Sr. Software Engineer II - AI

$187K - $235K CA, US Senior AI Software Engineer

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Skills & Technologies

ClaudeLangchainLlamaindexPrompt EngineeringPythonRag

About This Role

AI job market dashboard showing open roles by category

For A Better You

At iHerb, we believe that living a healthy and balanced life should be easy and accessible to everyone. As a team member, we’ll empower you to live this promise each day as you make a truly global impact in your career.

We constantly strive for innovation, while transforming and improving the online shopping experience for our customers. We believe that individually we are incredible, but when we come together, our growth is infinite. In an industry that is constantly evolving, we are on a mission to make an impact on the global market, and the individual and collaborative efforts of our people are paramount to helping us succeed.

Whether you work in one of our logistics centers, technology hubs, corporate offices or even from home, your role at iHerb will take you beyond what’s expected, turning challenge into change. If you're ready for it, we want you to join our team. Get started now.

Job Summary:

The Sr. Software Engineer II \- AI will lead the build of GenAI\-powered product experiences and the shared AI platform infrastructure that powers them. This includes RAG pipelines over the iHerb catalog and customer reviews, LLM\-driven personalization, a conversational Wellness Agent, agentic workflow systems, and the evals and MLOps layer that makes AI features production\-grade and repeatable. Specializations within this track include: RAG and personalization, agent framework and tool use, evals and guardrails, and LLM application development for internal business functions such as marketing automation and BI agents.

Job Expectations:

  • Design, build, and operate production AI features: RAG pipelines, LLM\-driven recommendations, conversational agents, or agentic workflow automation.
  • Build the shared AI platform layer: retrieval infrastructure, eval frameworks, model monitoring, guardrails, and observability.
  • Write LLM applications and integrations with marketing platforms, BI tools, or customer\-facing product surfaces.
  • Evaluate model and feature quality using structured eval frameworks; iterate on prompts, retrieval strategies, and model selection using data.
  • Use AI\-driven SDLC tooling such as Claude Code as a daily practice for both AI and non\-AI code.
  • Coordinate with the Personalization team to align GenAI product features with existing ML personalization signals.
  • Document AI system design decisions, evaluation results, and operational lessons in the shared knowledge base.
  • Own the observability of AI systems you build: latency, cost, quality drift, and error rates; participate in on\-call rotation and respond to production incidents.

The duties and responsibilities described above may provide only a partial description of this position. This is not an exhaustive list of all aspects of the job. Other duties and responsibilities not outlined in this document may be added as necessary or desirable, with or without notice.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Required:

  • AI\-driven SDLC : hands\-on experience shipping production code with AI\-assisted development tools such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or Cursor. The bar is not awareness; it is daily use in delivering real software.
  • Full\-stack awareness: comfortable contributing across layers of the stack when needed; purely single\-layer specialists are not the target profile.
  • Production ownership: experience owning features end\-to\-end from spec through deployment, observability, and on\-call. Engineers here own what they ship; there is no separate ops handoff.
  • Code quality fundamentals: strong grasp of software design principles, automated testing, code review, and CI/CD.
  • Fully autonomous; drives technical decisions within the team; mentors junior engineers.
  • Python proficiency; comfortable building and operating production LLM applications.
  • Hands\-on experience with at least one specialization: RAG and retrieval systems, LLM evaluation, agentic frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar), or LLM\-based workflow automation.
  • Understanding of prompt engineering, context window management, and LLM output quality tradeoffs.
  • Familiarity with vector databases, embedding models, or semantic search.
  • High degree of accuracy and attention to detail
  • Excellent organization skills and ability to multi\-task

Preferred:

  • Exposure to MLOps tooling or model deployment pipelines.
  • Contributions to internal developer tooling, golden path standards, or SDLC process improvements.
  • Experience with e\-commerce platforms, product catalogs, or high\-traffic consumer applications.
  • Exposure to MLOps tooling or model deployment pipelines.
  • Experience working in globally distributed teams.
  • Track record of documenting architectural decisions, writing RFCs, or contributing to engineering wikis.

