Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Capabilities)

Perplexity AIYesterday

Location

San Francisco

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 220,000 – 405,000

Level

Senior

Role

Software Engineer

Posted

Jun 12, 2026

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

Perplexity AI is seeking a highly skilled Senior Software Engineer to join their Capabilities team, focusing on developing advanced AI agent systems. The ideal candidate will drive innovation in AI product development, working on cutting-edge technologies that enable intelligent agent reasoning, skill development, and system primitives.

What you'll do

AI System Development: Build and own systems spanning the agent product and core engine, focusing on developing sophisticated AI capabilities

Technical Leadership: Set technical direction for ambiguous problems, conduct design reviews, provide mentorship, and drive cross-team projects

Agent Capability Engineering: Develop primitives for Skills, Workflows, and Artifacts to create a coherent AI agent experience

Evaluation System Design: Create comprehensive benchmarks, evaluation frameworks, and feedback loops to ensure top-tier AI capability performance

Model Capability Integration: Integrate new model capabilities into the product, including planning, long-running tasks, and autonomous execution

What we look for

Technical

Backend EngineeringExpertise in designing and building scalable, reliable distributed systems for high-traffic applications

System ArchitectureProven ability to design complex software systems end-to-end with robust architectural principles

Education

Computer ScienceBachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred

Experience

Professional ExperienceMinimum 8 years of professional software engineering experience with proven track record of system ownership

Skills

Required skills

Programming LanguagesProficiency in Python, TypeScript, and Go

System DesignAdvanced skills in designing scalable and reliable distributed systems

AI Product DevelopmentDeep understanding of AI system design and agent capabilities

Nice to have

Agentic SystemsExperience with tool calling, subagents, and autonomous task execution

ML EvaluationBackground in benchmarking and quality assessment for ML/LLM-powered products

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 220,000 – 405,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equity Compensation

Stock options providing potential additional financial upside

Innovative Work Environment

Opportunity to work at the frontier of AI technology with cutting-edge challenges

Professional Growth

High-ownership engineering team with opportunities for continuous learning and development

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Review of resume and initial qualifications by recruiting team
2
Technical Phone Screen — Detailed discussion of technical background and problem-solving approach
3
System Design Interview — In-depth evaluation of candidate's system design and architectural skills
4
Technical Interviews — Multiple rounds focusing on coding, AI system design, and practical problem-solving
5
Final Leadership Interview — Discussion with senior technical leadership about vision, approach, and team fit