Strategic Overview
Backend Engineer- Inference Services at Deepgram is defined by the responsibilities and candidate requirements in the employer's listing.
The published role emphasizes work such as Improve Deepgram’s core inference services including areas in networking, speech processing, audio transcoding, and latency and memory optimization Develop processes for measuring, building, and optimizing services to maximize system performance.
The role is listed for United States with remote working arrangement, giving candidates the practical context needed to assess fit before applying. Relevant signals in the listing include Software Engineering, Senior.
Key information at a glance
About This Role
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…
Key Responsibilities & Objectives
- Improve Deepgram’s core inference services including areas in networking, speech processing, audio transcoding, and latency and memory optimization
- Develop processes for measuring, building, and optimizing services to maximize system performance
- 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
Required Qualifications & Candidate Blueprint
- 3+ years of experience in an industry role
- Programming experience in Rust (or C, C++), with competence in Python
- A high level of experience and understanding of version control; preferably git.
Salary & Benefits
Published compensation: USD 150,000 – 220,000 / yearly
Salary Benchmark
This role’s published compensation is compared with active employer-disclosed ranges for the same role, in the same currency and pay period.
Benchmark uses active employer job postings in our database, excludes this listing, and matches the currency and pay period. It is not a third-party salary estimate; currencies are not converted.
Full Job Description
The following is the complete job description supplied by the source. We sanitize unsafe markup and remove external links, but do not shorten or rewrite the employer's source content.
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 join the Engine team to lead the design and implementation of Deepgram’s products. You will design and implement secure, robust, and scalable services for speech processing; efficient, distributed compute orchestration; optimized scheduling, 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, audio transcoding, and latency and memory optimization
Develop processes for measuring, building, and optimizing services to maximize system performance
Debug complex system issues that include networking, scheduling, and high performance computing interactions
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 modern machine learning, such as experience with a framework like Torch or implementation knowledge of architectures like CNNs, RNNS, and transformers
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.
Editor’s Market Perspective (Our Custom Analysis)
Why This Position Matters
This opening may suit candidates whose experience matches Software Engineering, Senior. Its strongest career signal is the scope of the work itself — particularly Improve Deepgram’s core inference services including areas in networking, speech processing, audio transcoding, and latency and memory optimization — rather than a generic title alone.
Resume & Application Strategy
For the application, mirror the employer's language where it truthfully matches your background: foreground Software Engineering, Senior, quantify outcomes from comparable work, and place the most relevant experience near the top of the resume. If the listing specifies tools, platforms, leadership scope, or domain experience, use those exact terms in context instead of presenting an unrelated keyword list.
We organize source-provided information into this independent job-seeker overview. Compensation is shown only when the source provides it; the official listing remains the authority for current requirements and application instructions.