What does a Prompt Engineer do?

Prompt Engineers provide essential support for the increasingly technical aspects of content creation, data analysis and customer service. They work with a variety of teams, sometimes including a business’ partners or clients, to improve the performance of AI-generated content and other machine learning processes. Prompt Engineers must think proactively and creatively while keeping AI risks in mind, as they create and edit prompts and help to train AI to perform specific tasks for an organization. 

Prompt Engineer skills and qualifications

Prompt Engineers that succeed in their roles tend to come from analytical or technical backgrounds, and they bring those skills into the position. They may have crossover coding or data analysis skills that help them understand how machine learning models work or how AI is leveraged for specific tasks.

Some pertinent skills to include as requirements or preferences in a Prompt Engineer job posting might be:

• Specific coding and programming languages, particularly those related to your business’s apps and software

• SQL or other data reporting skills

• Problem-solving and analytical or data analysis skillsPrompt-writing and query skills

• Content writing knowledge or skills, particularly basic grammar 

• Knowledge of tools such as ChatGPT and other AI platforms

Prompt Engineer experience requirements

Employers hiring for an emerging role such as Prompt Engineer must think proactively when it comes to experience. You may want to consider candidates who have worked with ChatGPT and other AI models recently, but you can also consider relevant experience for each specific Prompt Engineer job. 

For example, if you are hiring Prompt Engineers to work with marketing and content teams, a background in SEO or content creation may be helpful. If you want Prompt Engineers for a customer service organization or to work on customer service chatbots, candidates with technical development experience in retail or other customer-facing industries may be appropriate. 

Prompt Engineer education and training requirements

The education and certification requirements you may want for a Prompt Engineer position also depend on the type of work the Prompt Designer might be engaged with. Some employers may want candidates with computer science degrees. For example, a bachelor’s degree with a specialization in computational data science may be applicable for a highly technical Prompt Engineer job.

However, if you’re hiring Prompt Engineers to act as liaisons between AI and other content generating positions, you may be more interested in critically thinking candidates with backgrounds in search engine optimization and digital marketing. 

Job description samples for similar positions

Prompt Engineer is an emerging position that many organizations are considering. However, if this isn’t quite the job description you were looking for, we have plenty of others. Check out some of the related job description pages below:

• Software Test Engineer

• Communications Coordinator

• Content Strategist

Prompt Engineer job description FAQs

Who do Prompt Engineers report to?

Prompt Engineers may report to a variety of people, depending on why they were hired and the structure of your business and departments. In some cases, they may report to a lead developer or manager or director in an IT department. It’s also possible that Prompt Engineers may report to lead data scientists or supervisors or managers in marketing or customer service departments. 

What makes a good Prompt Engineer?

A good Prompt Engineer is someone who is able to straddle the line between technical and business applications. They must be able to problem-solve and think critically to develop prompts that allow AI to respond to actual business or customer needs in a realistic, appropriate manner. This type of work takes patience and excellent written communication skills.

Can you hire nontechnical candidates as a Prompt Engineer?

Depending on the organization of your business and why you are hiring a Prompt Engineer, you may not need someone with computer-related degrees or certifications. While some Prompt Engineer jobs may require basic coding or an understanding of machine learning algorithms, Prompt Designers in marketing departments are much more concerned with the actual content. Always consider the specific needs of your position when creating a Prompt Engineer job posting.