[8CO] AI Product Engineer at Software Mind in San José, San José, CR

We are Software Mind, an awesome team of engineers who are ready to ramp up any top-notch company’s projects! Our aim? To always be one step ahead. Become part of a multicultural company in constant growth with an excellent work environment certified by Great Place To Work!

We are currently looking for a skilled AI Product Engineer to join our dynamic team and collaborate closely with an innovative US-based startup building an AI-first mobile experience.

As part of an early-stage product, the AI Product Engineer will lead the development of a mobile MVP designed to foster personal reflection, self-awareness, and emotional clarity. This is a high-impact, high-ownership role focused on taking a clear product vision and turning it into a thoughtful, functional, and emotionally intelligent application.

You will play a key role in shaping both the product experience and the AI interaction layer, ensuring that outputs feel perceptive, grounded, and genuinely useful, rather than generic or assistant-like. This role contributes directly to the client’s mission of creating a calm, reflective digital space that feels meaningful and human.

Expectations - the experience you need

• Proven experience building mobile applications (React Native, Expo preferred)
• Strong product mindset with experience building 0 → 1 products
• Hands-on experience working with LLMs (OpenAI or similar)
• Deep understanding of:
  • prompt design and iteration
  • structured outputs
  • conversational flows and state management
• Ability to design AI interactions that feel intentional, specific, and non-generic
• Experience shipping production-ready applications and testing on real devices
• Strong sense of product quality, including UX, tone, and emotional sensitivity
• Ability to move quickly while maintaining focus and avoiding overengineering
• English proficiency (C1 level or higher), both written and spoken, with strong communication skills

Nice to have:

• Experience building AI-first products
• Familiarity with backend tools such as Supabase or Firebase
• Experience with animations (e.g., Reanimated) or AI-assisted design workflows
• Exposure to AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot)
• Swift or alternative mobile frameworks experience

What you will do

• Lead the end-to-end development of the MVP mobile app (iOS-first)
• Build core product flows:
• Design and implement a clean, minimal, emotionally-aware UI
• Develop a structured AI interaction layer (beyond simple chat interfaces): design and refine prompts, control tone and response quality, manage memory and conversational state.
• Ensure outputs are thoughtful, perceptive, and context-aware
• Build and maintain a lightweight backend (e.g., Supabase): authentication, session and memory storage, content saving systems (“What stays”)
• Implement subtle interaction elements (motion, pacing, transitions) focused on product feel
• Test across real devices and prepare releases (e.g., TestFlight)
• Iterate quickly based on product feedback while maintaining clarity and restraint

This is a 8-12 weeks project with a possibility of extension.

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