Senior Software Engineer, Language Development

Alumni Ventures; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive equity

Full benefits package

Job summary

Zoo in Los Angeles is seeking a Software Engineer to shape the future of next-gen CAD software. You'll integrate interpreters for KCL, develop features in TypeScript, Rust, and WebAssembly, and enhance UI/UX. Ideal candidates have a B.S. in Computer Science or relevant field, with strong skills in functional programming, JavaScript, and API design. The salary range is $145,000—$195,000 USD, with a full benefits package offered.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in software development contributing to scalable and reliable systems.
• Understanding of language parsers, interpreters, and AST-driven code-mods.
• Experience with testing and automation-focused engineering.

Responsibilities

• Integrate interpreter for DSL with TypeScript GUI.
• Develop and optimize frontend of modeling app for performance.
• Collaborate with backend teams to design APIs supporting code-driven design.

Skills

Functional programming languages

Rust

JavaScript

TypeScript

Git

APIs design

UI/UX design

Education

B.S. Computer Science or related field

Job description

About You

We’re looking for curious, innovative, and ambitious self-starters to join our lean and growing team to help us bring our mission to life. We think you’ll thrive on our team if you’re:

• Curious at your core, with an eagerness to learn and do things differently
• Customer-focused, always thinking about ways to improve the user experience
• Able to operate autonomously and work asynchronously, while also being an effective team player

About The Role

We are seeking a Software Engineer with deep expertise in functional programming languages, interpreters, and modern web technologies to help shape the future of our next-gen CAD software. In this role, you’ll work on KCL, our new programming language for 3D design. You’ll help design language features, identify and improve rough edges or hard-to-use features, and improve its interpreter runtime. You’ll also integrate KCL into its purpose-built IDE, Zoo Design Studio, allowing users to build KCL programs using a familiar point-and-click GUI. You can get a feeling for KCL in the KCL book. You’ll work across Rust, WebAssembly and TypeScript building advanced developer-centric features. This is a highly collaborative role where you’ll partner with our team to push the boundaries of interactive, code-driven design.

What You’ll Do

• Integrate the interpreter for a domain specific language (DSL) with a GUI written in TypeScript
• Implement code-mods and other code refactoring tools
• Add features and maintain an interpreter written in Rust, running in WebAssembly
• Maintain a language parser and syntax highlighting
• Develop and optimize the frontend of our modeling app, focusing on performance and user experience
• Collaborate with backend teams to design and implement robust APIs that support the app’s code-driven design functionality
• Enhance the app’s UI/UX by leveraging TypeScript, React, and XState, ensuring that the interface is both powerful and easy to use
• Develop delightful CodeMirror extensions that bridge the gap between the user’s code and the 3d-model
• Implement advanced AST/code-mods, CodeMirror enhancements, and deep integration with WebAssembly (Wasm) for performance improvements
• Utilize XState for state management to maintain app consistency and reliability across various user interactions
• Apply a deep understanding of JavaScript and browser internals to improve app functionality and performance

What You’ll Need

• B.S. Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
• Demonstrated professional experience and proficiency in software development contributing to highly scalable and reliable systems
• Proficiency with Rust, and Javascript/Typescript
• Experience with functional programming languages
• Knowledge of language parsers and interpreters
• Knowledge of AST driven code-mods
• Experience with Git
• Solid understanding of modern techniques and algorithms related to workflow design
• Familiarity with libraries and tools for programming language interoperability
• A testing-based and automation-focused approach to engineering

Salary Range

The salary range for this role is provided below. The final offer will depend on multiple factors including candidate experience, skills, expertise, and market data. Compensation may vary by geography. In addition to salary, we offer competitive equity as well as a full benefits package which may vary by geography as well.
Salary Range
$145,000—$195,000 USD

Zoo is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Zoo team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals from across the globe. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, Veteran status, age, or any other trait that unfairly targets a group of people. We encourage everyone interested in our mission to apply!