SAN FRANCISCO

AI Engineer Recruitment

Harnham Data Recruitment is a specialist Data & AI Recruitment agency that procures the best AI Engineer talent in San Francisco for companies ranging from local data start-ups to more established international corporations.

WHAT WE DO

SAN FRANCISCO AI ENGINEER RECRUITMENT

We work with some of San Franciscos' leading brands to provide recruitment solutions across the Data & AI industries.

Harnham is a leading AI Engineer recruitment agency, specializing in connecting top AI Engineers, Machine Learning experts, and Software Engineers with San Francisco’s most innovative companies.

We partner with AI-driven businesses across industries to provide cutting-edge AI recruitment solutions, ensuring they secure the best talent in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data-centric AI.

Our consultants are experts in AI engineering recruitment, offering in-depth market insights that they learn from staying up to date with trends and events, salary benchmarking, and guidance throughout the hiring process, including technical interviews, leadership assessments, and project management support for hiring managers.

With an extensive database of experienced engineers in San Francisco, we help companies fill key roles in platform engineering, technical leadership, and engineering excellence—critical for businesses leveraging generative AI applications and machine learning frameworks.

Whether you need professionals with systems hands-on expertise or those who understand technical direction for AI-driven projects, Harnham delivers the best talent.

If you need AI professionals with strong communication skills, practical skills, and coding assessment expertise, Harnham’s San Francisco AI recruitment team is ready to help.

HOW WE DO IT

DATA & AI RECRUITMENT AND STAFFING
HOW WE DO IT

At Harnham, our AI Engineering recruitment strategy aligns with the latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, allowing companies to scale efficiently.

Our San Francisco AI recruitment team specializes in hiring:
AI Engineers – Experts in machine learning frameworks, data-centric AI, and cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions
Software Engineers – Skilled in integrating AI-driven solutions into existing technology systems Engineering Leaders & Technical Leaders – Professionals with strong prioritization skills, leadership assessments, and experience in platform engineering

We ensure our candidates demonstrate sound judgment, a crucial trait when making AI-driven business decisions. They also have experience working with external clients, helping organizations implement AI at scale.

We understand the importance of collaboration in AI projects. Our candidates excel in working within cross-functional product teams and the wider team, ensuring seamless AI adoption in your business operations.

Additionally, our focus on communication skills ensures that every hire is capable of articulating complex AI concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Looking for AI Engineers in San Francisco? Contact us to access our network of top-tier AI and Machine Learning professionals.

Untitled design (67)
Untitled design (75)
What sets us apart

WHAT SETS US APART FROM OTHER SAN FRANCISCO DATA & AI RECRUITMENT AGENCIES?

At Harnham, our recruitment consultants bring deep industry expertise, specializing in AI-driven businesses, Google Cloud AI, and Generative AI solutions. Whether you're building AI infrastructure on Google Cloud or another platform, we ensure that we source candidates who seamlessly align with your tech stack.

We also provide real-time salary benchmarking for AI Engineers in San Francisco, helping companies offer competitive compensation. Our leadership assessments are designed to identify engineering leaders who can drive AI and machine learning innovation within your organization. Additionally, we streamline the technical hiring process, conducting thorough technical interviews, coding assessments, and project management evaluations to ensure only top-quality hires.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we are committed to helping businesses build diverse AI teams that foster innovation and success.

We believe AI hiring should be as innovative as the industry itself. Our decade of innovation in AI and data recruitment ensures we stay ahead of market trends, our consultants also stay up to date on locally relevant events, garnering insights to provide companies with top-tier candidates.

Our deep understanding of AI recruitment trends in San Francisco, combined with our engineering excellence, makes us the preferred choice for companies looking to hire AI Engineer Talent in San Francisco.

Click here to connect with our team.

JOBS

LATEST SAN FRANCISCO
Data & AI JOBS

Harnham are a specialist Data & AI Recruitment business with teams that only focus on niche areas.

AI Engineer

New York

$160000 - $220000

+ Data Science & AI

Permanent
New York

To Apply for this Job Click Here

AI Engineer

Location: New York

Compensation: $180,000 – $220,000 base salary + Equity

About the Company:

We are working with a pioneering fintech, as systems face mounting strain from increased complexity and a shrinking talent pool, there’s a growing need for tools that can adapt, learn, and act independently. Their platform introduces AI agents designed to support experts by handling routine tasks, adapting to diverse workflows, and freeing up time for more strategic work. Already proving effective in demanding environments, it’s now scaling quickly, reshaping how foundational work gets done in a rapidly evolving economy.

