Staff AI Engineer - Search & Discovery at Coupang

We exist to wow our customers. We know we’re doing the right thing when we hear our customers say, “How did we ever live without Coupang?” Born out of an obsession to make shopping, eating, and living easier than ever, we’re collectively disrupting the multi-billion-dollar e-commerce industry from the ground up. We are one of the fastest-growing e-commerce companies that established an unparalleled reputation for being a dominant and reliable force in South Korean commerce. We are proud to have the best of both worlds — a startup culture with the resources of a large global public company. This fuels us to continue our growth and launch new services at the speed we have been since our inception. We are all entrepreneurs surrounded by opportunities to drive new initiatives and innovations. At our core, we are bold and ambitious people that like to get our hands dirty and make a hands-on impact. At Coupang, you will see yourself, your colleagues, your team, and the company grow every day. Our mission to build the future of commerce is real. We push the boundaries of what’s possible to solve problems and break traditional tradeoffs. Join Coupang now to create an epic experience in this always-on, high-tech, and hyper-connected world. About The Role We are looking for an AI Native, AI First Engineer to pioneer and architect entirely new applications where Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) serve as the fundamental core intelligence. At Coupang, we are redefining the boundaries of what is possible. This role is at the forefront of our invention strategy, building systems that are not just AI-enhanced, but AI-native from the ground up to deliver transformative customer and operational experiences. In this role, you will own the end-to-end lifecycle of high-scale, non-deterministic AI systems—from rapid prototyping and architectural design to full-scale production deployment. You will operate with a full-stack AI mindset, leveraging cutting-edge LLM technology to solve complex problems and create entirely new product paradigms. This is a high-impact, pioneering role where you will drive innovation at scale, shape the future of our product intelligence, and demonstrate a proven track record of taking transformative AI concepts from zero to production. What You Will Do · Design, architect, and own the full lifecycle of novel, end-to-end applications centered on generative AI and LLMs to create new e-commerce experiences. · Develop and manage production AI infrastructure, including vector databases, high-throughput inference, and real-time data pipelines for context enrichment and low-latency serving. · Develop and maintain strong RAG frameworks, grounding AI applications in Coupang’s proprietary product catalog, user history, and operational knowledge bases for factual accuracy and relevance. · Implement advanced prompt engineering, agentic design, and complex LLM chains to build intelligent, stable software services. · Enforce AI reliability, monitoring, and safety to manage model non-determinism, minimizing hallucinations and optimizing large-scale cost-efficiency. · Rapidly prototype and productionize new AI capabilities to drive innovation and advance Coupang's mission to "build the future of commerce." What We’re Looking For · 3 years of experience in software engineering, with solid coding skills and critical code review capabilities, as well as a deep specialization in leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI systems and productivity tools. · Strong product-led engineering mindset with the ability to bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI research and practical, user-centric product features. · Proven experience owning end-to-end AI applications, including: · Generative AI agents and conversational interfaces. · RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipelines. · LLM fine-tuning and optimization for specific domains. · AI-powered automation and workflow systems. · Demonstrated track record of taking AI-first products from concept to production, driving measurable improvements in user engagement, operational efficiency, or system performance. · Deep technical understanding of modern AI stacks, including: · Prompt engineering and LLM orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex). · Vector databases and semantic search architectures. · Scalable MLOps for non-deterministic AI models. Preferred Qualifications · Experience in high-traffic, large-scale consumer AI environments (e.g., LLM-based assistants, search/recommendation systems, or generative content platforms) · Experience leading or contributing to cross-functional AI research and product engineering teams. · Experience building and launching 0→1 Generative AI products or integrating LLMs into existing complex product surfaces. · Strong background in fast-scaling technology companies with a deep understanding of the challenges in deploying non-deterministic systems at scale. · Passion for continuous experimentation and rapid prototyping to solve ambiguous customer problems using the latest advancements in AI/ML. · Exposure/experience in e-commerce search. Pay & Benefits Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. At Coupang, your base pay is one part of your total compensation.  The base pay for this position ranges from $184,000/year in our lowest geographic market to $376,000/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on several factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. General Description of All Benefits • Medical/Dental/Vision/Life, AD&D insurance • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) & Health Savings Account (HSA) • Long-term/Short-term Disability • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) program • 401K Plan with Company Match • 18-21 days of the Paid Time Off (PTO) a year based on the tenure • 12 Paid Holidays • Paid Parental leave • Pre-tax commuter benefits • MTV - [Free] Electric Car Charging Station General Description of Other Compensation “Other Compensation” includes, but is not limited to, bonuses, equity, or other forms of compensation that would be offered to the hired applicant in addition to their established salary range or wage scale. Recruitment Process • Application Review - Phone Interview - Onsite (or Virtual Onsite) Interview – Offer • The exact nature of the recruitment process may vary according to the specific job and may be changed due to scheduling or other circumstances. • Interview schedules and the results will be informed to the applicant via the e-mail address submitted at the application stage. Details to Consider • This job posting may be closed prior to the stated end date for application if all openings are filled. • Coupang has the right to rescind an offer of employment if a candidate is found to have submitted false information as part of the application process. • Those eligible for employment protection (recipients of veteran’s benefits, the disabled, etc.) may receive preferential treatment for employment in accordance with applicable laws. Privacy Notice • Your personal information will be collected and managed by Coupang as stated in the Application Privacy Notice located below: [Upgrade to PRO to see link] Equal Opportunities for All Coupang is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hair styles), color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ,ancestry, national origin (including language use restrictions), age (40 and over), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C status, family status (including but not limited to marital or domestic partnership status), military or veteran status, use of a trained dog guide or service animal, political activities or affiliations, ancestry, citizenship, family and medical leave status, status as a victim of any violent crime, or any other characteristic or class protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Coupang is also committed to providing a safe work environment for its employees and its consumers.    If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation in the application of recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at [Upgrade to PRO to see contact].  Job Requisition ID: R0071666