Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Applied Ai)

at Perplexity AI

📍 New York City, United States
📍 Palo Alto, United States
📍 San Francisco, United States

USD 220,000-405,000 per year

MIDDLE SENIOR

✅ On-site

Tech Stack
Tag name is followed by "@" symbol and proficiency level value. About proficiency levels:

1-2 — basic awareness. Minimal hands-on experience, and a rudimentary understanding of the technology's purpose;

3-6 — daily use. Comfortable and regular usage, capable of handling common tasks and challenges related to the technology;

7-9 — you are an expert, you can teach others, you know all the pitfalls and tricks;

10 — exceptional knowledge, comprehensive understanding, and adeptness in all aspects of the technology, including advanced problem-solving. Think twice before claiming or demanding such level.

A/B Testing AI @ 3 Algorithms Data Analysis @ 3 LLM Machine Learning Python @ 6

Details

Perplexity is looking for an Applied AI Engineer to design, build, and iterate on cutting-edge agents powering our core experience in Perplexity Computer. Working in this mission critical team, you will develop frontier context layer applications - fulfilling the curiosity of millions of users across the globe.

Responsibilities

Apply state-of-the-art ML and LLM techniques to solve problems spanning:
- Personalization (LLM memory, context summarization, retrieval and ranking)
- Contextual recommendations and Monetization applications
- Build frontier agent capabilities on top of Perplexity Computer
Build auto research harness for both offline and online techniques, designing experiments and metrics that provide deep insight into quality and impact.
Own the entire model lifecycle from research to production: data analysis, modeling, evaluation, offline/online A/B testing, and iterative improvement and build autonomous harness for agent squad to explore different problem spaces.
Collaborate cross-functionally with engineers, PMs, data scientists, and designers to ensure our AI drives meaningful product improvements.
Stay at the forefront of ML/AI innovation by evaluating and incorporating emerging research and algorithms into the product lifecycle.

Requirements

5+ years experience building and shipping robust AI products for large-scale, user-facing or data-driven products.
Strong software engineering skills (Python, production-quality codebases, collaborative development) and experience using agentic coding tools for large scale parallel developments.
In-depth experience with the full AI lifecycle: data analysis, rigorous evaluation, and ongoing monitoring/improvement.
Proven collaborator and communicator; excels in high-velocity, cross-functional teams.
Curious, driven by end-user/product impact, and passionate about advancing the state of applied ML and AI.
BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).

Benefits

Full-time U.S. employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits program including equity, health, dental, vision, retirement, fitness, commuter and dependent care accounts, and more.
Full-time employees outside the U.S. enjoy a comprehensive benefits program tailored to their region of residence.
USD salary ranges apply only to U.S.-based positions. International salaries are set based on the local market. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.