Software Engineer AI Jobs in San Francisco, CA
Software Engineer AI jobs in San Francisco are concentrated in SoMa, Mission Bay, and the Financial District, with demand running across foundation model labs, enterprise SaaS, and fintech. Employers hiring right now include OpenAI, Rippling, and Innovaccer. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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About the Position
Premier Global Links LLC is hiring a Senior Software Engineer – Optimization to develop software that combines backend engineering, mathematical optimization, and AI/ML. This position is primarily backend-focused while also contributing to frontend development and product functionality.
You will join a small engineering team responsible for building scalable optimization technology, solving complex scheduling problems, and delivering reliable software used in real-world applications.
What You'll Do
- Develop and enhance optimization algorithms and production software.
- Build backend APIs, services, asynchronous workflows, and scalable application infrastructure.
- Convert mathematical and optimization concepts into production-ready engineering solutions.
- Work with optimization technologies such as Gurobi, CP-SAT, or similar solvers.
- Investigate machine learning and AI techniques that can improve optimization results and system performance.
- Contribute across the application stack, with the majority of your work focused on backend engineering.
- Design systems that are reliable, maintainable, and capable of supporting growing workloads.
- Take ownership of complex technical initiatives from planning through deployment.
- Investigate production issues and help maintain mission-critical services.
- Partner with product and non-technical teams to understand requirements and solve customer-facing problems.
- Contribute to cloud infrastructure and deployment workflows.
- Provide technical guidance and help drive engineering projects forward.
Required Qualifications
- 4+ years of professional software engineering experience.
- Proven experience delivering production software and complex technical projects.
- Strong background in one or more of:
- Optimization algorithms or mathematical programming
- Machine learning systems
- Backend systems and infrastructure
- Experience building an important algorithm, optimization component, ML model, or backend system used in a production environment.
- Experience with linear optimization, mathematical modeling, Gurobi, CP-SAT, or similar technologies, or the ability and willingness to learn them.
- Strong backend programming and API development experience.
- Experience with asynchronous processing, databases, or scalable web applications.
- Python experience strongly preferred.
- Ability to contribute to frontend development when required.
- Strong technical problem-solving and ownership skills.
- Effective communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical field.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with AWS, Terraform, or other cloud technologies.
- Machine learning or AI engineering experience.
- Background in operations research, mathematical optimization, or scheduling.
- Experience with logistics, transportation, ride-sharing, e-commerce, education technology, or other optimization-driven products.
- Experience leading technical projects or serving as a technical lead.
- Strong mathematical or quantitative background.
- Experience working effectively with distributed teams and multiple time zones.
Compensation & Benefits
- $160,000–$200,000 annual salary
- Equity
- Comprehensive benefits
- Fully remote U.S.-based position
- Opportunity to work on complex optimization, AI, and scalable software systems
Work Arrangement
This is a remote position for candidates located in the United States. Collaboration across multiple time zones is required, including some overlap with international team members. East Coast candidates are preferred.
Equal Opportunity
Premier Global Links LLC provides equal employment opportunities to qualified applicants. Employment decisions are based on job-related qualifications, skills, experience, and business needs.
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Find Software Engineer AI JobsSoftware Engineer AI Job Market in San Francisco
Who's Hiring
- OpenAI36

- Rippling21

- Innovaccer21

- Okta15

- Plaid15

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software82
- Science & Research21
- Banking & Financial Services10
- Automotive5
- Electronics & Hardware5
Software Engineer AI Jobs in San Francisco: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a software engineer ai job in San Francisco?
The strongest path into San Francisco software engineer ai roles is through the city's dense cluster of AI-native startups and foundation model companies in SoMa and Mission Bay, where teams move fast and value demonstrated project work over credentials alone. Candidates who can show hands-on experience with LLM fine-tuning, inference optimization, or AI product integration stand out. Contributing to open-source AI projects and engaging with the local AI meetup scene also builds visibility with San Francisco hiring teams.
Which companies hire software engineer ais in San Francisco?
Employers hiring software engineer ais in San Francisco right now include OpenAI, Rippling, and Innovaccer, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. San Francisco's employer mix skews heavily toward AI-native startups, foundation model labs, and large tech companies with dedicated AI product divisions.
Are there remote software engineer ai jobs in San Francisco?
Yes, software engineer ai is one of the more remote-compatible engineering roles since the core work involves code, model experimentation, and data pipelines rather than on-site hardware. About 64% of software engineer ai openings tied to San Francisco are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting how broadly distributed AI engineering teams have become. Model evaluation, prompt engineering, and backend integration work are the functions most commonly offered remotely by San Francisco employers.
How can I get a software engineer ai job in San Francisco with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Francisco is through AI startups in the seed or Series A stage, which often hire junior engineers willing to work across the full stack rather than in narrow specializations. Entry-level ML infrastructure, data labeling engineering, and AI tooling roles at smaller SoMa or Mission Bay companies are common footholds. Building a public portfolio on GitHub with fine-tuned models or AI-integrated applications gets real traction with San Francisco hiring managers who screen candidates that way.
Which industries hire the most software engineer ais in San Francisco?
San Francisco software engineer ai roles concentrate in Technology & Software, Science & Research, and Banking & Financial Services, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. San Francisco's position as the global center of foundation model development and AI-native product companies means these industries draw engineering talent at a scale few other cities match.
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