Software Engineer, Annotation Systems

obvio; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Obvio is seeking a Backend Software Engineer to power our annotation and ML data pipelines. You’ll design, build, and maintain distributed systems that process high-throughput data with observability and security baked in.

Collaborate with product, ML, and operations teams to translate requirements into clean APIs and robust backend abstractions, write tests, and review code.

Join a fast-moving startup backed by Series A funding and help save lives by improving road safety.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of backend engineering experience.
• Experience building and maintaining production distributed systems.
• Comfort with operational practices including observability, alerting, and failure recovery.
• Working knowledge of security principles including least privilege and secure transport/storage.
• Ability to turn scoped requirements into solid design and interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Help design and build distributed systems that support high-throughput data review and annotation pipelines.
• Build systems prioritizing performance and reliability under real-world load.
• Apply strong security and privacy practices, including access control and auditable workflows.
• Translate cross-functional requirements into clean APIs and backend abstractions.
• Collaborate with product, ML, and operations to streamline feedback loops.
• Participate in design reviews and contribute to architectural decisions.

Skills

Backend engineering

Distributed systems

Observability

Security

API design

Code review

Job description

About Obvio AI

Each year, more than 40,000 people in the U.S. leave home and never make it back due to traffic crashes. At Obvio, we believe these deaths are preventable. We deploy solar-powered, AI-assisted cameras to enforce traffic laws where pedestrians are most vulnerable, automating enforcement in ways that traditional systems cannot. Our approach has already led to a 50% reduction in reckless driving in early partner cities.

Founded by the team behind Motive's AI dashcam and backed by Bain Capital Ventures and Khosla Ventures, we are building the intelligence layer for safer streets globally.

About the Role

Obvio deploys AI-assisted cameras to make streets safer. We're looking for a Software Engineer to join the backend team that powers our annotation workflows. These systems sit at the core of our machine learning feedback loops and operational pipelines. You'll work across product, ML, and ops teams to build resilient, observable, and secure systems that translate ambiguous requirements into elegant software.

What You'll Do

• Help design and build distributed systems that support high-throughput data review and annotation pipelines

• Build systems that prioritize performance and reliability under real-world load

• Apply strong security and privacy practices, including fine-grained access control, secure data handling, and auditable workflows

• Translate cross-functional requirements into clean APIs and backend abstractions

• Collaborate with product, ML, and operations to streamline efficiency and feedback loops

• Participate in design reviews and contribute to architectural decisions on your team's systems

• Write clean, well-tested, maintainable code and give thoughtful code review feedback to peers

What We're Looking For

• 3–5 years of backend engineering experience

• Experience building and maintaining production distributed systems

• Comfort with operational practices — you write code with observability, alerting, and failure recovery in mind

• Working knowledge of security principles, including least privilege and secure transport/storage

• Ability to take reasonably well-scoped requirements and turn them into solid design and interfaces, asking good questions when things are ambiguous

• A collaborative mindset — you give and take feedback well and enjoy working closely with teammates

Bonus Points

• Familiarity with human-in-the-loop systems, labeling tools, or ML data pipelines

• Experience working in a fast-paced startup environment

Why This Role

• Build backend systems that directly power road safety at scale.

• Work on high-throughput pipelines that sit at the core of our ML feedback loop — your code has real, visible impact.

• Join a small, experienced team where you'll grow fast and work closely with senior engineers.

WhyObvio

• Your work will help save lives and improve road safety

• Series A of $54M

• Fast-moving startup environment with meaningful ownership

• Competitive compensation and early-stage equity

Obvio is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Obvio considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. Obvio is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.