Backend Software Engineer
Full-time
On-site
San Francisco, CA
$175K - $225K
Role highlights
Intake call
Requirements
Pipeline
About this role
What to ask
Interview process
Ideal candidates
Rejected feedback
About David AI
Announcements
Similar roles
Trial: 10 business days left
Kristin Baker
Kristin Baker
Hiring Manager
Engaged
Top 40% of hiring managers
Time to first action
30 hours
Reply time
4 days
Active days
5 days
Feedback quality
Vague
Latest announcement
· Sep 15, 2026
Hi Team, just a reminder to not source any candidates from these companies listed below:CartesiaGradiumHark LabsKyutaiMistralModern TreasuryNuance LabsReductoSesame AIThinking Machines Lab Toma
Role highlights
Hiring goal
5 - 10 candidates
Recruiter activity
Recruiter activity on this role is medium
No final round interviews
There currently aren't any candidates in final round interviews or offer stage
Why candidates should join
Founded by former Scale AI engineers/operators in 2024 — already landed most FAANG companies and top AI labs as customers within the first year.
Raised $50M Series B from NVIDIA, Meritech, Jack Altman (Alt Capital), Amplify Partners, First Round Capital, and Y Combinator. $80.5M total funding.
Only ~66 employees with massive enterprise traction — early-stage equity upside with late-stage revenue validation.
Comp range of $175K–$225K base + competitive equity + benefits including 100% health coverage on most plans, unlimited PTO, daily meals, and Barry's classes.
You'll build the core data processing pipelines and backend systems that power how the world's leading AI labs train their audio models — processing terabytes of speech data daily.
Suggested outreach
Intake call
Recorded by Parascribe
Company Overview
David AI operates in the audio data space, collecting and selling data to AI labs.
Focus is on being part of the infrastructure for training AI models in audio.
Role Requirements
Front-end engineers focus on UI and feature development across three products.
Back-end engineers build pipelines, systems, and infrastructure to connect products.
Candidate Requirements
Looking for candidates with 2-6 years of experience; roles are individual contributor (IC).
Preferred background includes high-growth startups and strong CS programs.
Technical Requirements
Front-end: Next, TypeScript, AWS; must know TypeScript for technical screens.
Back-end: Python crucial for interviews; focus on scalable systems and data pipelines.
Compensation and Logistics
Salary range: $175K-$225K, depending on experience; equity offered.
Roles require five days in-office in San Francisco; visa transfers supported.
Timeline and Urgency
Four-step interview process: recruiter screen, HM screen, design/technical interview, on-site.
Pain Points
High demand due to growth in the AI audio space; need to expand engineering team.
Ideal Candidate Profile
Team player, collaborative, able to communicate well; startup culture fit is crucial.
Experience in zero-to-one projects and impactful business contributions valued.
Preferred Company Background
Experience in high-growth startups like Scale AI, Airtable, Uber, or DoorDash preferred.
Avoid candidates from large, traditional tech or consultancy firms for fit reasons.
Requirements
By tier
By category
Hear the hiring manager outline the qualifications needed
12:05
Calibrate a candidate in Parabot. to see how well they fit the requirements.
