AI Engineer, Agentic Voice (TTS)

Dialpad Japan; Kitchener; Hybrid; CAD 145,000 - 172,500; Full time

Job summary

Dialpad is seeking an AI Engineer for the Speech Team in Canada. You will own back-end implementation and linguistic optimization of the voice (TTS) layer for next-generation AI agents, bridging speech science and product engineering.

The role is based at the Kitchener hub with a hybrid schedule, reporting to the Senior Manager, AI Speech. You’ll work with vendor APIs and open-source stacks to deliver natural, context-aware voices.

Qualifications

• Strong Python and deep learning experience, esp. PyTorch.
• 3+ years in Speech Synthesis (TTS) or applied speech ML with NeMo/ESPnet/Coqui.
• Background in computational linguistics or AI with phonetics and text normalization.

Responsibilities

• TTS backend integration and optimization across vendor APIs.
• Minimize latency in the ASR → LLM → TTS pipeline.
• Apply phonetics and sociolinguistics for naturalness; SSML and name normalization.
• Build persona parameterization and UI exposure.
• Manage structured LLM/TTS prompts with versioning and tests.
• Design contextual, trust-building utterances during model steps.

Skills

Python

Deep learning

PyTorch

NVIDIA NeMo

ESPnet

Coqui

GCP

Speech quality metrics

LLM prompts

Text normalization

Education

Degree in Computational Linguistics, Computer Science, or AI/ML

Tools

ElevenLabs API

Rime

Cartesia

GCP

Job description

About Dialpad

Dialpad is the AI platform for customer experience, built to resolve customer problems in real time across voice and digital. Our AI agents learn from your best human agents and improve with every interaction, helping organizations understand their customers, deliver better experiences, increase operational efficiencies, and build a lasting competitive advantage.

Unlike legacy systems built to route and answer, or standalone agentic bot vendors built to deflect, Dialpad was built to resolve. Our AI agents and human agents operate on a single platform with shared context, allowing Agentic AI to resolve issues, advance deals, and eliminate busywork through automation while seamlessly handing conversations to humans when needed, with full context preserved.

Market‑leading brands, including Randstad, Motorola Solutions, Netflix, the San Diego Padres, the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club, and Cal Athletics, trust Dialpad. Dialpad is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, GV, ICONIQ Capital, and T‑Mobile.

Your role

As an AI Engineer on our Speech Team, you’ll own the back‑end implementation and linguistic optimization of the voice (TTS) layer for our next‑generation AI agents. You’ll work squarely within our Speech Team, a high‑impact R&D and engineering group focused on speech recognition, enhancement, and synthesis; bridging core speech science and product engineering so our agents sound human, context‑aware, and trustworthy.

You’ll build the systems that render voice: integrating and optimizing TTS engines, engineering the persona and parameter machinery, and exposing voice attributes to our customer‑facing UI. You’ll partner closely with our Voice Experience Designer, who authors and owns the persona standards and quality bar that you implement — you own the platform that makes their designs real, fast, and consistent at scale. This position reports to our Senior Manager, AI Speech, is based at our Kitchener hub, and operates on a hybrid schedule.

What You’ll Do

• TTS backend implementation: Own the integration and optimization of multiple TTS vendor APIs behind a unified interface with failover, and lead research and prototyping of open‑source and in‑house TTS architectures.
• Latency & pipeline engineering: Minimize time‑to‑first‑audio and end‑to‑end latency across the ASR → LLM → TTS pipeline while maintaining or optimizing voice quality, in partnership with ASR and Audio AI engineers.
• Linguistic optimization: Apply your knowledge of phonetics and sociolinguistics to format TTS input for maximum naturalness — SSML tags, punctuation‑driven prosody, and text normalization for names, numbers, dates, and currency.
• Persona system & parameter exposure: Build the persona parameterization system and architect the logic that exposes voice attributes to the product UI, implementing the house standards defined by Agent Experience Design.
• Prompt engineering as code: Manage structured LLM and TTS prompt templates with versioning and a rigorous evaluation harness.
• Conversational turn design: Engineer context‑ and state‑aware “thinking” utterances that maintain caller trust while tool calls and model steps run under the hood.

Skills You’ll Bring

• Technical foundation: Strong Python and hands‑on experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g. PyTorch).
• Speech expertise: 3+ years in Speech Synthesis (TTS) or applied speech ML, including hands‑on work with frameworks like NVIDIA NeMo, ESPnet, or Coqui, and with major TTS APIs such as ElevenLabs, Rime, and Cartesia.
• Linguistic background: Degree in Computational Linguistics, Computer Science, or AI/ML, with a strong understanding of phonetics, prosody, and syntax you can apply in code (G2P, pronunciation dictionaries, text normalization).
• Backend engineering: Experience building production‑grade APIs and integrating multi‑vendor services in a cloud environment (GCP preferred).
• Evaluation mindset: Fluency with speech‑quality metrics (MOS, intelligibility, latency) and the ability to design and execute rigorous A/B tests for voice personas.
• Prompt engineering: Proven experience crafting, versioning, and evaluating LLM prompts (system, few‑shot) and structured templates.

This is a builder role in a science/infrastructure org. If your strength is conversation design or prompt‑tuning without production engineering, our Lead Voice Experience (VX) Designer role is likely the better fit.

Ontario Salary Range: $145,000—$172,500 CAD

Why Join Dialpad

• Work at the center of the AI transformation in business communications
• Build and ship agentic AI products that are redefining how companies operate
• Join a team where AI amplifies every employee’s impact
• Competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and real opportunities for growth

Dialpad is an equal‑opportunity employer. We are dedicated to creating a community of inclusion and an environment free from discrimination or harassment.