Staff Software Engineer, Creativity Foundations, Photos Create

Google; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 207,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Google Photos Create team in Mountain View, CA is seeking a software engineer to advance next‑generation gen media technologies. You will own features end‑to‑end, drive experiments from prototyping to production, and partner with product and design to deliver delightful experiences for billions of users.

The role requires strong full‑stack capabilities, experience across Java, Python, and JavaScript, plus expertise in AI/LLM workflows.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in software development.
• 5 years of experience testing, and launching software products.
• 5 years of experience with full stack development, across back-end such as Java, Python, Golang, or C++ codebases, and front-end experience including JavaScript or TypeScript, HTML, CSS or equivalent.
• 3 years of experience with software design and architecture.
• Experience integrating generative AI tools or LLM interfaces into workflows.

Responsibilities

• Be an owner and build new creativity features, balancing innovative explorations and usages of gen media technologies and scrappy prototyping in a fast‑moving space to find a good product‑market‑fit for our new features.
• Steer both short and long term technical investments in this space, and help set the direction for the team.
• Lead collaboration efforts across Photos to elevate our team and expand the reach and capabilities…
• Help the team grow full‑stack to own features end‑to‑end.
• Bring DevAI breakthroughs and best practices to elevate the broader engineering team.

Skills

Full stack development

Java

Python

Golang

JavaScript/TypeScript

HTML/CSS

Software design

LLM integration

AI/Gen AI

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master’s degree

PhD

Job description

In most instances, this position requires in-person interviews as part of the hiring process
Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: New York, NY, USA; Mountain View, CA, USA.

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in software development.
• 5 years of experience testing, and launching software products.
• 5 years of experience with full stack development, across back-end such as Java, Python, Golang, or C++ codebases, and front-end experience including JavaScript or TypeScript, HTML, CSS or equivalent.
• 3 years of experience with software design and architecture.
• Experience integrating generative AI tools or LLM interfaces into workflows.

Preferred qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• 8 years of experience with data structures and algorithms.
• 3 years of experience in a technical leadership role leading project teams and setting technical direction.
• 3 years of experience working in a complex, matrixed organization involving cross‑functional, or cross‑business projects.
• Prior experience in launching full‑stack mobile product features to consumers.
• Enthusiasm for working on technological innovations and the capability to grow amidst associated ambiguities and challenges.

About The Job

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast‑paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full‑stack as we continue to push technology forward.
Google Photos Create team aims for bringing joy to you and those around you, partnering to transform your moments into whatever you want, however you want, whenever you want. The team focuses on bringing Google’s gen media technologies to Google Photos while still giving users the controls to make the photo edits and collages they want, with our goal to deliver a delightful experience for Photos’ billion users to create assets that are easily snackable.
Individual pay is determined by factors including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
US: $207000 - $300000 (USD) + 20% bonus target + equity + benefits

Responsibilities

Learn more about benefits at Google .

• Be an owner and build new creativity features, balancing innovative explorations and usages of gen media technologies and scrappy prototyping in a fast‑moving space to find a good product‑market‑fit for our new features.
• Steer both short and long term technical investments in this space, and help set the direction for the team.
• Lead collaboration efforts across Photos to elevate our team and expand the reach and capabilities…
• Help the team grow full‑stack to own features end‑to‑end.
• Bring DevAI breakthroughs and best practices to elevate the broader engineering team.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form.