Backend Software Engineer - Engine Team (Voice Agent)

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 Benefits & Perks* Holistic health Medical, dental, vision benefits Annual wellness stipend Mental health support Life, STD, LTD Income Insurance Plans Work/life blend Unlimited PTO Generous paid parental leave Flexible schedule 12 Paid US company holidays Quarterly personal productivity stipend One-time stipend for home office upgrades 401(k) plan with company match Tax Savings Programs Continuous learning Learning / Education stipend Participation in talks and conferences Employee Resource Groups AI enablement workshops / sessions * For candidates outside of the US, we use an Employer of Record model in many countries, which means benefits are administered locally and governed by country-specific regulations. Because of this, benefits will differ by region — in some cases international employees receive benefits US employees do not, and vice versa. As we scale, we will continue to evaluate where we can create more alignment, but a 1:1 global benefits structure is not always legally or operationally possible. Backed by prominent investors including Y Combinator, Madrona, Tiger Global, Wing VC and NVIDIA, Deepgram has raised over $215M in total funding. If you're looking to work on cutting-edge technology and make a significant impact in the AI industry, we'd love to hear from you! Deepgram is an equal opportunity employer. We want all voices and perspectives represented in our workforce. We are a curious bunch focused on collaboration and doing the right thing. We put our customers first, grow together and move quickly. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information, political affiliation, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We are happy to provide accommodations for applicants who need them.