Dealbreaker
Work experience
Experience at high-growth VC-backed startups
Updated
Education
CS undergraduate degree from a strong program (top ~30 US or equivalent Canadian, e.g., Waterloo)
Updated
Hard skills
Proficient in Python and TypeScript
Updated
Baseline
Seniority
3 - 6 years of experience in backend software engineering
Work experience
0 to 1 product ownership with demonstrated business impact
Updated
Built scalable backend systems or data processing pipelines in production
Updated
Nice-to-have
Work experience
Domain experience in audio, ML, or data infrastructure
Updated
Hard skills
Familiarity with Node.js, PostgreSQL, or AWS
Updated
Traits to avoid
5+ years exclusively at large/legacy companies (Microsoft, Verizon, Bloomberg, Comcast) with no startup experience
Updated
Profiles heavy on infra/platform, data-engineering or ML-engineering; we want product backend engineers
Pipeline
Your candidates
Analytics
Inbox
2candidates
Recruiter Screen - 30 minutes
5candidates
Hiring Manager Screen - 30 minutes
2candidates
Technical Interview - 60 minutes
1candidate
Onsite Interview - 3-4 hours
0candidates
Offer
0candidates
Hired
0candidates
Recent Activity
Changed status of Candidate #20 from Submitted to First round
2 days ago
Changed status of Candidate #19 from Submitted to First round
2 days ago
Changed status of Candidate #18 from Submitted to Rejected
2 days ago
Changed status of Candidate #17 from Submitted to Rejected
2 days ago
Changed status of Candidate #16 from Submitted to Rejected
3 days ago
Changed status of Candidate #15 from Submitted to Rejected
3 days ago
Changed status of Candidate #14 from Submitted to First round
3 days ago
Changed status of Candidate #13 from Submitted to Rejected
3 days ago
About this role
Hear the hiring manager explain the day-to-day responsibilities
05:41
We are looking for a Backend Software Engineer with 2+ years of experience to build the pipelines, systems, and infrastructure that power how leading AI labs process and make sense of audio data. You'll join a tight-knit engineering team at one of the fastest-growing AI startups — backed by NVIDIA, Meritech, and First Round Capital — working across multiple products to help scale a platform already serving most FAANG companies.
What will you be doing?
Building scalable backend systems and data processing pipelines that connect and power all three of David AI's products
Designing infrastructure that helps the platform scale efficiently as customer demand grows rapidly
Working across the speaker platform, lab/researcher tools, and internal tooling products
Collaborating closely with researchers to iterate on data collection infrastructure
Architecting and maintaining APIs and services that thousands of users interact with daily
Key Requirements
2+ years of backend engineering experience with proficiency in Python and TypeScript
Experience at high-growth, VC-backed startups (not exclusively large/legacy companies)
Strong CS degree from a top ~30 US program (or equivalent, e.g., University of Waterloo)
Demonstrated ownership of zero-to-one projects with measurable business impact
Experience building scalable systems and data processing pipelines in production
Role details
Salary
$175K - $225K
On-site work policy
5 days in-office in San Francisco, CA
Full-time position
Location
San Francisco, CA
Tech stack
Python, TypeScript, Node.js, tRPC, PostgreSQL, AWS, Trigger.dev, WebRTC, FFmpeg
Equity
Competitive equity
Visa sponsorship details
Open to visa transfers (e.g. OPT, H1B transfers)
Hiring Count
Looking to hire 5 - 10 candidates for this role
Report to
https://www.linkedin.com/in/benwileymn/
What to ask candidates
Can the candidate be on-site? If not, is the candidate willing to relocate?
What is their salary expectation?
How actively is this candidate exploring new opportunities?
Requirements
By tier
By category
Hear the hiring manager outline the qualifications needed
12:05
Calibrate a candidate in Parabot. to see how well they fit the requirements.
Dealbreaker
Work experience
Experience at high-growth VC-backed startups
Updated
Education
CS undergraduate degree from a strong program (top ~30 US or equivalent Canadian, e.g., Waterloo)
Updated
Hard skills
Proficient in Python and TypeScript
Updated
Baseline
Seniority
3 - 6 years of experience in backend software engineering
Work experience
0 to 1 product ownership with demonstrated business impact
Updated
Built scalable backend systems or data processing pipelines in production
Updated
Nice-to-have
Work experience
Domain experience in audio, ML, or data infrastructure
Updated
Hard skills
Familiarity with Node.js, PostgreSQL, or AWS
Updated
Traits to avoid
5+ years exclusively at large/legacy companies (Microsoft, Verizon, Bloomberg, Comcast) with no startup experience
Updated
Profiles heavy on infra/platform, data-engineering or ML-engineering; we want product backend engineers
