staff software engineering Staff Engineer tech_leadership 3+ yrs · Posted May 11, 2026
$180,000 – $270,000
USD per year

About this role

Perplexity is hiring a staff-level Staff Engineer in the software engineering function based in San Francisco, CA. The posting calls out experience with Python, LLMs, Prompt Engineering, A/B Testing and roughly 3+ years of relevant work. Compensation is listed at $180,000–$270,000 per year.

Role
Staff Engineer
Function
software engineering
Level
staff
Track
Tech leadership
Employment
Full-time
Location
San Francisco, CA
Experience
3+ years
Department
AI
Posted
May 11, 2026
AI Summary
Design and optimize prompts, context strategies, and evaluation systems for Perplexity's AI answer engine. Pressure-test model capabilities, build evaluation pipelines, and partner on model launches. Requires 3+ years LLM product/research experience, strong Python skills, and proven ability designing AI system evaluations.

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Job description

from Perplexity careers

About the Role

We're looking for a Model Behavior Architect to help build Perplexity's AI products and evaluations. You'll sit within our AI team and collaborate closely with research and product teams, designing prompt and context engineering strategies to deliver high quality user experiences across multiple domains and models.

This role is equal parts craft and science. You'll develop a deep understanding of our answer engine by pressure-testing model capabilities and working across our AI infrastructure (including system and tool prompts, skills, and evaluations) to create a stellar product experience for our users.

You'll serve as a go-to expert on prompting, model quality, and behavioral consistency across new product features and model releases.

Key Responsibilities

  • Context Engineering: Design, test, and optimize context strategies and system prompts that shape answer engine behavior across products, features, and use cases.

  • Evaluation Systems: Build automated and semi-automated evaluation pipelines that measure model quality, catch regressions, and scale across product surfaces.

  • Model Launch Support: Partner with research and engineering to validate model behavior before and during rollouts, ensuring smooth transitions with no degradation.

  • Research & Analysis: Identify inconsistencies and failure modes in model outputs through well-designed research projects — for both internal and production-facing systems.

  • Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with design, product, and research teams to translate product goals into concrete model behavior requirements.

    This is an excerpt. Read the full job description on Perplexity careers →
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