Software Engineer, Data Infrastructure & Acquisition - Waterloo, Canada

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The mission of Speechify is to make sure that reading is never a barrier to learning.

Over 50 million people use Speechify’s text-to-speech products to turn whatever they’re reading – PDFs, books, Google Docs, news articles, websites – into audio, so they can read faster, read more, and remember more. Speechify’s text-to-speech reading products include its iOS app, Android App, Mac App, Chrome Extension, and Web App. Google recently named Speechify the Chrome Extension of the Year and Apple named Speechify its 2025 Design Award winner for Inclusivity.  

Today, nearly 200 people around the globe work on Speechify in a 100% distributed setting – Speechify has no office. These include frontend and backend engineers, AI research scientists, and others from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, leading PhD programs like Stanford, high growth startups like Stripe, Vercel, Bolt, and many founders of their own companies.

Overview

The responsibilities of our Platform team include building and maintaining all backend services, including, but not limited to, payments, analytics, subscriptions, new products, text to speech, and external APIs.

This is a key role and ideal for someone who thinks strategically, enjoys fast-paced environments, is passionate about making product decisions, and has experience building great user experiences that delight users.

We are a flat organization that allows anyone to become a leader by showing excellent technical skills and delivering results consistently and fast. Work ethic, solid communication skills, and obsession with winning are paramount. 

Our interview process involves several technical interviews and we aim to complete them within 1 week. 

Overview

We're looking to hire for our Data side of our AI team at Speechify. This role is responsible for all aspects of data collection to support our model training operations. We are able to build high-quality datasets at petabyte-scale and low cost through a tight integration of infrastructure, engineering, and research work. We are looking for a skilled Software Engineer to join us.

What You’ll Do

• Be scrappy to find new sources of audio data and bring it into our ingestion pipeline
• Operate and extend the cloud infrastructure for our ingestion pipeline, currently running on GCP and managed with Terraform.
• Collaborate closely with our Scientists to shift the cost/throughput/quality frontier, delivering richer data at bigger scale and lower cost to power our next-generation models.
• Collaborate with others on the AI Team and Speechify Leadership to craft the AI Team’s dataset roadmap to power Speechify’s next-generation consumer and enterprise products.

An Ideal Candidate Should Have

• BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science or a related field.
• 5+ years of industry experience in software development.
• Proficiency with bash/Python scripting in Linux environments
• Proficiency in Docker and Infrastructure-as-Code concepts and professional experience with at least one major Cloud Provider (we use GCP)
• Experience with web crawlers, large-scale data processing workflows is a plus
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and adapt to changing priorities.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.

What we offer

• A fast-growing environment where you can help shape the company and product.
• An entrepreneurial-minded team that supports risk, intuition, and hustle.
• A hands-off management approach so you can focus and do your best work.
• An opportunity to make a big impact in a transformative industry.
• Competitive salaries, a friendly and laid-back atmosphere, and a commitment to building a great asynchronous culture.
• Opportunity to work on a life-changing product that millions of people use.
• Build products that directly impact and support people with learning differences like dyslexia, ADD, low vision, concussions, autism, and more.
• Work in one of the fastest-growing sectors of tech, the intersection of artificial intelligence and audio.

What We Offer 

• A dynamic environment where your contributions shape the company and its products.
• A team that values innovation, intuition, and drive.
• Autonomy, fostering focus and creativity.
• The opportunity to have a significant impact in a revolutionary industry.
• Competitive compensation, a welcoming atmosphere, and a commitment to an exceptional asynchronous work culture.
• The privilege of working on a product that changes lives, particularly for those with learning differences like dyslexia, ADD, and more.
• An active role at the intersection of artificial intelligence and audio – a rapidly evolving tech domain.

Think you’re a good fit for this job? 

Tell us more about yourself and why you're interested in the role when you apply.
And don’t forget to include links to your portfolio and LinkedIn.

Not looking but know someone who would make a great fit? 

Refer them! 

Speechify is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. 

Speechify does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.