Prompt Engineer

Prompt Engineer

As a Prompt Engineer (LLM / Generative AI), you will make an impact by designing and delivering intelligent AI-powered solutions using large language models. You will be a valued member of the engineering team and collaborate with product managers, data scientists, and business stakeholders to build scalable, production-ready AI applications.

Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future. In this role, you will:

• Design, develop, and deploy LLM-powered applications using Python
• Integrate and manage OpenAI APIs (GPT models, embeddings, function calling, assistants, fine-tuning)
• Create, test, and optimize prompt engineering strategies for accuracy, reliability, and cost-efficiency
• Build pipelines for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) using vector databases
• Implement LLM evaluation, monitoring, and observability techniques (prompt versioning, output scoring, hallucination detection)
• Optimize latency, token usage, and cost for production LLM workloads
• Develop APIs, backend services, and microservices to support AI solutions
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate business requirements into AI-driven features
• Ensure solutions follow security, privacy, and responsible AI best practices
• Stay current with evolving LLM technologies and prompt engineering techniques

We strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role's business requirements, this is a remote position open to qualified applicants in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance through our wellbeing programs.

What you need to have to be considered:

• Strong proficiency in Python (data structures, APIs, async programming)
• Hands-on experience with OpenAI APIs or comparable LLM providers
• Practical experience with prompt engineering techniques (few-shot, chain-of-thought, system prompts, guardrails)
• Experience building production-ready applications using LLMs
• Familiarity with REST APIs, JSON, and backend frameworks (FastAPI, Flask, or Django)
• Solid understanding of NLP concepts and limitations of LLMs
• Experience with version control systems (Git)

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with frameworks such as LangChain or LlamaIndex
• Familiarity with vector databases (e.g., FAISS, Pinecone, Weaviate)
• Knowledge of SQL / NoSQL databases
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP)
• Exposure to DevOps practices such as Docker and CI/CD pipelines

Salary and other compensation: Applications will be accepted until July 31, 2026. The annual salary for this position is between $95,000 - $130,000, depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position is also eligible for Cognizant's discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to applicable plans.

Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• Medical / Dental / Vision / Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term / Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.