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Prompt Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

AI Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$120 - $150/hr

Upgraded existing features to be smarter and/or faster by combining your prompt engineering experience with the latest available models. * Improved or created new evaluations for our existing ...

Design and improve prompt engineering and context engineering workflows, including AI evaluation, debugging, and tuning for real-world product scenarios. * Build and improve AI agent systems with ...

Design and improve prompt engineering and context engineering workflows, including AI evaluation, debugging, and tuning for real-world product scenarios. Build and improve AI agent systems with ...

AI/ML Engineer

Burbank, CA · On-site

$111K - $153K/yr

Develop and optimize prompt engineering strategies for LLM-based systems * Build and deploy RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipelines * Integrate LLMs via APIs (Azure OpenAI preferred) into ...

... and improve prompt engineering and context engineering workflows, including AI evaluation, debugging, and tuning for real-world product scenarios. • Build and improve AI agent systems with ...

Hands-on experience with GenAI applications: prompt engineering, RAG, data pipelines, and eval frameworks * Experience building APIs with modern Python frameworks (FastAPI, Django, etc.) * Experience ...

If you get excited about mixing prompt engineering with software engineering to unlock new AI capabilities, this is your role. Our team has a strong in-office culture and works in person 4-5 days per ...

Lead AI Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$119K - $157K/yr

The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on expertise in Python, LangGraph, LangChain, LLMs, prompt engineering, and cloud-based AI platforms, with proven experience designing scalable multi-agent ...

Backend Engineer

San Francisco, CA · Hybrid

$120K - $250K/yr

LLM / prompt-engineering and agentic tooling. Requirements * Strong Python proficiency (hard requirement) * Hands-on infrastructure-as-code -- Terraform or similar (hard requirement) * A working ...

Build and maintain AI-based automations and workflows, including prompt engineering for generative-AI-enabled tools. Tech Stack Ownership * Maintain a centralized inventory of all GTM systems with ...

Software Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$149K - $224K/yr

Implement and refine Prompt Engineering strategies, including structured prompts, tool-calling, and agent orchestration to ensure reliable and deterministic AI behavior. * Build secure backend ...

AI Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$180 - $250/hr

Improve AI output quality through prompt engineering, model selection, retrieval, and evaluation. * Design and run evals that measure real output quality, not just first impressions. * Iterate fast ...

AI Lead (SAP Background Required)

Torrance, CA · On-site +1

$106K - $139K/yr

This role requires strong experience in LLMs, prompt engineering, RAG pipelines, and AI-driven automation, with a focus on POCs → production deployment. Candidates having experience building and ...

Showing results 41-60

Prompt Engineer information

See California salary details

$9

$46

$86

How much do prompt engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 3, 2026, the average hourly pay for prompt engineer in California is $46.47, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $35.34 and $60.00 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a prompt engineer?

A Prompt Engineer is a professional who designs, refines, and optimizes prompts to improve interactions with AI models, such as ChatGPT. Their role involves understanding model behavior, crafting precise queries, and experimenting with phrasing to achieve desired outputs. They may work in AI research, software development, or content generation to maximize AI efficiency. Strong skills in language, logic, and sometimes coding are essential for success in this role.

What does a prompt engineer do?

A typical day for a Prompt Engineer involves designing, testing, and refining prompts to enhance the performance of AI language models, often collaborating closely with data scientists, software engineers, and product managers. You might analyze the results of model outputs, integrate user or stakeholder feedback, and iterate on prompt strategies to solve diverse business challenges. Your role will usually include documentation, troubleshooting, and keeping up with the latest advances in AI technologies. Expect a mix of independent work and regular team meetings in a dynamic, fast-evolving environment focused on innovation and improvement.

What skills and qualifications are needed to be a prompt engineer?

To thrive as a Prompt Engineer, you need a strong grasp of natural language processing (NLP), machine learning concepts, and experience crafting effective prompts for large language models, usually supported by a technical degree or relevant experience. Familiarity with tools such as OpenAI's API, Hugging Face, or other AI platforms, as well as knowledge of programming languages like Python, is highly valuable. Creative thinking, analytical problem-solving, and cross-functional communication skills help differentiate top candidates in this field. These abilities are crucial for optimizing AI outcomes and ensuring collaboration with both technical and non-technical teams.

Are prompt engineers still in demand?

