Home Jobs AI Prototyper / Prompt Engineer
Back to Jobs

AI Prototyper / Prompt Engineer - Job Opportunity at Sparkli

Zürich, Switzerland
Full-time
Mid-level
Posted: May 25, 2025
On-site
CHF 120,000 - 160,000 annually. This estimate reflects the premium Swiss market rates for specialized AI roles, the competitive startup environment in Zürich, and the high demand for prompt engineering expertise. The well-funded status and ex-Google founding team suggest compensation at the upper end of this range plus significant equity upside.

Benefits

Highly competitive compensation package positioned above market standards to attract top-tier AI talent in the competitive Swiss tech market
Performance-based bonus structure that rewards innovation and breakthrough prototype development
Substantial equity participation offering significant upside potential in a well-funded stealth startup with experienced founding team
Opportunity to work with cutting-edge AI technologies and shape the future of educational technology

Key Responsibilities

Drive strategic exploration of generative AI frontiers to unlock breakthrough capabilities that could revolutionize educational content creation and establish competitive advantages in the EdTech market
Architect and optimize sophisticated prompt engineering systems and agent workflows that directly impact product differentiation and user engagement metrics
Lead rapid prototyping initiatives that validate multi-million dollar product decisions and inform critical go-to-market strategies
Serve as the technical bridge between design vision and engineering implementation, ensuring AI innovations translate into scalable product features
Function as the company's AI intelligence hub by continuously monitoring emerging technologies and translating research breakthroughs into actionable business opportunities

Requirements

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience

Experience

2-4 years of hands-on experience with large language models and prompt engineering

Required Skills

Deep understanding of LLM behavior, prompting strategies, and model limitations Experience with OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, or similar APIs Multi-step chains, tool use, or custom system instructions Comfort hacking together prototypes Curiosity-driven mindset with the ability to spot unexpected affordances or emergent behaviors in new models Experience in education, game design, narrative systems, or working with multimodal models
Advertisement
Ad Space

Sauge AI Market Intelligence

Industry Trends

The convergence of generative AI and educational technology represents one of the fastest-growing segments in the tech industry, with the global AI in education market projected to reach $25.7 billion by 2030. Companies are racing to integrate large language models into learning platforms to create personalized, adaptive educational experiences that can compete with traditional teaching methods. Prompt engineering has emerged as a critical discipline as organizations recognize that the quality of AI outputs depends heavily on sophisticated prompt design and chain orchestration. The field is evolving from simple prompt crafting to complex multi-agent systems that can handle nuanced educational content generation. The EdTech sector is experiencing a paradigm shift toward immersive, game-based learning platforms that leverage AI to create dynamic, personalized content. This trend is driven by research showing that interactive, story-driven educational experiences significantly improve learning retention and engagement compared to traditional methods.

Role Significance

Likely working within a lean AI/engineering team of 8-15 people, with direct collaboration across design, education, and engineering functions. As an early-stage startup hire, this role would be among the first 20-30 employees with substantial influence on team building and technical culture.
This is a high-impact mid-level role with significant autonomy and strategic influence. Despite being positioned as a prototyper, the role carries substantial responsibility for driving product innovation and technical direction. The position offers leadership opportunities in an emerging field with direct access to executive decision-making.

Key Projects

Development of AI-powered content generation systems that can automatically create educational games and interactive narratives from curriculum topics Implementation of sophisticated prompt chain architectures that enable dynamic story branching and adaptive difficulty adjustment based on student performance Creation of multimodal AI prototypes that combine text, visual, and interactive elements to create immersive learning experiences that compete with traditional educational content

Success Factors

Ability to rapidly translate cutting-edge AI research into practical prototypes that demonstrate clear educational value and commercial viability within tight startup timelines Strong systems thinking to design prompt architectures that can scale from prototype to production while maintaining consistency and quality across diverse educational content types Collaborative mindset to work effectively with non-technical stakeholders including educators and designers, translating complex AI capabilities into understandable product features Entrepreneurial adaptability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment where priorities shift rapidly and the ability to deliver results with limited resources is critical

Market Demand

Exceptionally high demand with limited supply of qualified candidates. The intersection of AI expertise, educational technology knowledge, and prompt engineering skills creates a highly specialized talent pool that is in extreme demand across both startups and established tech companies.