THE ROLE

As an Applied AI/NLP Scientist, you will be central to developing and deploying advanced natural language processing solutions that tackle complex challenges in the legal-financial domain. Reporting to senior technical leadership, your work will span early-stage research through production-grade implementation.

Key Responsibilities:

  • AI Model Innovation: Design and implement novel NLP and LLM architectures tailored for domain-specific applications across legal and financial datasets.
  • Research to Production: Own projects from prototyping through production, leading 0-to-1 development of scalable NLP systems.
  • Model Optimization: Enhance model performance through fine-tuning, prompt engineering, retrieval augmentation, and inference optimization.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with product, engineering, and executive teams to align AI capabilities with strategic goals.
  • Thought Leadership: Help shape internal best practices in applied NLP/LLM development, and contribute to research papers and IP generation.
  • Mentorship & Guidance: Provide technical insight and mentorship to junior researchers and engineers.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

We’re seeking an experienced, hands-on NLP practitioner with a deep understanding of AI system development:

  • 2-8 years of professional experience in applied NLP or LLM-based system development.
  • Strong foundation in building and deploying NLP models in production settings.
  • Proficiency with Python and modern ML/NLP frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, HuggingFace, spaCy, etc.).
  • Demonstrated experience scaling models across large, unstructured datasets.
  • Applied research background with a proven track record of translating research into real-world tools and platforms.
  • Deep understanding of LLM architectures, fine-tuning, prompt engineering, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
  • Excellent communication skills and comfort working in agile, high-ownership environments.
  • PhD or Master’s degree in Computer Science, AI, Computational Linguistics, or related field (PhD preferred).
  • Publication record in respected AI/NLP venues (e.g., ACL, EMNLP, NAACL, NeurIPS, ICLR) is highly desirable.

THE BENEFITS

  • Competitive Compensation: Base salary of $180,000 – $220,000 + performance bonus
  • Innovation Ownership: Drive the development of novel NLP applications and contribute to IP
  • Remote Flexibility: Work from anywhere in the U.S.
  • Full Benefits: Health, dental, vision, 401(k), generous PTO, and more

HOW TO APPLY

To explore this opportunity, please submit your resume to Luc Simpson-Kent using the Apply link on this page.

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Applied AI Engineer

London

£100000 - £130000

+ Data Science & AI

Permanent
London

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Are you a strong software engineer with LLM expertise?
Have you built production-grade systems and want to apply them to GenAI?
Ready to own the build and deployment of AI-powered tools-not just prototypes?

A fast-growing GenAI consultancy is building real-world AI applications for clients across finance, media, energy, and more. With over 50 people and aggressive growth plans, they specialise in deploying LLM-powered tools that solve complex, real-world problems-fast. Projects span agentic systems, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), edge ML, and full-stack automation.

This role is ideal for a senior software engineer with strong Python skills and a deep interest in AI. You don’t need to be an ML researcher-but you should know how to ship production systems, design APIs, and lead delivery. You’ll join a high-performing technical team and work on projects that go live, not just into slide decks.

Key Responsibilities

  • Build and deploy LLM-driven applications and backend services

  • Design RAG pipelines, agentic AI systems, and end-user automation tools

  • Take projects from prototype to production

  • Work closely with clients and cross-functional delivery teams

  • Lead junior engineers within project pods

Key Details

  • Working model: Hybrid (3 days/week in central London)

  • Tech stack: Python, Docker, AWS (Lambda, Step Functions, Bedrock), CI/CD, LLM APIs

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Senior AI Engineer

London

£90000 - £130000

+ Data Science & AI

Permanent
London

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Senior AI Software Engineer
London
£90,000-£130,000

I’m partnering with a dynamic AI consultancy that embeds itself within client businesses, listening closely, then building bespoke agentic AI solutions that automate processes, improve speed, and enhance decision-making.