Prompt engineers are currently in demand as organizations seek professionals skilled in designing effective prompts for AI language models. The role often requires knowledge of natural language processing, machine learning, and familiarity with AI tools like GPT. Demand is expected to grow as AI integration expands across industries.

How much do prompt engineers make?

Prompt engineers typically earn between $80,000 and $150,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and industry. Senior roles or those with specialized skills in AI and machine learning can command higher salaries, especially in tech hubs or companies investing heavily in AI development.

What exactly is prompt engineer work?

A prompt engineer designs and optimizes prompts used to interact with AI language models, ensuring accurate and relevant responses. This role involves understanding AI behavior, crafting clear instructions, and often requires knowledge of machine learning, programming, or data analysis.

What are the most commonly searched types of Prompt Engineer jobs in California?

The most popular types of Prompt Engineer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Prompt Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Prompt Engineer job openings:

Infographic showing various Prompt Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $96,657 per year, or $46.5 per hour.

Applied AI Engineer, Work From Home

Parallel Partners

San Francisco, CA • Remote

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO

Re-posted 3 days ago


Job description

Job Description

Applied AI Engineer, Work From Home

We are looking for an Applied AI Engineer to design, build, and optimize AI-powered features that sit directly inside our product workflows.  The Applied AI Engineer role focuses on turning model capabilities into real product behavior, where AI interacts with users, supports decision-making, and powers automation across insurance journeys.  This is a fully remote role where you will be part of a global engineering team working across multiple countries to build reliable, scalable AI-powered systems.  We have multiple openings for this position.  This position is 100% Remote.

Applied AI Engineer Responsibilities:

- Build AI-powered product features integrated into real insurance workflows.

- Design and optimize LLM-based interactions across customer and internal systems.

- Develop prompts, reasoning flows, and structured AI outputs for production use cases.

- Evaluate model performance using real-world data, feedback loops, and experiments.

- Improve reliability of AI outputs through guardrails, fallback logic, and validation layers.

- Work closely with backend engineers to integrate AI capabilities into APIs and workflows.

- Design and implement AI-driven automation features (chat, recommendations, decision support).

- Analyze user behavior and model responses to continuously improve AI performance.

- Collaborate with product, design, and engineering teams to ship end-to-end AI features.

- Contribute to AI system design decisions focused on usability and real-world impact.

Applied AI Engineer Outcomes

- AI features are reliable, consistent, and production-ready across workflows.

- User-facing AI interactions are intuitive and improve task completion rates.

- Model outputs are measurable, testable, and continuously improving.

- AI-driven automation reduces manual work in insurance processes.

- Product teams can safely deploy AI features with controlled behavior.

Qualifications

Applied AI Engineer Qualifications:

- Strong software engineering background in production environments.

- Experience working with LLMs (OpenAI, Anthropic, or open-source models).

- Familiarity with prompt engineering, structured outputs, and tool use patterns.

- Experience building or integrating AI features into real products.

- Strong understanding of API-based system integration.

- Ability to evaluate AI outputs critically using data and user feedback.

- Experience with experimentation, A/B testing, or evaluation frameworks.

- Strong product sense and focus on user experience.

- Comfortable working in fast-paced, globally distributed teams.

- Tech Stack:  A/B Testing, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Anthropic, Evaluation Frameworks, LLM APIs, Node.js, NoSQL, OpenAI, Open-Source Models, Pinecone, Prompt Engineering Frameworks, Python, REST APIs, SQL, Vector Databases, and Weaviate.

Benefits include medical insurance, Dental, Vision, Savings Plan Options, PTO, etc.

Keywords:  San Francisco CA Jobs, Applied AI Engineer, A/B Testing, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Anthropic, Evaluation Frameworks, LLM APIs, Node.js, NoSQL, OpenAI, Open-Source Models, Pinecone, Prompt Engineering Frameworks, Python, REST APIs, SQL, Vector Databases, Weaviate, Software Engineer, Software Developer, Programming, Programmer Analyst, Work From Home, Remote, California Recruiters, IT Jobs, California Recruiting

Looking to hire an Applied AI Engineer in San Francisco, CA or in other cities?  Our IT recruiting agencies and staffing companies can help.

We help companies that are looking to hire Applied AI Engineers for jobs in San Francisco, California and in other cities too.  Please contact our IT recruiting agencies and IT staffing companies today!

Additional Information

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