Learning Engineer [Flexible]

Job description

ABOUT PLAYLAB Playlab is a tech non-profit dedicated to helping educators and students become critical consumers and creators of AI. We believe that an open-source, community-driven approach is key to harnessing the potential of AI in education. We equip communities with AI tools and hands-on professional development that empowers educators and students to build custom AI apps for their unique context. Over 40,000 educators have published apps on Playlab, and the impact is growing every day. At Playlab, we believe that AI is a new design material, one that should be shaped by many to bring their ideas about learning to life. If you're passionate about building creative, equitable futures for students and teachers, we hope you'll join us. THE ROLE Playlab seeks a Learning Engineer to join our growing Learning Engineering team in a flexible role that flows across partner work, content areas, and special projects depending on where the team needs craft and capacity. You will spend your time building, prototyping, and designing AI tools on Playlab alongside partner schools, districts, and organizations, and coaching educators as they build their own. The Learning Engineering function at Playlab is growing fast. As partner work expands across regions, content areas, and the AI Lab Schools cohort, we need Learning Engineers who can move with that work. One quarter you might anchor a district's PD series; the next, prototype student-facing AI apps with a lab school; the next, partner with the Special Projects team on an experimental build. The portfolio shifts with team needs and the strengths you bring. Learning Engineers at Playlab combine classroom experience, strong prompting and AI building skills, and a builder's mindset. You should understand how large language models respond to different prompting strategies, how to structure system prompts, integrate knowledge sources, set guardrails, and design app flows that produce reliable, useful outputs. You will sit with educators, get your hands in the work, prototype apps together, stress-test ideas, and help them iterate toward tools that fit their context. This role reports to the Head of Learning Engineering and works across the broader LE team and Playlab's product, engineering, and partnerships teams. You'll also bring insights from the field back to our product and learning teams, surfacing what educators need so the platform and our partnerships keep getting sharper. WHAT YOU'LL DO Build and Prototype AI Apps on Playlab for and with partner organizations, creating exemplar tools, starter collections, and proof-of-concept apps. Co-Design AI Tools With Educators through hands-on coaching sessions, design sprints, and 1:1 work time, helping them go from a problem of practice to a working prototype. Flex Across Partner Work and Special Projects. Move between district PD anchors, lab school cohort support, special project builds, and platform reference apps as the team's portfolio shifts. Run Design Sprints and Build Sessions (virtual and in person) where educators get hands-on time prototyping and shaping AI tools for their schools. Coach Educators Through the Build Process by helping them craft effective prompts, structure app logic, integrate knowledge sources, set up guardrails, and tune their tools for their specific students and context. Push the Boundaries of What's Possible on the Platform by experimenting with advanced prompting, multi-step app flows, and creative uses of Playlab's features. Host Office Hours and Open Build Time where educators can drop in, troubleshoot, get feedback, and keep iterating on their apps. Support Student-Facing AI Building including hackathons, design challenges, and project-based work for students aged 13+. Bring Field Insights Back to the Playlab team to inform platform features, learning resources, and partnership strategy. YOU MIGHT BE A FIT IF YOU... - Have K-12 classroom experience and understand the problems educators are actually trying to solve. - Are a builder at heart who likes to tinker, prototype, and make things with new tools. - Get excited about coaching others to build, sitting alongside educators and helping them shape their own AI tools. - Have experience with design thinking, rapid prototyping, or helping people learn by doing. - Have a strong working understanding of prompting, including system prompt design, few-shot techniques, knowledge grounding, and getting reliable outputs from LLMs. - Are comfortable using and experimenting with AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Playlab) and can help others get comfortable too. - Can work through ambiguity and figure out how to make the right thing for a specific school, team, or context. - Are a strong relationship-builder who earns trust with educators, school leaders, and district partners. - Care deeply about equity and access, and about ensuring AI capacity-building reaches historically marginalized communities. - Are excited to travel to partner sites for in-person build days, coaching, and design sprints. BONUS POINTS FOR... - Experience teaching design thinking, project-based learning, or competency-based learning - Background in building, prototyping, or designing educational technology tools - Familiarity with Playlab or experience building AI-powered apps - Strong prompt engineering skills and understanding of how LLMs work under the hood - Former instructional coach or school-based technology integrator - Experience running hackathons, design challenges, or maker-style experiences with students or adults - Background in learning engineering, learning science, or UX / instructional design - Bilingual (especially Spanish/English) - Strong network across K-12 schools, districts, or education nonprofits WHY JOIN US? Real Impact: Work directly with educators and students to bring AI building and innovation into classrooms across the country. Practitioners Leading the Work: Playlab hires people who have lived the challenges educators face. Your classroom experience is your superpower. Mission-Aligned Team: Join a small, passionate group committed to equity, creativity, and joyful learning, backed by the Gates Foundation, Google, CZI, and the Schwab Foundation. Creative Autonomy: Real ownership over how you build and design with partner communities, grounded in Playlab's approach but shaped by your expertise. Flexible Work: Remote-first with autonomy and a strong culture of collaboration, plus meaningful in-person time with partner communities. Competitive Pay & Benefits: Includes salary, healthcare, retirement, generous time off, and opportunities for professional growth.