Software Engineer, Backend

Mirage; Northern, New York (KY, NY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K with employer match

Commuter benefits

Catered lunch

Dinner stipend

Grubhub membership

Wellness perks

Team offsites

Generous PTO

Job summary

Mirage is an AI-native video platform that powers production and editing through natural language. As a backend engineer, you’ll own critical systems end-to-end, partnering with product, design, client, and AI teams to deliver reliable, scalable production software powering our surfaces.

We’re seeking senior or staff+ engineers who thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy solving hard problems, and ship high-impact infrastructure, APIs, and ML pipelines for real user outcomes.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional industry experience.
• Track record of shipping high‑impact systems and/or products in production.
• Exceptional problem solving fundamentals and ability to learn.
• Excellent engineering taste with practicality and time‑management.
• Able to operate effectively in a fast-paced environment delivering end-to-end projects.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and own backend systems end-to-end, including services, APIs, data pipelines, and infrastructure that power our products
• Solve complex technical challenges across distributed systems, scaling, concurrency, and performance
• Integrate and operate large generative AI models in production—deploying, serving, and scaling systems that combine internal research and external capabilities to unlock new product experiences.
• Instrument, experiment, and iterate in production to improve system and product quality
• Design and operate core platform infrastructure, including integrations with third-party providers, storage systems, security, and internal APIs

Skills

Backend engineering

Distributed systems

AI/ML integration

Problem solving

Learning agility

Tools

APIs

ML pipelines

Cloud infrastructure

Job description

Mirage is an AI-native video platform that intelligently orchestrates production and editing through natural language. Our models leverage contextual awareness to execute the same creative decisions a professional editor would — dramatically improving productivity for experienced teams, while making video creation accessible to anyone.
We’re an interdisciplinary team addressing some of the most difficult technical and creative challenges in generative media. As an early member of our team, you’ll tackle foundational problems that remain largely unsolved across the industry, driving an outsized impact on the future of creative expression.

More about us

Product(Captions by Mirage)

Research(Our Models and Agents)

Updates(Mirage on X / twitter)

TechCrunch, Forbes AI 50, Fast Company (press)

Our Investors

We’re very fortunate to have some the best investors and entrepreneurs backing us, including Index Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Uncommon Projects, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, Lenny Rachitsky, Antoine Martin, Julie Zhuo, Ben Rubin, Jaren Glover, SVAngel, 20VC, Ludlow Ventures, Chapter One, and more.

Please note that all of our roles will require you to be in-person at our NYC HQ (located in Union Square)

About the role

Backend engineering at Mirage isn’t narrowly defined. We work across product, platform, and machine learning—building the systems, services, APIs, and ML pipelines that power all of our product surfaces.

You’ll own critical backend systems end-to-end, partnering closely with product, design, client, and AI teams to turn ambitious ideas into reliable, scalable production systems. This opportunity is ideal for engineers who enjoy solving complex technical problems while staying connected to product and user outcomes.

While we don’t use hierarchical titles or levels internally, we are currently hiring engineers who have operated at senior or staff+ scope.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and own backend systems end-to-end, including services, APIs, data pipelines, and infrastructure that power our products

• Solve complex technical challenges across distributed systems, scaling, concurrency, and performance

• Integrate and operate large generative AI models in production—deploying, serving, and scaling systems that combine internal research and external capabilities to unlock new product experiences.

• Instrument, experiment, and iterate in production to continuously improve system and product quality

• Design and operate core platform infrastructure, including integrations with third-party providers, storage systems, security, and internal APIs

What Makes You a Great Fit

• 5+ years of professional industry experience

• A track record of shipping high‑impact systems and/or products in production

• Exceptional problem solving fundamentals and ability to learn

• Excellent engineering taste combined with a strong sense of practicality and time-management

• Able to operate effectively in an extremely fast-paced environment as well as scope and deliver projects end-to-end

Even better if...

• You have worked extensively with LLMs, generative media models, and have a pulse on where the technology is going

• You are grounded, collaborative, and willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win

• You have been a startup founder or an early engineer at one

Benefits:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans

• 401K with employer match

• Commuter Benefits

• Catered lunch multiple days per week

• Dinner stipend every night if you're working late and want a bite!

• Grubhub subscription

• Health & Wellness Perks

• Multiple team offsites per year with team events every month

• Generous PTO policy

Captions provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Please note benefits apply to full time employees only.