Senior Staff Software Engineer | Voice @ DeepL

DeepL; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global communications platform is looking for a Senior Staff Engineer to lead the Voice Track, focusing on real-time voice translation systems. This role requires full-stack ownership, deep expertise in generative AI and streaming, and strong mentorship abilities. Join a dynamic team and make a significant impact in the fast-moving AI space, with competitive benefits and a hybrid work model.

Benefits

Hybrid work, flexible hours

Regular in-person team events

Monthly full-day hacking sessions

30 days of annual leave

Competitive benefits

Qualifications

• You’ve led architecture and delivery of complex products, owning the full stack.
• You understand audio streaming, real-time systems, and generative AI systems at scale.
• You actively write code, prototype, and debug.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate systems across the stack.
• Contribute production code while guiding architectural decisions.
• Grow engineering maturity through technical coaching and code reviews.
• Work cross-functionally to translate customer problems into technical solutions.
• Build systems for low-latency, high uptime, seamless UX.

Skills

Full-stack technical leadership

Deep expertise in streaming and generative AI

Hands-on builder

Product-first mindset

Mentorship and communication

Job description

Meet DeepL

DeepL is a global communications platform powered by Language AI. Since 2017, we’ve been on a mission to break down language barriers. Our human-sounding translations and intelligent writing suggestions are designed with enterprise security in mind. Today, they enable over 100,000 businesses to transform communications, reach new markets, and improve productivity. And, empower millions of individuals worldwide to make sense of the world and express their ideas.

Our goal is to become the global leader in Language AI, building products that drive better communication, foster connections, and make a real-life impact. To achieve this, we need talented individuals like you to join our exciting journey. If you're ready to work with a dynamic team and build your career in the fast-moving AI space, DeepL is your next destination.

What sets us apart

What sets us apart is our blend of modern technology, competitive benefits, and an open, welcoming work culture that enables our people to thrive. When we share what it's like to work at DeepL, the reactions are overwhelmingly positive. This may be because of our products that have helped countless people worldwide or our shared mission to improve communication for individuals and businesses, bringing cultures closer together. What we know for sure is this: being part of DeepL means joining a team dedicated to innovation and employee well-being. Discover what our teams have to say about life at DeepL on LinkedIn, Instagram and our Blog.

Meet the team behind this journey

Our journey is built on the foundation of DeepL, a name synonymous with world-class translation quality. The trust we have cultivated with millions of users and leading enterprise customers globally is a testament to our commitment to breaking down language barriers with precision and nuance.

Leading our next chapter is the Voice team. As a dynamic track, we bring together multiple teams across Research, Product Engineering and Design. Together, we are defining the art of the possible for real-time voice interpretation.

Founded just two years ago, we achieved a significant milestone in late 2024 with the successful launch of our first customer-facing features. We are now scaling up with applications designed for major meeting platforms, real-time communication channels, and a powerful Public API to extend our functionality to a broader set of applications.

What will you be doing at DeepL

We’re looking for a hands-on Senior Staff Engineer to help lead our Voice Track. You’ll drive architecture and development for our real-time voice translation systems, taking full-stack ownership from client to backend, while mentoring others and raising the bar across the teams.

This is a high-impact role for someone who combines deep system design expertise—especially in generative AI and real-time streaming—with a strong product mindset and a passion for guiding teams through hands‑on leadership.

Your Responsibilities

• Own full-stack solutions end to end: You’ll design, build, and operate systems across the stack—from front-end user experience to low-latency backend infrastructure and audio pipelines

• Lead by example: You stay hands‑on, contributing production code while guiding architectural decisions and mentoring the team

• Mentor and elevate: Grow engineering maturity through technical coaching, thoughtful code reviews, and driving best practices in observability, reliability, and scale

• Shape product direction: Work cross‑functionally with product managers, researchers, and designers to translate customer problems into impactful technical solutions

• Scale voice infrastructure: Build systems that meet the high standards of real‑time translation: low latency, high uptime, seamless UX, and ML integration

• Participation in our on‑call rotation: You’ll ensure the reliability and availability of our services by being available to join the team's shared on‑call rotation as needed

Qualities we look for

• Full-stack technical leadership: You’ve led architecture and delivery of complex products, owning the full stack—not just backend or infrastructure

• Deep expertise in streaming and generative AI: You understand the nuances of audio streaming, real‑time systems, and generative AI systems at scale

• Hands‑on builder: You actively write code, prototype, and debug—you don’t lead from the sidelines

• Product-first mindset: You focus on user outcomes, not just technical purity. You make pragmatic decisions with long‑term maintainability in mind

• Mentorship and communication: You raise others up through knowledge-sharing, clear communication, and collaborative thinking

What we offer

• Diverse and internationally distributed team: joining our team means becoming part of a large, global community with people of more than 90 nationalities. We're more than just colleagues; we're a group of professionals with a shared mission to connect diverse cultures. Our global presence is growing, with our employees based in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the US, and Japan, and we continue to expand our network

• Open communication, regular feedback: as a language-focused company, we value the importance of clear, honest communication. We value smooth collaboration, direct and actionable feedback, and believe that leading with empathy and growth mindset makes us better together

• Hybrid work, flexible hours: we offer a hybrid work schedule, with team members coming into the office twice a week. This allows you to engage directly with your team and experience the unique energy of our workspace, while still enjoying the flexibility and comfort of working from home. With flexible working hours and trust in your productivity, we are in sync with your team’s general locations and time zones to foster effective and seamless collaboration

• Regular in‑person team events: we bond over vibrant events that are as unique as our team, from local team and business unit gatherings, to new‑joiner onboardings, to company‑wide events that bring us all together–literally

• Monthly full‑day hacking sessions: every month, we have Hack Fridays, where you can spend your time diving into a project you're passionate about and get the opportunity to work with other teams–we value your initiatives, impact, and creativity

• 30 days of annual leave: we value your peace of mind. With 30 days off (excluding public holidays) and access to mental health resources, we make sure you're as strong mentally as you are professionally

• Competitive benefits: just as our team spans the globe, so does our benefits package. We've crafted it to reflect the diversity of our team and tailored it to align with your unique location, to ensure you feel supported every step of the way

If this role and our mission resonate with you, but you're hesitant because you don't check all the boxes, don't let that hold you back. At DeepL, it's all about the value you bring and the growth we can foster together. Go ahead, apply—let's discover your potential together. We can't wait to meet you!

We are an equal opportunity employer

You are welcome at DeepL for who you are—we appreciate authenticity here. Our product is for everyone, and so is our workplace. The more voices we have represented and amplified in our business, the more we will all succeed, contribute, and think forward! So bring us your personal experience, your perspectives, and your background. It’s in our diversity that we will find the power to break down language barriers in the world.