Software Engineer, Staff: Applied AI, Science & Engineering

Details

Anthropic’s Applied AI, Science & Engineering team builds software that enables Claude to support scientists and engineers working on complex problems in energy, materials, hardware design, and other physical-world fields. The work includes agent harnesses, integrations, evaluations, and repeatable workflows that connect AI systems with scientific and engineering tools.

This is an engineering-focused role involving collaboration with domain experts, rapid prototyping, and building reliable systems that turn real-world research and engineering problems into concrete, verifiable tasks.

Responsibilities

• Build agent harnesses and research loops that allow Claude to conduct literature reviews, generate hypotheses, run simulations, analyze results, and iterate on designs.
• Connect scientific computing and simulation tools, including finite element, computational fluid dynamics, electromagnetic, and molecular modeling codes.
• Design and build evaluations to determine whether Claude’s work is correct and identify its limitations.
• Work directly with scientists and engineers at partner organizations to understand their problems, data, tools, and constraints.
• Convert open-ended questions into well-specified, verifiable tasks with clear success criteria.
• Prototype with partners, deploy pilots into their workflows, and remove work that does not advance the problem.
• Turn successful engagement solutions into shared tools, reusable components, and documented processes.
• Serve as a technical voice on Claude’s performance in science and engineering contexts, clearly explaining results, limitations, and tradeoffs.
• Collaborate with research and product teams to communicate model limitations and help shape future development.

Requirements

• 8 or more years of software development experience, with strong engineering fundamentals and experience across the stack, including data pipelines, tooling, and rapid interfaces.
• Experience building systems with large language models, including agents, tool use, or evaluations.
• Experience working on technical problems in a science or engineering field such as physics, materials, chemistry, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering.
• A track record of zero-to-one work in startup or startup-like environments.
• Ability to work directly with expert users, understand their workflows, and focus on building the appropriate system.
• Good judgment about what can and cannot be verified, including the willingness to identify when results are insufficient.
• High agency, ability to learn new domains quickly, and willingness to hold strong opinions loosely.
• Clear communication with researchers, engineers, and external partners.
• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience. The field of study must be relevant to the role as demonstrated through coursework, training, or professional experience.

Additional qualifications

• Advanced degree or research experience in a physical science or engineering field.
• Hands-on experience with scientific computing, simulation, numerical methods, or optimization.
• Experience in industrial research and development, a national laboratory, or a deep-tech company in areas such as energy, materials, manufacturing, or hardware.
• Experience building alongside customers or technical partners in forward-deployed AI, applied AI, or solutions engineering roles, preferably with ownership of the resulting software.
• Experience with machine learning research, reinforcement learning environments, or evaluation design.

Candidates do not need to have every listed skill, formal certifications, expertise in every scientific domain, or direct machine learning or AI research experience.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits.
• Optional equity donation matching.
• Generous vacation and parental leave.
• Flexible working hours.
• Collaborative office environment.
• Visa sponsorship may be available; Anthropic states that it sponsors visas and will make reasonable efforts to secure a visa for successful candidates, with immigration lawyer support.

Work Arrangement

Anthropic currently expects staff to work from one of its offices at least 25% of the time, although some roles may require more office attendance. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.