Equipment Knowledge:

  • Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
  • Experience with Google Business Suite (Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms) preferred

Experience Requirements:

Generally requires a minimum of 10\+ years of software engineering experience.

Education Requirements:

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related field preferred, or a combination of education and equivalent work experience.

Judgment/Reasoning Ability: Able to identify, troubleshoot and resolve problems quickly using sound judgment, poise and diplomacy. Ability to use judgment and reasoning skills, and determine when to escalate issues, as required, in a timely manner.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a Team Member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the Team Member is regularly required to talk and hear. The Team Member is frequently required to sit, walk, climb stairs, use hands and fingers, bend, stoop and reach with hands and arms. Reaching above shoulder heights, below the waist or lifting as required to file documents or store materials throughout the work day. The Team Member may occasionally lift or move office products and supplies up to 25 pounds. Proper lifting techniques required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment: The noise in the work environment is usually moderate. Other factors are:

  • Hectic, fast\-paced with multi\-level distractions
  • Professional, yet casual work environment
  • Office / Warehouse environment
  • Ability to work extended hours as required

\#LI\-JC1

Compensation:

The expected salary range for this role is $187,000\.00 \- $235,000\.00 USD. The actual base pay offered will be determined by factors such as the candidate's relevant experience, education, geographic location, and internal equity.

If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over\-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us!

Staffing Agency Submission Notice

iHerb does not accept unsolicited 3rd party ("Agency") candidates. If you are an Agency, please send any requests to be considered as a supplier in our Vendor Management System to [email protected]. Do not contact iHerb employees directly. If requested to work on a role, any Agency candidates would be presented through the internal recruiting organization.

iHerb is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. iHerb provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment.

Salary Context

This $187K-$235K range is above the median for AI Software Engineer roles in our dataset (median: $183K across 194 roles with salary data).

Role Details

Company iHerb
Title Sr. Software Engineer II - AI
Location CA, US
Category AI Software Engineer
Experience Senior
Salary $187K - $235K
Remote No

About This Role

AI Software Engineers build the applications and systems that AI models run inside. They own the API layers, data pipelines, frontend integrations, and infrastructure that turn a model into a product users interact with. Every AI company needs engineers who can build the software around the AI.

The challenge is building reliable systems around inherently unreliable components. Models are probabilistic. They'll give different answers to the same question. They hallucinate. They're slow. They're expensive. Your job is to build an application layer that handles all of this gracefully while delivering a product that users trust and enjoy.

Across the 3,708 AI roles we're tracking, AI Software Engineer positions make up 7% of the market. At iHerb, this role fits into their broader AI and engineering organization.

AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.

What the Work Looks Like

A typical week includes: building API endpoints that serve model inference with caching and fallback logic, designing the data pipeline that feeds context to a RAG system, implementing streaming responses in the frontend, debugging a race condition in the async inference pipeline, and optimizing database queries for the vector search layer. It's full-stack engineering with AI at the center.

AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.

Skills Required

Claude (13% of roles) Langchain (10% of roles) Llamaindex (4% of roles) Prompt Engineering (15% of roles) Python (51% of roles) Rag (23% of roles)

Full-stack engineering skills with AI integration experience. Python and TypeScript are the most common requirements. You'll need to understand API design, database architecture, and how to build reliable systems around probabilistic outputs. Experience with streaming, async processing, and caching patterns is increasingly important as real-time AI applications proliferate.

Knowledge of vector databases, embedding APIs, and LLM integration patterns (function calling, structured outputs, retry logic) differentiates AI software engineers from general software engineers. Understanding cost optimization (caching strategies, model routing, batched inference) is valuable since inference costs can dominate application economics.

Strong postings describe the product you'll be building, the AI integration patterns you'll work with, and the scale requirements. Look for companies that have existing AI features and need engineers to improve and expand them, not companies that are 'planning to add AI' someday.

