra, building LLM-powered assistants, designing RAG pipelines, and developing internal ML tooling. Compensation is $280,000–$300,000 plus equity.

Qualifications

• Ample experience in backend or systems engineering.
• Applied AI systems experience (LLMs, NLP, RAG).
• Proficiency in Python; distributed systems a plus.
• Familiarity with embeddings, vector databases, and prompt iteration.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

Backend engineering

Applied AI systems

Python

Distributed systems

Embeddings

Tools

Postgres

Temporal

OpenAI API

Claude API

Vector databases

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.