Free prompt engineer job description templates: general, AI engineer, senior, marketing, skill add-on, and small business. With FLSA notes. Download DOCX.
6 free templates: the general technical role, the AI engineer version most companies hire instead, senior, marketing, a skill add-on, and a small-business option, each with the FLSA classification. Download as DOCX.
Prompt engineer is one of the trickier titles to hire for, and not because the work is unclear. It is because the role is in flux. It surged as a job title when large language models took off, and it is now being absorbed into the broader AI engineer role and, for many teams, into a skill that lives inside other jobs. Writing a good job description starts with deciding which of those you actually need.
This page covers all of it: a technical prompt engineer template, the AI engineer version many companies hire instead, senior and marketing variants, a skill add-on for an existing role, and a realistic small-business option. Each includes the FLSA classification. For the fundamentals behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description is a useful companion.
TL;DR
A prompt engineer designs, tests, and optimizes prompts for large language models. The standalone title is increasingly being absorbed into the AI engineer role or treated as a skill within other jobs. It is mostly a six-figure, exempt role hired by AI labs and large tech companies; smaller teams usually add AI skills to existing roles or hire an AI specialist instead. The closest occupations report medians from $112,000 to $133,000. Download six templates as DOCX.
What a Prompt Engineer Does
A prompt engineer designs, tests, and optimizes the prompts that drive large language model applications: crafting and refining prompts, building evaluations, improving accuracy and safety, and helping integrate LLMs into products. In practice the role often extends into retrieval pipelines and evaluation frameworks, which is why it overlaps heavily with an AI engineer.
There is no dedicated federal occupation for the title. The closest proxies are data scientists (SOC 15-2051) for the NLP and machine-learning side and software developers for the engineering side, both of which sit firmly in six-figure territory.
A Title, or a Skill?
The most important decision before writing the posting is whether you need a person with this title at all, or whether prompting is a skill you should add to a role you already have.
Approach
When it fits
Who hires this way
Standalone prompt engineer
Dedicated prompt and eval work
AI labs, large tech
AI / LLM engineer
Building AI features end to end
Tech companies, funded startups
Prompting as a skill
AI used across existing roles
Most companies, including SMBs
AI specialist / generalist
Practical AI help on a small team
Small businesses
The practical takeaway: a standalone prompt engineer is the right call for relatively few employers. For most, the AI engineer title or the skill-add-on approach is more accurate and more durable.
Prompt Engineer Duties and Responsibilities
For the technical role, the duties cluster into four areas: prompt design, evaluation and quality, integration, and collaboration. The emphasis shifts with how technical the role is, from a content focus to a full engineering scope.
Pick the template by what you actually need, and decide title versus skill first. The structure is consistent across all six, and every one includes the FLSA classification note that generic templates leave out.
Prompt Engineer
General version
The core technical role: design, test, and optimize prompts for LLM applications, with evaluation and iteration. Exempt and salaried.
AI / LLM Engineer
The absorbing title
The combined role most companies now hire instead: building LLM features end to end, with prompt design as one part of the job.
Senior / Lead
Owns prompt strategy
For a senior hire who sets prompting standards, builds evaluation frameworks, and mentors other engineers across AI products.
Marketing / Content
Non-technical
For a marketing or content team using AI tools to produce content, without building software. Closer to a content role.
Prompting as a Skill
Add to a role
Not a standalone job: fold prompting responsibilities and skills into an existing developer, analyst, or marketing role.
Small Business
AI specialist
For a small team that wants practical AI help: an AI-savvy generalist who applies tools across the business, not a prompt engineer.
Match the Template to the Need
A dedicated technical role: the general Prompt Engineer template. Building AI features end to end: the AI / LLM Engineer template, which is what most companies hire instead. A senior owner of prompt strategy: the Senior / Lead template. A marketing or content role using AI: the Marketing template. Adding AI to a role you already have: the skill add-on. A small team wanting practical AI help: the Small Business template.
6 Free Prompt Engineer Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company overview, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, a classification note, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
General, AI engineer, senior, marketing, skill add-on, and small business. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Prompt Engineer (General)
The core technical role: design, test, and optimize prompts for LLM applications, with evaluation and iteration. Exempt and salaried.
Prompt Engineer Job Description
PROMPT ENGINEER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: [City, State] / Remote
Reports to: [AI Lead / Engineering Manager]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2
FLSA status: Exempt (learned professional / computer employee); see note
Compensation: $_____ per year
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[One or two sentences about your company, your AI products or features, and the
team this prompt engineer will join.]
