[Hiring] Backend Software Engineer @Descript

We are building the next-generation AI-powered platform and web application for easy and fast creation of audio and video content. Building a revolutionary way to record, transcribe, edit, and mix audio and video on the web comes with a series of unique technical challenges and requires solving hard and complex problems.

We are looking for an experienced software engineer to build a best-in-class video editing and streaming platform to power the core editing and AI functionality of the app.

• Design, build, and optimize scalable backend infrastructure to process, store, and serve real-time media processing pipelines and AI inference workloads efficiently.
• Collaborate closely with Product, AI Research, and Engineering teams to ensure our platform meets the evolving needs of advanced audio and video workflows.
• Build cutting edge model training and evaluation infrastructure.
• Evaluate, integrate, and optimize third-party AI vendor solutions, collaborating closely with Product Engineering and AI Research teams to enhance our AI capabilities and accelerate feature delivery.
• Make high-impact architectural decisions that balance short-term goals with long-term scalability, while mentoring teammates and championing engineering best practices.

• 5+ years of professional backend software engineering experience.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure (GCP, AWS), modern data storage systems (S3, GCS, PostgreSQL, Dynamo/Bigtable), Linux, and data infrastructure (Airflow, Beam, Spark).
• Expertise in modern backend languages and technologies, such as Python, Typescript/Node.js, Go, or similar.
• Deep understanding of system design principles, performance optimization, and infrastructure automation (e.g., Temporal, Kubernetes, Docker).
• Solid CS fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, databases (Postgres, BigQuery), and familiarity with monitoring and observability tools (metrics and distributed tracing).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, along with good judgment in technical decision-making.

• Experience in AI and ML technologies (Pytorch, CUDA, distributed training).
• Expertise in digital media processing, codecs, and streaming technologies (ffmpeg, WebRTC, HLS, MPEG-DASH).
• Familiarity with GPU profiling, performance tuning, and optimization techniques.
• Experience contributing to or engaging with open-source communities.

At our current size and stage, we embrace a flat organizational structure and value the expertise and contributions of every team member. As such, we have a unified job title for our engineering roles where everyone, including those with Staff-level scope, is considered a Software Engineer. While titles may not change, we are actively seeking Software Engineers with senior-or-higher-equivalent experience to join our team.

The base salary range for this role is $160,000- $240,000/year. Final offer amounts will carefully consider multiple factors, including prior experience, expertise, location, and may vary from the amount above.