Role report · Data & AI
AI Engineer: what employers ask for
Of 845 AI Engineer postings from 364 employers in the United States and Canada over the last 180 days, 74% ask for Python, 72% for AI Agents, 72% for LLMs, 64% for Machine Learning and 45% for AWS.
From 845 AI Engineer postings in the United States and Canada, April 23, 2026 to October 20, 2026. Updated October 20, 2026. How we count
- Postings read
- 845from 364 employers
- Remote
- 23%of postings
- Most common level
- Mid41% of postings
- Experience asked
- 4 yearsmedian, from 582 postings that state it
- Advertised pay
- $190,000median a year, from 344 postings in US dollars
The skills employers ask for most
The share of AI Engineer postings that name each skill, and how often a posting that names it lists it as required rather than nice to have.
| Skill | Share of postings | Required when named |
|---|---|---|
| Python | 92% | |
| AI Agents | 86% | |
| LLMs | 90% | |
| Machine Learning | 89% | |
| AWS | 75% | |
| RAG | 83% | |
| Generative AI | 88% | |
| CI/CD | 79% | |
| Observability | 85% | |
| Azure | 73% | |
| Prompt Engineering | 86% | |
| GCP | 70% | |
| MLOps | 73% | |
| REST APIs | 92% | |
| LangChain | 65% | |
| LLM Evaluation | 81% | |
| Docker | 75% | |
| Kubernetes | 71% | |
| Distributed Systems | 87% | |
| AI Coding Tools | 85% |
Taking a larger share
Month on month, comparing like with like; only moves clear of noise are named.
Taking a smaller share
Named in fewer of these postings than before, beyond the month-to-month noise.
Seniority
| Level | Share | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Mid | 345 | |
| Senior | 231 | |
| Principal | 79 | |
| Staff | 69 | |
| Lead | 67 | |
| Manager | 23 | |
| Director+ | 19 |
Professional skills
Asked for alongside the technical ones.
- Stakeholder Management55%
- Communication48%
- Leadership33%
- Collaboration11%
- Technical Leadership9%
Advertised pay
344 of these postings state pay in US dollars. The middle half of their ranges' midpoints runs from $157,000 to $229,000 a year, with a median of $190,000. Pay by level, and what each skill adds to it like for like, is in the app.
Employers with the most postings
- Boston Consulting Group28 postings
- Micron27 postings
- OpenAI19 postings
- Anthropic15 postings
- Palo Alto Networks15 postings
- Capital One14 postings
- Workday14 postings
- Amazon Web Services14 postings
Quick answers
What skills does an AI Engineer need?
The skills named most often in AI Engineer postings are Python, AI Agents, LLMs, Machine Learning and AWS. Python appears in 74% of them.
Are AI Engineer jobs remote?
23% of the 845 AI Engineer postings in the last 180 days were remote.
How much experience do AI Engineer jobs ask for?
Postings that state it ask for a median of 4 years. The most common level is Mid (41% of postings).
What does an AI Engineer earn?
Postings that state pay advertise a typical $157,000 to $229,000 a year, with a median of $190,000, from 344 postings in US dollars.
Which skills are growing for AI Engineer roles?
Leadership, Testing, AI Agents, LLMs and Code Review are taking a larger share of AI Engineer postings, month on month and comparing like with like.