Staff Backend Engineer (Speech AI)

TL;DR

Staff Backend Engineer (Speech AI): Building and scaling critical backend infrastructure for real-time conversational AI applications with an accent on exceptionally fast, reliable, and cost-effective serving of Text-to-Speech (TTS) and Speech-to-Text (STT) models. Focus on designing robust, low-latency platforms that power the next generation of AI-driven software and user-facing APIs.

Location: This is an onsite position in Mountain View, California, USA. The company offers relocation assistance to the Mountain View office.

Salary: $200,000–$300,000 + bonus + equity + benefits

Company

hirify.global is pioneering real-time conversational AI at scale for lifelike, interactive characters in games, entertainment, learning, health, and social applications, recognized as one of LinkedIn's Top 10 Startups in the USA.

What you will do

• Own features end-to-end, collaborating with product managers from concept to shipping and monitoring.
• Design, build, and launch robust, scalable, and maintainable backend services and user-facing APIs in Python, Java/Kotlin, and Go.
• Partner closely with Product Managers and ML engineers to define scope and drive the product roadmap.
• Write high-quality, production-grade code for real-time audio processing, model inference, and complex data pipelines.
• Champion engineering and product excellence, focusing on delivering tangible user value iteratively.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree in Computer Science or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of professional software development experience with a proven track record of shipping high-quality, user-facing products.
• Strong product sense and ability to think critically about user experience and business impact.
• Demonstrated experience building and scaling production-grade backend APIs and distributed systems.
• Strong proficiency in Python and professional experience with Java/Kotlin or Go.
• Hands-on experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
• Solid foundation in data structures, algorithms, and system design.
• Must be able to work from the Mountain View office.

Nice to have

• Experience building backend services for speech processing (TTS/STT) or other real-time ML applications.
• Familiarity with major cloud platforms like GCP or AWS.

Culture & Benefits

• Focus on in-person collaboration to solve complex problems and foster a strong team culture.
• Offers relocation assistance.
• Competitive base salary, bonus, equity, and benefits package.
• Opportunity to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with a bias for action and rapid iteration.