LLM Engineer
Training, fine-tuning, optimizing, and deploying large language models
80
skills
5
levels
103
mandatory
400
requirements
LLM Engineer is a role in the ML & AI Engineering family. It has 80 skills across 5 levels (from Junior to Principal). 103 skills are mandatory. Key domains: Programming Fundamentals, Backend Development, Database Management.
Skill Matrix
80 skills × 5 levels. Click on a cell for details.
A Awareness
W Working
V Advanced
E Expert
AI-Assisted Development
6 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | A | W | A | E | E |
| Cursor IDE | A | W | A | E | E |
| ChatGPT / Claude | A | W | A | E | E |
| Prompt Engineering for Code | A | W | A | E | E |
| Model Context Protocol (MCP) | A | W | A | E | E |
| AI Agents for Development | A | W | A | E | E |
API & Integration
5 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REST API Design | A | W | A | E | E |
| GraphQL Design | A | W | A | E | E |
| Server-Sent Events & Streaming | A | W | A | E | E |
| gRPC & Protocol Buffers | A | W | A | E | E |
| API Documentation | A | W | A | E | E |
Architecture & System Design
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System Design Fundamentals | A | W | A | E | E |
Backend Development
5 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Python Web Frameworks | A | W | A | E | E |
| Redis | A | W | A | E | E |
| Task Queues | A | W | A | E | E |
| Elasticsearch / OpenSearch | A | W | A | E | E |
| S3 / Object Storage | A | W | A | E | E |
Cloud & Infrastructure
6 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Docker | A | W | A | E | E |
| Kubernetes Core | A | W | A | E | E |
| Kubernetes Orchestration | A | W | A | E | E |
| Terraform | A | W | A | E | E |
| AWS | A | W | A | E | E |
| Network Fundamentals | A | W | A | E | E |
Data Engineering
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pandas / Polars | A | W | A | E | E |
Database Management
2 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | A | W | A | E | E |
| Database Indexing | A | W | A | E | E |
DevOps & CI/CD
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions / GitLab CI | A | W | A | E | E |
Machine Learning & AI
34 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Python Programming | A | W | A | E | E |
| PyTorch | A | W | A | E | E |
| TensorFlow / PyTorch | A | W | A | E | E |
| Transfer Learning | A | W | A | E | E |
| Deep Learning | A | W | A | E | E |
| Neural Network Architectures | A | W | A | E | E |
| Transformers & NLP | A | W | A | E | E |
| Tokenization | A | W | A | E | E |
| Natural Language Processing | A | W | A | E | E |
| MLflow | A | W | A | E | E |
| Model Serving | A | W | A | E | E |
| Experiment Tracking | A | W | A | E | E |
| ML Pipelines | A | W | A | E | E |
| ML Deployment | A | W | A | E | E |
| ML Experiment Tracking | A | W | A | E | E |
| ML Model Evaluation | A | W | A | E | E |
| Model Monitoring | A | W | A | E | E |
| LLM Applications | A | W | A | E | E |
| LLM Fine-tuning | A | W | A | E | E |
| RAG Architecture | A | W | A | E | E |
| Vector Databases | A | W | A | E | E |
| AI Agent Frameworks | A | W | A | E | E |
| Distributed Training | A | W | A | E | E |
| Embeddings & Vector DB | A | W | A | E | E |
| LLM Alignment | A | W | A | E | E |
| LLM Deployment | A | W | A | E | E |
| LLM Evaluation | A | W | A | E | E |
| LLM Prompt Engineering | A | W | A | E | E |
| RAG | A | W | A | E | E |
| LLM Safety | A | W | A | E | E |
| LLM Scaling | A | W | A | E | E |
| RLHF Techniques | A | W | A | E | E |
| Transformer Architecture | A | W | A | E | E |
| vLLM Inference | A | W | A | E | E |
Observability & Monitoring
3 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Logging | A | W | A | E | E |
| Prometheus & Grafana | A | W | A | E | E |
| OpenTelemetry | A | W | A | E | E |
Programming Fundamentals
8 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algorithms & Complexity | A | W | A | E | E |
| Data Structures | A | W | A | E | E |
| OOP & SOLID Principles | A | W | A | E | E |
| Design Patterns | A | W | A | E | E |
| Multithreading | A | W | A | E | E |
| Async Programming | A | W | A | E | E |
| Code Quality & Refactoring | A | W | A | E | E |
| Type Safety & Type Systems | A | W | A | E | E |
Security
2 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OWASP & Application Security | A | W | A | E | E |
| Secure Coding Practices | A | W | A | E | E |
Testing & QA
3 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Unit Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Integration Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
Version Control & Collaboration
2 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Git Advanced | A | W | A | E | E |
| Code Review | A | W | A | E | E |
XR: AR/VR/MR
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPU Programming | A | W | A | E | E |
FAQ
What skills are needed for the LLM Engineer role?
The LLM Engineer role requires 80 skills, of which 103 are mandatory. Skills are distributed across 5 levels: from Junior to Principal. See full matrix.
How to advance to the next level in the LLM Engineer role?
Use the Grade Calculator to assess your current level and get personalized recommendations. The system will show which skills need to be developed for the next level.
How does the community define requirements for the LLM Engineer role?
Role requirements are shaped by the community through a proposal system. Any member can suggest changes that go through voting and expert review.
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