Compensation Benchmarks

AI Software Engineer roles pay a median of $219,250 based on 424 positions with disclosed compensation. Senior-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $230,000. Disclosed range: $187K to $235K.

Across all AI roles, the market median is $217,500. Top-quartile compensation starts at $272,100. The 90th percentile reaches $325,000. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($300,000) and Research Engineer ($280,000). By seniority level: Entry: $120,000; Mid: $200,000; Senior: $230,000; Director: $272,150; VP: $250,000.

iHerb AI Hiring

iHerb has 3 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across AI/ML Engineer, AI Software Engineer. Based in CA, US. Compensation range: $230K - $260K.

Location Context

Across all AI roles, 14% (508 positions) offer remote work, while 3,180 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: New York (1,045 roles, $220,000 median); San Francisco (810 roles, $277,088 median); Los Angeles (397 roles, $215,000 median).

Career Path

Common paths into AI Software Engineer roles include Software Engineer, Full-Stack Developer, Backend Engineer.

From here, career progression typically leads toward Staff Engineer, AI Architect, Engineering Manager.

If you're a software engineer, you're already 80% there. Learn the AI integration patterns: RAG, streaming inference, function calling, structured outputs. Build a project that demonstrates you can wrap an AI model in a production-quality application with proper error handling, caching, and user experience. That's the portfolio piece that gets you hired.

What to Expect in Interviews

Technical screens look like standard software engineering interviews with an AI twist. Expect system design questions about building reliable applications around probabilistic models: handling streaming responses, implementing retry logic for API failures, and designing caching strategies for LLM outputs. Coding rounds test standard algorithms plus practical integration patterns like async processing and rate limiting.

When evaluating opportunities: Strong postings describe the product you'll be building, the AI integration patterns you'll work with, and the scale requirements. Look for companies that have existing AI features and need engineers to improve and expand them, not companies that are 'planning to add AI' someday.

AI Hiring Overview

The AI job market has 3,708 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 102 entry-level, 1,705 mid-level, 1,469 senior, and 432 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 14% of the market (508 positions). The remaining 3,180 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.

The market median for AI roles is $217,500. Top-quartile compensation starts at $272,100. The 90th percentile reaches $325,000. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($300,000 median, 21 roles); Research Engineer ($280,000 median, 147 roles); AI Architect ($254,798 median, 67 roles).

AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.

The AI Job Market Today

The AI job market spans 3,708 open positions across 16 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (2,605), Data Scientist (310), AI Software Engineer (259). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.

The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (102) are outnumbered by mid-level (1,705) and senior (1,469) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 432 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.

Remote work availability sits at 14% of all AI roles (508 positions), with 3,180 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.

AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $217,500. Top-quartile roles start at $272,100, and the 90th percentile reaches $325,000. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.

Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $300,000 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $140,000. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.

The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (1,890 postings), Aws (1,103 postings), Azure (877 postings), Rag (855 postings), Gcp (631 postings), Prompt Engineering (560 postings), Pytorch (545 postings), Claude (498 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on 424 roles with disclosed compensation, the median salary for AI Software Engineer positions is $219,250. Actual compensation varies by seniority, location, and company stage.
Full-stack engineering skills with AI integration experience. Python and TypeScript are the most common requirements. You'll need to understand API design, database architecture, and how to build reliable systems around probabilistic outputs. Experience with streaming, async processing, and caching patterns is increasingly important as real-time AI applications proliferate.
About 14% of the 3,708 AI roles we track offer remote work. Remote availability varies by company and seniority level, with senior and leadership roles more likely to offer location flexibility.
iHerb is among the companies actively hiring for AI and ML talent. Check our company profiles for detailed breakdowns of open roles, salary ranges, and hiring trends.
Common next steps from AI Software Engineer positions include Staff Engineer, AI Architect, Engineering Manager. Progression depends on whether you lean toward technical depth, people management, or product strategy.

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