Role Responsibilities

As a Senior AI Applied Engineer, you will:

  • Build & Deploy AI-Driven Software Solutions
    You’ll blend software engineering and AI expertise to develop scalable, production-grade systems leveraging generative AI and agentic automation.
  • Own Project-Based Work Across Diverse Domains
    You’ll tackle varied engagements, ranging in length and complexity, and support multiple clients.
  • Ensure Scalable and Reliable Deployment
    Your role includes end-to-end responsibility for deploying AI solutions that are robust, maintainable, and optimized for performance at scale.
  • Act as a Strong Team Contributor and Communicator
    While you won’t lead client engagements, you’ll work closely with clients and internal teams, translating client needs into technical solutions, requiring strong communication and stakeholder-facing capabilities.
  • Leverage Generative AI Expertise
    Utilise your hands-on experience with generative AI tools or workflows, prompt engineering, LLM integration, or similar, but the emphasis is on engineering implementation and delivery.

Who We’re Looking For

Essential Qualifications & Experience

  • Strong software engineering background with deep experience deploying scalable systems
  • At least some commercial experience using Generative AI exposure (e.g., LLMs, agentic interfaces, prompt engineering) but primarily strong engineering fluency
  • Comfortable with project-based, delivery-focused work, even if no prior consultancy experience
  • Confident in client-facing situations and able to collaborate effectively with non-technical stakeholders
  • Reliable, consistent work history; this is a long-term growth-focused opportunity within an expanding team of 5 for this role

Ready to Apply?

If this resonates with your background and career path, let’s talk. Please share your CV highlighting your engineering experience and where generative AI has featured, especially in deployment or integration roles.

To Apply for this Job Click Here

AI Engineer

Manchester

£60000 - £70000

+ Data Science & AI

Permanent
Manchester, Greater Manchester

To Apply for this Job Click Here

AI Engineer – Remote

We’re hiring an AI Engineer to help design and build cutting-edge AI solutions with a focus on document intelligence. You’ll play a key role in embedding GenAI across the business, starting with tools to support verification teams in extracting and reasoning over complex documents.

This is a hands-on engineering role with a strong focus on LLM-based systems and clean, production-grade Python development.

Responsibilities:

  • Build rapid MVPs and evolve them into production-ready services.
  • Develop and maintain shared Python libraries with strong architecture, testing, and CI/CD standards.
  • Design and deploy LLM-based extraction, RAG, and agent workflows across large document sets.
  • Work closely with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Required:

  • Expert in Python coding
  • Solid grounding in software engineering best practices: CI/CD, automated testing, observability.
  • Experience with multi-modal AI (e.g. layout understanding, VLMs, agentic workflows).
  • Comfortable prototyping quickly (Streamlit, Dash) to test ideas.
  • Familiar with MLOps tools like MLflow and model monitoring.
  • Strong communicator who can work across teams.

To Apply for this Job Click Here

AI Engineer

£60000 - £70000

+ Data Science & AI

Permanent
England

To Apply for this Job Click Here

AI Engineer – LLMs for Document Intelligence | Remote (UK) | Up to £70,000

We’re supporting a UK-based SaaS company in hiring an AI Engineer to join their Innovation team. This role is focused on delivering real business impact through Generative AI, particularly in the area of document intelligence.

The opportunity

  • Build and deploy LLM-based systems to automate document extraction, reasoning and validation
  • Work on high-impact use cases, such as ESG and sustainability compliance
  • Join a small, collaborative team that values clean code, fast iteration and practical AI solutions

What you’ll do

  • Design and implement LLM-powered workflows for document understanding, including RAG and agent-based systems
  • Develop robust, well-structured Python libraries and production-ready services
  • Build quick prototypes (Streamlit, Dash) and scalable services (FastAPI, Kubernetes)
  • Contribute to engineering best practices across CI/CD, testing, and monitoring

What we’re looking for

  • Previous experience with document extraction using LLMs
  • Expert-level Python skills, with a strong grounding in software engineering fundamentals
  • Clear communicator, comfortable working with both technical and non-technical stakeholders

What’s on offer

  • Up to £70,000 base salary
  • Remote-first working culture (UK only)
  • Company offsites across Europe
  • Private medical insurance, life assurance and pension
  • 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, with the option to buy more
  • Wellness and professional development budgets

2 stage interview process.

This role cannot sponsor and ideally candidates will have 1 month or less notice period, aiming for a September/early October start.

To Apply for this Job Click Here

AI Engineer

€130000 - €180000

+ Data Science & AI

Permanent
Barcelona

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Research Engineer – Barcelona – English Speaking Required

Stealth Start Up

We are working with a very exciting start-up company that just received pre-seed funding and are looking for a Research Engineer to join their research team with some of the top minds in the industry.

