Senior Backend Engineer | C++

Europe's leading AI company since 2009, is dedicated to breaking down language barriers and bringing cultures closer together. Our expertise in AI and neural networks has enabled us to create cutting-edge communication technologies for businesses, including the acclaimed DeepL Translator which offers 30+ languages, and DeepL Write, our AI writing companion. Our core offering includes a suite of products and tools made for businesses to communicate more effectively, both internally and with their customers around the globe.

Our goal is to become the global leader in Language AI and build products that help drive better communication, drive connection, and make real-life impact. To do that, we need talented people, like you, who want to be a part of this exciting journey. If you're ready to work with a dynamic team and build your career in the fast-moving AI space, DeepL is your next destination.

What sets us apart

We are committed to innovation and to a nurturing work environment. Founded by developers and researchers, we spend a lot of time actively reviewing the latest trends in generative AI and software engineering. Known for pioneering AI technologies, we dive deep into cutting-edge research to create not only translations, but advanced language solutions. Combining our use of modern technology, comprehensive employee benefits with our open and welcoming work culture is what sets us apart.

When we tell people about DeepL as an employer, the reactions are overwhelmingly positive. Maybe it's because of the products that have helped countless people worldwide, or maybe it's because of our shared goal of improving communication for individuals and businesses worldwide. What we're certain of is this: being part of DeepL means joining a team committed to innovation and the well-being of its employees.

Meet the team behind this journey

We're looking for Senior Backend Engineers to join two closely collaborating platform teams responsible for our core text backend services. The teams build these services by integrating advanced neural networks from our research department. Team one is focused on providing APIs to other teams and our customers, with a particular focus on implementing API requests using neural network inference jobs. Team two focuses on efficiently scheduling these inference jobs on our neural network infrastructure using a custom load balancer that dynamically optimises for latency and throughput. Both teams work closely with the research department to provide state-of-the-art AI technologies to other teams within the company and to our end users.

Requirements

Your responsibilities

• Design, implement, test and maintain reliable, scalable and efficient back-end services for DeepL's products in C++.
• Ensure stable operation in our production environment, e.g. by investigating issues
• Take responsibility for interfaces, functionality or entire services, e.g. by evolving shared interfaces
• Identify and anticipate requirements for our services; work with your team to meet them, e.g. by solving interesting algorithmic challenges or improving the architecture.

Qualities we look for

• Senior Engineer with several years of relevant software development experience

• Strong proficiency in modern C++ (ideally C++20 and above)

• Strong knowledge of asynchronous programming

• Solid understanding of computational complexity and common data structures

• Effective and pragmatic: ability to balance 'perfect' and 'good enough' depending on priorities and business impact

• Strong team player, experienced in working across: leading, contributing and collaborating

• Curious about learning and understanding technologies, whether programming languages, libraries, tools or systems

• Fluent in English. Knowledge of other languages an advantage

Ideally, you also have one or more of the following qualifications

• Experience in developing web services (HTTP, gRPC ...)

• Experience in deploying services to Kubernetes

• Experience in operating large-scale, high-reliability architectures

• Knowledge of other programming languages (e.g. Python, C#, Go, ...)

What we offer

• Diverse and internationally distributed team: joining our team means becoming part of a large, global community with people of more than 90 nationalities. We're more than just colleagues; we're a group of professionals with a shared mission to connect diverse cultures. Our global presence is growing–we've doubled in size nearly every year, with our employees based in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the US, and Japan, and we continue to expand our network.

• Open communication, regular feedback: as a language-focused company, we value the importance of clear, honest communication. We value smooth collaboration, direct and actionable feedback, and believe that leading with empathy makes us better together.

• Remote work, flexible hours: whether you're near or in our hubs in cities like Cologne, Berlin, Amsterdam, London, or prefer the comfort of your own home, you decide where your office is. We offer remote opportunities, flexible working hours and trust in your productivity, all in sync with your team's general locations and time zones to foster effective and seamless collaboration. Our aim is to integrate your work with your lifestyle, ensuring a balance that respects both your needs and our operational requirements.

• Regular in-person team events: we bond over vibrant events that are as unique as our team, from local team and business unit gatherings, to new-joiner onboardings, to company-wide events that bring us all together–literally.

• Monthly full-day hacking sessions: every month, we have Hack Fridays, where you can spend your time diving into a project you're passionate about and get the opportunity to work with other teams–we value your initiatives, impact, and creativity.

• Comprehensive health insurance: your health comes first. With our comprehensive insurance, we'll make sure you're covered from head to toe.

• 30 days of annual leave: we value your peace of mind. With 30 days off (excluding public holidays) and access to mental health resources, we make sure you're as strong mentally as you are professionally.

• Annual learning budget: because we never stop learning, we’ve set up an annual budget for your professional development—pick a learning path which contributes to your career development and we'll back you up.

This is a fully remote position from within the UK, GER, NL and PL.