Staff Software Engineer (Applied AI)

TL;DR

Staff Software Engineer (Applied AI): Developing full-stack applications that integrate frontier AI capabilities into non-software-native professional workflows with an accent on rapid prototyping and user-centric design. Focus on bridging the gap between AI research and real-world applications by building and testing tools for domain experts.

Location: Hybrid (San Francisco, CA or New York City, NY). Expectation to be in the office at least 25% of the time.

Salary: $320,000 - $405,000 USD

Company

Anthropic is a public benefit corporation dedicated to creating reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems that are safe and beneficial for society.

What you will do

• Rapidly prototype full-stack applications to bring frontier AI into workflows that are not traditionally software-first.
• Conduct deep user research and immersion in unfamiliar domains to translate real-world workflows into software.
• Collaborate with research teams to turn new model capabilities into intuitive tools for non-technical professionals.
• Design and execute structured experiments to test product hypotheses and validate concepts.
• Generate technical documentation and insights to guide prototypes toward full product implementation.
• Provide feedback to AI research teams on model effectiveness in complex, domain-heavy settings.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience building full-stack applications with a track record of zero-to-one work in startup environments.
• Strong user-centric mindset with a bias toward shipping, validation, and high agency.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguity and manage projects in uncharted, high-uncertainty territory.
• Excellent communication skills to make complex AI capabilities intuitive for non-technical users.
• Must be based in or able to work from San Francisco, CA or New York City, NY.
• Valid US work authorization (visa sponsorship is available).

Nice to have

• Experience building products for non-tech industries (e.g., healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, finance).
• Prior professional experience or deep exposure to a field outside of software development.
• Background in field-based discovery, including user interviews and usability testing.
• Experience integrating with industry systems such as ERPs, EHRs, or CRMs.
• Hands-on experience deploying products powered by LLMs or AI/ML.

Culture & Benefits

• Competitive compensation package with optional equity donation matching.
• Generous vacation and parental leave policies.
• Flexible working hours and a collaborative office environment.
• Focus on high-impact "big science" research and empirical AI development.