POSITION SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Prompt Engineer to design, test, and optimize the prompts
that drive our large language model (LLM) applications. You will craft and refine
prompts, build evaluation methods, and work with engineers and product teams to make
our AI features reliable, accurate, and safe.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Design, test, and optimize prompts for LLM applications
•Build and run evaluations to measure prompt quality
•Improve accuracy, reliability, and safety of AI outputs
•Collaborate with engineers, data, and product teams
•Document prompt patterns and best practices
•Iterate on prompts based on user and model feedback
•Help integrate LLMs into products and workflows
•Stay current with prompting techniques and models
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Experience working hands-on with LLMs and prompting
•Strong written communication and analytical skills
•Comfort with testing, iteration, and evaluation
•Basic scripting or technical ability
•Understanding of how language models behave
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Experience with RAG, function calling, or eval frameworks
•Background in NLP, ML, software, or linguistics
•Familiarity with the relevant LLM platforms and APIs
CLASSIFICATION NOTE (read before posting)
A prompt engineer is almost always exempt under the FLSA learned professional or
computer employee exemption, given advanced, judgment-based work and pay well above
the federal salary threshold. Confirm classification by actual duties and current
federal and state thresholds. This is general information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_____ per year
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 2: AI / LLM Engineer (Prompt Engineering Included)
The combined role most companies now hire instead: building LLM features end to end, with prompt design as one part of a wider engineering job.
AI / LLM Engineer Job Description (Prompt Engineering Included)
AI / LLM ENGINEER JOB DESCRIPTION (PROMPT ENGINEERING INCLUDED)
Company: __
Location: [City, State] / Remote
Reports to: [Engineering Manager / Head of AI]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2
FLSA status: Exempt (computer employee / learned professional); see note
Compensation: $_____ per year
ABOUT THIS ROLE
Many companies now fold prompt engineering into a broader AI or LLM engineer role
rather than hiring a standalone prompt engineer. This template covers that combined
role: building LLM-powered features end to end, with prompt design as one part of a
wider engineering job.
POSITION SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring an AI Engineer to build and ship LLM-powered features. You
will design prompts and evaluations, build retrieval and integration pipelines, and
work across the stack to turn language models into reliable product features.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Build and ship LLM-powered application features
•Design and optimize prompts and evaluations
•Build RAG, retrieval, and function-calling pipelines
•Integrate LLM APIs into products and services
•Monitor quality, latency, cost, and safety
•Collaborate with product and engineering teams
•Improve systems based on metrics and feedback
•Keep current with models, tools, and techniques
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Software engineering experience
•Hands-on experience building with LLMs
•Strong coding skills in [Python or relevant language]
•Experience with prompting, evaluation, and APIs
•Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Experience with RAG, vector databases, or fine-tuning
•ML or NLP background
•Production AI deployment experience
CLASSIFICATION NOTE
This role is exempt under the computer employee or learned professional exemption.
Confirm classification by actual duties and current thresholds. This is general
information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_____ per year
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Still Using Spreadsheets for Onboarding?
Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
For a small team that wants practical AI help: an AI-savvy generalist who applies AI tools across the business, rather than a dedicated prompt engineer.
Small Business AI Specialist Job Description
SMALL BUSINESS AI SPECIALIST JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: [City, State] / Remote
Reports to: [Owner / Operations Lead]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2
FLSA status: [Exempt or non-exempt by duties; see note]
Compensation: $_____ per year
ABOUT THIS ROLE
Most small businesses do not need a dedicated prompt engineer. If you want someone
to help your small team use AI well, a practical "AI specialist" or AI-savvy
generalist is usually the better hire: someone who applies AI tools across the
business rather than building AI products. This template fits that need.
POSITION SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring an AI Specialist to help our small team get more done with
AI. You will set up and improve AI tools and prompts for everyday tasks, train the
team, and find practical ways AI can save us time across the business.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Set up and improve AI tools for the team
•Write and maintain prompts for common tasks
•Train staff to use AI tools effectively
•Find practical AI uses across the business
•Maintain quality and accuracy of AI output
•Document workflows and best practices
•Support marketing, ops, and admin with AI
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Hands-on experience with AI and LLM tools
•Practical, resourceful, and a strong communicator
•Comfortable working across many functions
•Good writing and judgment
•Able to teach others
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Experience in a small business
•Marketing, operations, or analytics background
•Familiarity with common AI platforms
CLASSIFICATION NOTE
Classification depends on actual duties and pay. Classify by the real work and
confirm against current federal and state thresholds. This is general information,
not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_____ per year
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
FLSA Classification
Classification is straightforward for the technical version of this role and worth confirming for the content version.
Technical Roles Are Almost Always Exempt
A technical prompt engineer or AI engineer almost always meets the FLSA learned professional or computer employee exemption, given advanced, judgment-based work and pay well above the federal salary threshold, so the role is exempt and salaried with no overtime. The exception is a less technical, content-focused prompt role, which depending on actual duties and pay might be non-exempt and owed overtime. Classification follows the real primary duties, not the title, and some states set higher thresholds. Confirm against current federal and state rules.
