Software Engineer, AI Data - Chicago, IL, USA

Speechify; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Autonomy

Asynchronous work culture

Competitive compensation

Impact in AI and audio

Job summary

Speechify is seeking a Software Engineer - AI Data to join its distributed AI team. You will design and maintain data pipelines powering model training, building scalable systems that improve data quality and throughput.

You’ll collaborate with AI scientists to advance next‑generation models and own projects from discovery to deployment. Ideal candidates bring 5+ years of backend experience, proficiency in Python and Bash in Linux, and a passion for building production data infrastructure for

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with strong backend development fundamentals.
• Proficiency in Python and Bash in Linux environments.
• Experience building and operating production systems, ideally involving data pipelines or large-scale data processing.
• Strong problem-solving skills, initiative, and the ability to work independently in ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

• Discover new sources of audio data and build reliable pipelines to bring them into our training datasets.
• Build and improve large-scale data-processing systems, optimizing for data quality, throughput, and cost.
• Collaborate closely with AI Scientists to improve training datasets and support the development of next-generation models.
• Take ownership of engineering projects from problem discovery through implementation and continuous improvement.

Skills

Problem-solving

Independent worker

Backend fundamentals

Linux environment proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Python

Bash

Linux

Data pipelines

Job description

Mission

The mission of Speechify is to make sure that reading is never a barrier to learning.

Over 50 million people use Speechify's text-to-speech products to turn whatever they're reading – PDFs, books, Google Docs, news articles, websites – into audio, so they can read faster, read more, and remember more. Speechify's text-to-speech reading products include its iOS app, Android App, Mac App, Chrome Extension, and Web App. Google recently named Speechify the Chrome Extension of the Year and Apple named Speechify its 2025 Design Award winner for Inclusivity.

Today, nearly 200 people around the globe work on Speechify in a 100% distributed setting – Speechify has no office. These include frontend and backend engineers, AI research scientists, and others from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google,
leading PhD programs like Stanford, high-growth startups like Stripe, Vercel, Bolt, and many founders of their own companies.

Overview

We're looking for a Software Engineer - AI Data to join Speechify's AI team and build the data pipelines that power our model training and next-generation AI products.

We build high-quality datasets at petabyte scale and low cost by combining engineering, infrastructure, and research. We're looking for a strong software engineer who enjoys solving complex problems, exploring new data sources, and building systems that make AI training more efficient and scalable.

What You’ll Do

• Discover new sources of audio data and build reliable pipelines to bring them into our training datasets.
• Build and improve large-scale data-processing systems, optimizing for data quality, throughput, and cost.
• Collaborate closely with AI Scientists to improve training datasets and support the development of next-generation models.
• Take ownership of engineering projects from problem discovery through implementation and continuous improvement.

An Ideal Candidate Should Have

• A degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with strong backend development fundamentals.
• Proficiency in Python and Bash in Linux environments.
• Experience building and operating production systems, ideally involving data pipelines or large-scale data processing.
• Strong problem-solving skills, initiative, and the ability to work independently in ambiguous environments.

Nice to Have

• Experience with web crawlers, data acquisition, or distributed data-processing systems.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure and Infrastructure as Code, particularly GCP and Terraform.
• Familiarity with ML training data, dataset quality, or audio processing.

What We Offer

• A dynamic environment where your contributions shape the company and its products
• A team that values innovation, intuition, and drive
• Autonomy, fostering focus and creativity
• The opportunity to have a significant impact in a revolutionary industry
• Competitive compensation, a welcoming atmosphere, and a commitment to an exceptional asynchronous work culture
• The privilege of working on a product that changes lives, particularly for those with learning differences like dyslexia, ADD, and more
• An active role at the intersection of artificial intelligence and audio – a rapidly evolving tech domain

Compensation

The United States base salary range for this full-time position is $140,000-$200,000 + bonus + equity depending on experience

Speechify is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Speechify does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.