You will be responsible for bridging the gap between science and engineering by adding the necessary engineering layer to the work produced by the scientists. This includes supporting the full lifecycle of machine learning models-from design and implementation to evaluation and deployment-ensuring their work successfully reaches production. Additionally, you’ll play a key role in closing the significant gap between the Science and Infrastructure teams, helping to create smoother collaboration and integration across the organisation.

They are looking for candidates to relocate to Barcelona, with an office right next to the beach!

Requirements:

  • PhD in a relevant field
  • Python, Pandas, PyTorch, NumPy
  • Experience working with text or tabular data
  • MLOps
  • English speaking

To Apply for this Job Click Here

AI Engineer (LLM)

New York

$180000 - $220000

+ Data Science & AI

Permanent
New York

To Apply for this Job Click Here

AI Engineer

Location: New York (Hybrid)

Compensation: $180,000 – $220,000 base salary + Equity

About the Company

We’re partnered with a cutting-edge software company that’s redefining how development teams build, maintain, and scale modern applications. As engineering workflows grow increasingly complex, their intelligent platform empowers teams by deploying AI agents that automate repetitive development tasks, streamline workflows, and enhance productivity. These AI-driven systems are already transforming the software development lifecycle in dynamic environments-and the company is now scaling rapidly to meet market demand.

The Role

As an Applied AI/NLP Scientist, you’ll play a key role in designing and deploying advanced NLP and LLM-based solutions that accelerate and enhance software engineering workflows. Working directly with senior technical leadership, you’ll drive projects from early-stage research to production-ready implementations, with real impact on the development process.

Key Responsibilities

  • AI Model Innovation: Architect and implement domain-specific LLM/NLP models tailored to the needs of software engineering use cases-code generation, documentation automation, code review assistance, and more.
  • Research to Production: Lead end-to-end development of NLP/LLM solutions, from proof-of-concept to scalable production systems.
  • Model Optimization: Improve model efficiency and output through fine-tuning, prompt engineering, RAG (retrieval-augmented generation), and inference techniques.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work alongside product managers, developers, and leadership to ensure AI capabilities align with platform strategy and user needs.
  • Thought Leadership: Help shape best practices around applied NLP/LLM development, contribute to internal innovation, and author papers or patents where applicable.
  • Mentorship: Provide guidance and mentorship to junior ML researchers and engineers.

Your Skills and Experience

We’re looking for a hands-on NLP expert with a passion for building tools that empower developers:

  • 2-8 years of experience in applied NLP or LLM-focused system development.
  • Proven track record building and deploying NLP/LLM solutions in production.
  • Proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, HuggingFace, spaCy).
  • Experience working with large, unstructured code and text datasets.
  • Background in applied research with an ability to bring experimental models into real-world systems.
  • Deep understanding of transformer-based architectures, prompt tuning, fine-tuning, and retrieval-augmented methods.
  • Strong communication skills and comfort working in fast-paced, ownership-driven environments.
  • Advanced degree (PhD or Master’s) in Computer Science, AI, NLP, or a related field (PhD preferred).
  • Bonus: Publications in top-tier AI/ML/NLP venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ACL, ICLR, EMNLP).

The Benefits

  • Competitive Pay: $180,000 – $220,000 base + performance bonus + equity
  • Innovation Ownership: Contribute directly to product innovation and IP
  • Comprehensive Benefits: Health, dental, vision, 401(k), generous PTO, and more

How to Apply

To explore this opportunity, please submit your resume to Luc Simpson-Kent using the Apply link on this page.

To Apply for this Job Click Here

Harnham22_HA_V03_0208
We are the global leaders in Data & AI Recruitment

With over 15 years of experience working solely in the Data & AI sector, our San Francisco-focussed consultants are able to offer detailed insights and support into the industry.

Industry Hub

HARNHAM
News & Blog

With over 10 years experience working solely in the Data & AI sector our consultants are able to offer detailed insights into the industry.

Visit our Blogs & News portal or check out our recent posts below.

Testimonials

Client and
candidate
testimonials

A trusted partner of professionals
across the globe.

We understand the challenges our
customers face and offer the
recruitment solutions needed to drive
business success through Data &
AI.