AI Engineer
Founding AI Team Reporting Directly to Partner
If you want to move fast, ship real things, and have outsized impact at a leading PE firm—keep reading.
Position Summary:
K1 is seeking an AI Engineer to join our founding AI team in Manhattan Beach, CA. This is not a typical role. You will be one of the founding members of K1's internal AI function, reporting directly to a Founding Partner with no middle management, no busywork, and real ownership from day one. You will work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, enterprise software, and private equity operations — shipping real automations, building real tools, and driving real impact across a portfolio of 275+ companies. The right candidate will embody the values of K1 – Passion, Persistence, Humility, and Excellence.
Key Responsibilities:
Designing, building, and deploying AI-powered automations using Claude, Microsoft 365 (Power Automate, Copilot, SharePoint), and custom integrations to eliminate manual processes across the firm and portfolio companies;
Rapidly prototyping AI tools and agents — from competitive intelligence scrapers to board-report generators — and iterating quickly based on real user feedback;
Evaluating emerging AI models, tools, and frameworks and synthesizing findings into actionable recommendations for the investment team;
Building internal dashboards, data pipelines, and agentic workflows that give K1's investment professionals an unfair advantage;
Performing other duties as assigned.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Business + CS, or a related field;
At least one prior internship/role or substantive project experience in AI/ML, software engineering, or data science;
Proficiency with Claude (Anthropic) as a daily working tool — prompt engineering, multi-step workflows, and integration into real tasks;
Working knowledge of Microsoft 365 (Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams); familiarity with Power Automate or Copilot Studio is a plus;
- Proficiency in Python and/or JavaScript — you don't need to be a systems engineer, but you need to be able to ship working code;
- Bias toward action, comfort with ambiguity, and a genuine obsession with where AI is headed;
Ability to work in-office in Manhattan Beach 5 days per week.
About K1:
K1 Investment Management is one of the largest investors in small-cap AI-powered software. Dedicated to transforming lives and industries by building category leaders in technology, K1 has invested in over 275 companies since inception. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, the firm partners early with founders and management teams to build AI-powered, mission-critical systems of record for enterprise clients globally.
For more information, visit k1.com and follow K1 Investment Management on LinkedIn.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Business plus Computer Science, or a related field
- At least one prior internship, role, or substantive project involving AI/ML, software engineering, or data science
- Proficiency with Claude, including prompt engineering, multi-step workflows, and integration into real tasks
- Working knowledge of Microsoft 365, including Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Teams
- Proficiency in Python and/or JavaScript
- Familiarity with Power Automate or Copilot Studio
- Bias toward action, comfort with ambiguity, and strong interest in artificial intelligence
- Ability to work in-office in Manhattan Beach five days per week
What We Do
K1 is a leading investment firm focusing on high-growth enterprise software companies globally. K1 seeks to help dynamic businesses achieve successful outcomes by identifying and executing organic and acquisition-based growth opportunities that position its companies as industry leaders. K1 typically invests alongside strong management teams that continue to guide their organizations on a day-to-day basis. K1’s investments vary in the level of ownership in order to meet the needs of entrepreneurs and managers.
