# Backend Software Engineer
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Employment Type:** Full-time
**Work Arrangement:** On-site, 5 days/week
**Experience:** 2–6 years of backend software engineering
**Salary:** $175,000–$225,000
**Equity:** Competitive
**Visa:** Open to visa transfers, including OPT and H-1B transfers
**Hiring:** 5–10 positions
**Tech Stack:** Python, TypeScript, Node.js, tRPC, PostgreSQL, AWS, Trigger.dev, WebRTC, FFmpeg
## About the Role
We are looking for a **Backend Software Engineer** with 2+ years of experience to build the pipelines, systems, APIs, and infrastructure that power advanced AI applications for processing and understanding audio data.
This is an opportunity to join a fast-growing, venture-backed AI startup and work on infrastructure that supports products used by thousands of users and leading technology companies.
You will work closely with engineers and researchers to build scalable systems, improve data collection infrastructure, and develop backend services that support multiple products.
## What You'll Do
* Build scalable backend systems and **data processing pipelines** for production workloads.
* Design infrastructure that can scale efficiently as customer demand grows.
* Build and maintain APIs and backend services used by thousands of users.
* Work across multiple products, including speaker-facing platforms, research tools, and internal engineering infrastructure.
* Collaborate closely with researchers to improve data collection and processing infrastructure.
* Take ownership of new systems and features from initial design through production.
* Identify technical challenges and develop reliable, scalable solutions.
* Contribute to architecture and engineering decisions as the platform continues to grow.
## Required Qualifications
* **2+ years of professional backend software engineering experience**.
* Strong proficiency in **Python and TypeScript**.
* Experience working at a **high-growth, VC-backed startup**.
* Demonstrated ownership of **0-to-1 projects** with measurable business impact.
* Experience building and operating **scalable backend systems or data processing pipelines in production**.
* Strong computer science foundation.
* Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from a strong program, approximately **top 50 in the U.S. or equivalent internationally**, such as the University of Waterloo.
## Technical Skills
Experience with several of the following:
* **Python**
* **TypeScript**
* **Node.js**
* **tRPC**
* **PostgreSQL**
* **AWS**
* **Trigger.dev**
* **WebRTC**
* **FFmpeg**
* Backend APIs and distributed systems
* Data processing pipelines
* Production infrastructure
## Preferred Domain Experience
Experience in one or more of the following areas is especially valuable:
* **Audio technology**
* **Machine learning**
* **AI infrastructure**
* **Data infrastructure**
* Large-scale data processing
* Audio/video processing or real-time communication
## Ideal Candidate
You are a backend engineer who enjoys building systems from the ground up and taking ownership of meaningful technical problems.
You should be comfortable working in a fast-moving startup environment where requirements evolve quickly and engineers have significant responsibility for product outcomes.
We are particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate that they have taken a **0-to-1 project from idea through production** and can connect their engineering work to measurable business or customer impact.
## Important Background Considerations
We strongly prefer candidates with startup experience and will prioritize engineers who have worked in **high-growth, venture-backed environments**.
Candidates whose careers have been spent primarily at large or legacy companies, without meaningful startup or product-building experience, are generally not a strong fit.
For example, candidates with **5+ years exclusively at large/legacy companies** and no startup exposure should not be prioritized.
## Work Arrangement
This is a **5-days-per-week in-office position in San Francisco, CA**.
Candidates should already be based in the Bay Area or be willing to relocate to San Francisco.
## Compensation & Details
* **Base Salary:** $175,000–$225,000
* **Equity:** Competitive
* **Employment:** Full-time
* **Location:** San Francisco, CA
* **Work Model:** 5 days in office
* **Visa:** Open to visa transfers, including OPT and H-1B transfers
* **Openings:** 5–10
## Why Join?
This is an opportunity to work on challenging backend and infrastructure problems at the intersection of **AI, audio, and data**. You'll have significant ownership over production systems, collaborate closely with researchers and engineers, and help build infrastructure supporting rapidly growing AI products.