Important Skills

Critical Skills

Deep understanding of large language model behavior and limitations is absolutely essential as this role involves pushing these models to their limits in creative applications. The ability to predict and control model outputs through sophisticated prompting strategies directly impacts product quality and user safety, particularly important when creating content for children. Hands-on experience with major AI APIs and multi-step workflows is crucial because the role involves building complex AI pipelines that must reliably generate educational content at scale. Understanding the nuances of different models and their optimal use cases enables the creation of robust, production-ready systems. Rapid prototyping capabilities are vital in the startup environment where speed of iteration determines competitive advantage. The ability to quickly validate ideas and demonstrate feasibility helps secure internal buy-in and guides product development decisions worth millions in potential revenue.

Beneficial Skills

Educational technology background provides crucial context for creating pedagogically sound AI systems that actually improve learning outcomes rather than just entertaining children. Understanding how children learn and engage with digital content informs better prompt design and content generation strategies. Game design experience is highly valuable for creating engaging, interactive educational experiences that compete with entertainment alternatives for children's attention. This knowledge helps in designing AI systems that generate compelling gameplay mechanics and narrative structures. Multimodal AI experience becomes increasingly important as the platform likely needs to generate not just text but also visual, audio, and interactive elements. The ability to orchestrate different AI models to create cohesive multimedia educational experiences represents a significant competitive advantage.

Unique Aspects

This role offers ground-floor opportunity to define the technical foundation of AI-powered educational content generation, potentially creating intellectual property and technical approaches that could become industry standards
The focus on children's education presents unique technical challenges in creating age-appropriate, safe, and pedagogically sound AI-generated content that requires specialized prompt engineering approaches
The combination of gaming, storytelling, and education creates a novel technical domain that extends beyond traditional AI applications into creative content generation and interactive narrative systems
Working in stealth mode with a well-funded, experienced team provides the rare opportunity to develop breakthrough technology without typical startup resource constraints or premature market pressure

Career Growth

2-4 years to senior individual contributor or team lead roles, 4-6 years to principal or executive positions, particularly given the rapid growth trajectory of both the AI field and the EdTech market.

Potential Next Roles

Lead AI Engineer or Head of AI at growing EdTech companies looking to build comprehensive AI-powered learning platforms Principal AI Researcher at established technology companies expanding into educational markets or developing consumer AI applications Technical Co-founder or CTO at AI-focused startups, leveraging deep expertise in practical AI implementation and product development

Company Overview

Sparkli

Sparkli represents a well-positioned stealth startup in the competitive EdTech AI space, founded by experienced entrepreneurs with Google backgrounds and backed by significant funding. The company is targeting the large and growing market for AI-enhanced children's education, positioning itself at the intersection of gaming, storytelling, and adaptive learning technologies.

Strong competitive position due to experienced founding team, substantial funding, and early entry into the AI-powered educational gaming market. The stealth mode suggests either preparation for a major product launch or development of potentially disruptive technology that could reshape children's digital learning experiences.
Zürich location provides access to Switzerland's thriving tech ecosystem with proximity to major European markets, strong talent pipeline from ETH Zurich and other technical universities, and favorable business environment for AI startups. The location also suggests potential for expansion into both European and global markets.
Likely characterized by high-performance expectations typical of ex-Google founders, emphasis on rapid iteration and data-driven decision making, and collaborative culture that values creativity and innovation. The stealth nature suggests a focused, mission-driven environment with significant emphasis on confidentiality and competitive advantage.
Advertisement
Ad Space
Apply Now

Data Sources & Analysis Information

Job Listings Data

The job listings displayed on this platform are sourced through BrightData's comprehensive API, ensuring up-to-date and accurate job market information.

Sauge AI Market Intelligence

Our advanced AI system analyzes each job listing to provide valuable insights including:

  • Industry trends and market dynamics
  • Salary estimates and market demand analysis
  • Role significance and career growth potential
  • Critical success factors and key skills
  • Unique aspects of each position

This integration of reliable job data with AI-powered analysis helps provide you with comprehensive insights for making informed career decisions.