Backend Software Engineer - Engine Team (Voice Agent)
At a glance
Mid-level Backend Engineering role at Deepgram. Remote, United States · full-time · $150,000–$220,000 base.
techroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Strengthen inference services across networking, speech processing, model coordination and observability
- Connect in-house, external and open-source AI models for perception and conversational flow
- Investigate difficult failures involving networking, scheduling and workloads with heavy concurrency
- Adjust backend services quickly to meet customer requirements
- Work with Product to take services, features and products from initial design through delivery
What you bring
- At least three years of professional industry experience
- You program in Rust, C or C++, and can also work competently in Python
- You have strong experience with version control, preferably Git, and broad familiarity with UNIX-style systems
Who this fits
This mid-level backend role suits an engineer who likes fast-moving work, continuous learning and balancing quick, limited changes against more extensive design. The position is remote within the United States. The listing expects you to use and experiment with AI tools in your daily work.
From the employer
Company Overview
Deepgram is the leading platform underpinning the emerging trillion-dollar Voice AI economy, providing real-time APIs for speech-to-text (STT), text-to-speech (TTS), and building production-grade voice agents at scale. More than 200,000 developers and 1,300+ organizations build voice offerings that are ‘Powered by Deepgram’, including Twilio, Cloudflare, Sierra, Decagon, Vapi, Daily, Cresta, Granola, and Jack in the Box. Deepgram’s voice-native foundation models are accessed through cloud APIs or as self-hosted and on-premises software, with unmatched accuracy, low latency, and cost efficiency. Backed by a recent Series C led by leading global investors and strategic partners, Deepgram has processed over 50,000 years of audio and transcribed more than 1 trillion words. There is no organization in the world that understands voice better than Deepgram.
Company Operating Rhythm
At Deepgram, we expect an AI-first mindset—AI use and comfort aren’t optional, they’re core to how we operate, innovate, and measure performance.
Every team member who works at Deepgram is expected to actively use and experiment with advanced AI tools, and even build your own into your everyday work. We measure how effectively AI is applied to deliver results, and consistent, creative use of the latest AI capabilities is key to success here. Candidates should be comfortable adopting new models and modes quickly, integrating AI into their workflows, and continuously pushing the boundaries of what these technologies can do.
Additionally, we move at the pace of AI. Change is rapid, and you can expect your day-to-day work to evolve just as quickly. This may not be the right role if you’re not excited to experiment, adapt, think on your feet, and learn constantly, or if you’re seeking something highly prescriptive with a traditional 9-to-5.
Opportunity
Deepgram is looking for a backend software engineer to lead the design and implementation of Deepgram’s Voice Agent product. You will design and implement secure, robust, and scalable services for speech processing; build integrations supporting telephony providers, RAG systems, and diverse deployment scenarios; engineer for testability and observability within a complex chain of AI models; and more. Your skill at building highly reusable code that overcomes technical challenges is paired with an intuition for delightful user experiences. You will be a critical voice in Deepgram’s Product and Engineering teams, driving high impact products from start to finish.
What You’ll Do
Improve Deepgram’s core inference services including areas in networking, speech processing, model orchestration, and observability
Develop integrations with cutting edge in-house, third-party, and open-source AI models for perception and managing conversational dynamics
Debug complex system issues that include networking, scheduling, and highly concurrent workloads
Rapidly customize backend services to support our customer needs
Partner with Product to design and implement new services, features, and/or products end to end
You’ll Love This Role If You
Thrive in a fast-paced, impact-driven environment where learning new skills on-the-fly is not only encouraged but a regular necessity
Enjoy balancing decisions about product and feature maturity to decide when to make minimally invasive changes versus when to incorporate detailed design work
It’s Important To Us That You Have
3+ years of experience in an industry role
Programming experience in Rust (or C, C++), with competence in Python
Excellent communication and organizational skills, both written and verbal.
A high level of experience and understanding of version control; preferably git.
Comprehensive experience with UNIX-style systems.
It Would Be Great If You Had
Experience with low-latency, multi-model orchestration for AI-enabled applications
Experience with audio processing
Notice: We're aware of individuals impersonating Deepgram recruiters. All legitimate Deepgram recruiting communication comes from an @deepgram.com email address. If you've received a message claiming to be Deepgram, please forward it to careers@deepgram.com.
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