At a Glance
- Tasks: Build innovative backend systems for voice generation and enhance user experiences.
- Company: Join Synthesia, a leader in AI-driven video technology.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days of leave, remote work options, and a competitive salary.
- Other info: Flexible working environment with opportunities for growth and learning.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on cutting-edge voice tech and collaborate with creative teams.
- Qualifications: Experience in product development and a passion for solving ambiguous problems.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About the role
You will work on the core speech and voice generation experience at Synthesia, building the platform that sits at the critical path of script creation and video generation. You will design and deliver features across the script preview and voice orchestration stack, combining frontend user experiences with backend platform reliability. This includes integrating with multiple Text-to-Speech providers, building recommendation systems, and ensuring consistency and quality across all voice outputs.
You will take ownership of features from idea through to production, working with loosely defined requirements to scope, prototype, and ship solutions that deliver real user impact. You will frequently work on 0‑to‑1 problems, such as building new voice quality frameworks, improving voice recommendations across languages, and introducing new TTS capabilities where experimentation and iteration are critical to success. You will collaborate closely with product, design, and AI teams to translate user problems into experiments and features, evaluate what works reliably across different TTS providers, and iterate quickly based on feedback, user testing, and voice quality data. Features will be shipped behind feature flags, measured for outcomes, and continuously refined based on product and user signals.
Responsibilities
- Build backend systems for TTS provider orchestration, handling fallbacks, retries, and load‑shedding across multiple providers.
- Develop frontend experiences that allow users to preview scripts, select voices, and control pronunciation with intuitive interfaces (frontend experience is not a must).
- Forge voice discovery and recommendation systems that guide users to high‑quality voices and help them iterate quickly.
Qualifications
- Experience building and shipping product features end‑to‑end in production environments.
- A strong product mindset and ability to take ambiguous problems, define scope, and iterate toward solutions that deliver user value.
- Comfortable working in 0‑to‑1 environments, experimenting, prototyping, and learning quickly rather than relying on detailed upfront specs.
- Ability to evaluate technical feasibility and make pragmatic trade‑offs, especially when working with external systems such as TTS providers and evolving requirements.
- Focus on reliability and user experience, building features that work consistently in real‑world usage.
- Confidence collaborating with product and design, including pushing back when something is not feasible and proposing better alternatives.
- Willingness to debug and work across the stack wherever the problem is.
- Experience with audio/speech systems, TTS, API orchestration, provider integrations, or quality evaluation frameworks is a plus but not required.
Other important info
The role can be based in‑office or remote in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, or Ireland. Remote work in other European locations may be supported subject to compliance and right‑to‑work checks. This is a full‑time employment role; contractors are not considered. Employees receive 25 days of leave plus local holidays.
Staff Backend Engineer, Voices Europe in London employer: Synthesia Limited
At Synthesia, we pride ourselves on being an innovative employer that fosters a collaborative and dynamic work culture. As a Staff Backend Engineer, you'll have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge voice technology while enjoying flexible working arrangements across various European locations. We offer competitive benefits, including 25 days of leave, and a strong focus on employee growth, ensuring you can thrive in your career while making a meaningful impact on our products.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Backend Engineer, Voices Europe in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Synthesia Limited or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
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✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
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We think you need these skills to ace Staff Backend Engineer, Voices Europe in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Synthesia Limited.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Synthesia Limited and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Synthesia Limited
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Synthesia Limited uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