Pay is mostly six figures, which is part of why the dedicated title sits outside the typical small-business range, so benchmark to the specific scope.
Closest Occupations: $112,590 to $133,080 (BLS)
With no dedicated occupation for the title, the closest federal proxies are data scientists, with a median annual wage of $112,590 as of the May 2024 data, and software developers, at $133,080, depending on how technical the role is. National compensation surveys for the specific prompt engineer title commonly land around the low-to-mid six figures, with senior roles at major AI companies running considerably higher.
A content-focused prompt role can fall below that range, while a senior technical role at a major AI company runs well above it. For a posting, benchmark to the specific scope and your region, and include a good-faith range where pay transparency is required.
Who Actually Hires a Prompt Engineer
This is the honest part that generic templates skip, and it shapes whether a dedicated prompt engineer posting is the right move at all.
Prompt engineering is becoming a skill, not a standalone title
When ChatGPT launched, prompt engineer surged as a job title, but the market has since shifted. Searches for the role spiked and then fell back, postings dropped sharply from their peak, and industry surveys rank a dedicated prompt engineer near the bottom of roles companies plan to add. The consistent message from recruiters and analysts is that prompt engineering is a valuable skill that is being absorbed into other roles rather than a title in its own right. The practical implication for a job description: think hard about whether you need a standalone prompt engineer, or whether you are really hiring an AI engineer, or adding prompting skills to a role you already have.
The people who hire dedicated prompt engineers are mostly large tech and AI companies
A standalone prompt engineer role concentrates at AI labs, large technology companies, and well-funded startups, in part because the pay typically runs into six figures and the work assumes an AI team, model deployment, and evaluation infrastructure. A business of 5 to 50 people rarely has those, and rarely hires under this exact title. Surveys of small-business hiring show that AI titles remain uncommon outside major tech hubs, and where a smaller company does hire an AI role, it is far more often called an AI engineer than a prompt engineer. If you are a smaller company, that pattern is worth weighing before you post.
What a smaller company usually needs instead, and where the HR work is
Most small businesses that want to use AI well are better served by adding prompting skills to existing roles, or hiring a practical AI specialist or AI-savvy generalist, rather than a dedicated prompt engineer. The skill-add-on and small-business templates above reflect that. Whichever route you take, the rest of the hire is ordinary people operations: a signed offer, the new-hire paperwork, the correct exempt or non-exempt classification, and a structured start. FirstHR fits that side for a smaller organization with e-signature for the offer, onboarding workflows, document management, and an HRIS. To be clear about scope, FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not an AI development or model tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with those providers. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
If you are a smaller company weighing this, the practical move is usually to add prompting skills to an existing role or hire a practical AI specialist, using the skill add-on or small-business template. The small-business hiring guide covers the broader process for hiring without a large HR function.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same role becomes the basis for the offer, the correct classification, and a structured onboarding. A repeatable process matters whichever version of the role you hire.
Send the offer
Confirm the role, scope, classification, and start date in writing, with the offer letter signed by e-signature before day one.
Classify correctly
A technical prompt or AI engineer is typically exempt; a content or support role may be non-exempt. Record the classification.
Onboard for the work
Give the new hire access to the AI tools, model access, and product context they need to be productive from the start.
Store the records
Keep the signed job description, classification decision, and any tool or access agreements organized in one place.
Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the terms, and an onboarding template gives the new hire a structured start. FirstHR connects the offer, e-signatures, onboarding workflows, an HRIS, and document management in one place, with a way to record the exempt or non-exempt classification in the employee profile, so a smaller organization can run the hire without a dedicated HR department. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not an AI development or model tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect those separately. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A prompt engineer designs, tests, and optimizes prompts for large language models, often overlapping with an AI engineer.
The standalone title is being absorbed into the AI engineer role and increasingly treated as a skill within other jobs.
Decide first whether you need the title at all, an AI engineer, or just prompting skills added to an existing role.
It is mostly a six-figure, exempt role hired by AI labs and large tech companies, not small businesses.
A smaller company usually adds AI skills to existing roles or hires a practical AI specialist instead.
The closest occupations report medians from $112,590 (data scientists) to $133,080 (software developers).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a prompt engineer do?
A prompt engineer designs, tests, and optimizes the prompts that drive large language model applications. The core work includes crafting and refining prompts, building evaluations to measure prompt quality, improving the accuracy, reliability, and safety of AI outputs, collaborating with engineers and product teams, documenting prompt patterns, and helping integrate language models into products and workflows. In practice, the role often extends well beyond writing prompts into building retrieval-augmented generation pipelines, evaluation frameworks, and function-calling, which is why it increasingly overlaps with an AI or LLM engineer. The unifying goal is making AI features behave predictably and well. The depth of technical work varies widely, from a content-focused role using AI tools to a deeply technical engineering role building production systems.
