Applied LLM Engineer / Generative AI Researcher

Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features.Palo Alto, CA (Hybrid) | U.S.-Based | Equity Role with Future Cash Pay OptionsAbout the CompanyWe’re an early-stage startup in Palo Alto, building what we believe will be a category-defining social platform at the intersection of community, storytelling, and generative AI.Still in stealth, we’re assembling a small founding team to take on one of the most ambitious product spaces of this decade: reimagining how people express themselves and connect in the age of LLMs.The co-founders bring a blend of strategy and execution from BCG, Microsoft, and EY, with deep backgrounds in engineering, product, and business.About the RoleWe’re looking for an Applied LLM Engineer to join as one of our very first hires. This isn’t just another “AI engineer” role, you’ll help set the technical DNA of the company.You’ll work at the frontier of generative AI research and productization: balancing rapid prototyping with building scalable systems that will power the core experience of our platform. Your work will directly shape how millions of people interact with AI in their daily lives.What You’ll DoDesign, develop, and optimize LLM-based applications for production use casesConduct prompt engineering, fine-tuning, and evaluation of large language modelsBuild rapid prototypes and iterate toward scalable solutionsDefine standards for data collection, training, and deployment pipelinesCollaborate closely with the founding team on product direction and architectureYou Might BeA builder who thrives at the edge of research and productionExcited by generative AI’s potential to reshape storytelling, identity, and communityDrawn to first-principles thinking and elegant system designEnergized by early-stage environments where you can own key decisionsLooking for a role where your impact isn’t incremental—it’s foundationalQualifications3+ years of software engineering or ML/AI experience (startup or research a plus)Proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX)Strong understanding of LLM APIs, embeddings, fine-tuning, and evaluation techniquesExperience building production-ready prototypes with rapid iteration cyclesFamiliarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and containerization (Docker/Kubernetes)Strong problem-solving skills and comfort navigating ambiguityCompensationThis is an equity-first role with significant upside. Future cash pay potential will follow funding milestones as we secure our pre-seed round.Joining now means founding-level ownership in a venture built to scale.DetailsSeniority level: Mid-Senior levelEmployment type: Full-timeJob function: Engineering and Information TechnologyIndustries: Technology, Information and InternetReferrals increase your chances of interviewing at Stealth Startup by 2xGet notified about new Engineer jobs in Palo Alto, CA. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-09-21