Is prompt engineer a real job title or just a skill?
Both, but the balance is shifting toward skill. Prompt engineer emerged as a standalone job title after large language models became widely available, and some companies, mainly AI labs and large tech firms, still hire for it directly. However, the broader market has moved toward treating prompt engineering as a skill embedded in other roles rather than a title of its own. Postings for the standalone title have fallen from their peak, while prompting skills show up across developer, analyst, marketing, and operations roles. For most employers, especially smaller ones, the practical choice is to add prompting expectations to an existing role or hire a broader AI engineer, rather than create a dedicated prompt engineer position. This page includes templates for both the standalone role and the skill-as-add-on approach.
What is the difference between a prompt engineer and an AI engineer?
A prompt engineer focuses on designing and optimizing prompts and evaluations for language models, while an AI or LLM engineer builds AI-powered features end to end, including the prompts but also the retrieval pipelines, integrations, monitoring, and production systems around them. In short, prompt engineering is a subset of what an AI engineer does. The market has increasingly favored the broader AI engineer title, and surveys of company hiring show AI engineer is now far more common than prompt engineer. For an employer, the practical question is scope: if you need someone purely to craft and evaluate prompts, prompt engineer fits, but if you need someone to build and ship AI features, an AI engineer is the more accurate and durable title. This page includes both templates.
Do small businesses need a prompt engineer?
Usually not. A dedicated prompt engineer role assumes an AI team, model deployment, and evaluation infrastructure, plus a pay level that typically runs into six figures, which fits large tech companies and AI labs rather than a business of 5 to 50 people. Small-business hiring data shows AI titles remain uncommon outside major tech hubs, and where a smaller company does hire an AI role, it is usually called an AI engineer rather than a prompt engineer. Most small businesses that want to use AI well are better served by adding prompting skills to existing roles, or hiring a practical AI specialist or AI-savvy generalist who applies AI tools across the business. The skill-add-on and small-business templates on this page reflect that more realistic approach.
Is a prompt engineer exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A prompt engineer is almost always exempt. The role typically qualifies under the FLSA learned professional exemption, which covers work requiring advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning, or the computer employee exemption, and the pay is well above the federal salary threshold that exemptions require. That makes a technical prompt engineer or AI engineer exempt and salaried, with no overtime. The exception is a less technical, content-focused prompt role, which depending on its actual duties and pay might be non-exempt and owed overtime. As always, classification follows the real primary duties rather than the title, and a salaried setup alone does not determine status. Confirm against current federal and state thresholds, since some states set higher bars. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a prompt engineer make?
Prompt engineer pay is mostly six figures, which is part of why the role sits outside the typical small-business range. There is no dedicated federal occupation for the title, so the closest proxies are data scientists, with a median annual wage of $112,590 as of the May 2024 data, and software developers, at $133,080, depending on how technical the role is. National compensation surveys for the specific prompt engineer title commonly land around the low-to-mid six figures, with senior roles at major AI companies running considerably higher and some lower-end content-oriented roles falling below. For a posting, benchmark to the specific scope and your region, and include a good-faith pay range where pay transparency is required. This is general information, not legal advice.
What skills should a prompt engineer have?
The core skill is hands-on fluency with large language models: understanding how they behave, and being able to design, test, and refine prompts to get reliable results. Strong written communication and analytical thinking matter, since prompting is part writing and part experimentation. Comfort with evaluation and iteration is important, as is at least basic scripting or technical ability. For more technical roles, experience with retrieval-augmented generation, function calling, and evaluation frameworks is valuable, along with a background in NLP, machine learning, software, or linguistics. For a content-focused role, strong writing and marketing skills outweigh engineering depth. Match the skill requirements to the actual scope of your role, and avoid over-specifying technical requirements for what is really a content or generalist position. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should a prompt engineer job description include?
A strong prompt engineer job description first decides whether you are hiring a standalone prompt engineer, a broader AI engineer, a content-focused prompt specialist, or simply adding prompting skills to an existing role. It includes a position summary that frames the scope, and responsibilities grouped into prompt design, evaluation and quality, integration, and collaboration, scaled to how technical the role is. It sets the FLSA classification, typically exempt for a technical role, and lists realistic skills and experience for the level, avoiding over-specification. For a smaller company, it considers whether an AI specialist or skill add-on fits better than a dedicated title. Close with pay, a good-faith range where required, an equal opportunity statement, and clear application instructions. This is general information, not legal advice.
