Staff Backend Engineer, Avatars Europe
Staff Backend Engineer, Avatars Europe

Staff Backend Engineer, Avatars Europe

Full-Time 130000 - 130000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Design and develop scalable backend systems for avatars and generative media.
  • Company: Join Synthesia, the leading AI video platform valued at $4 billion.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary starting at €130,000, stock options, and 25 days of leave.
  • Other info: Remote role available in EU, UK, or Switzerland with excellent career growth opportunities.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in AI-driven visual communication and enhance user experiences.
  • Qualifications: Senior software engineering experience with a focus on backend systems and architecture.

The predicted salary is between 130000 - 130000 £ per year.

Synthesia is the world’s leading AI video platform for business, used by over 90% of the Fortune 100. As AI continues to shape the way we live and work, Synthesia develops products to enhance visual communication and enterprise skill development, helping people work better and stay at the center of successful organizations.

About the role

You will work on the core systems powering Avatars and Generative Media, one of the most critical areas of Synthesia’s product. You will take ownership of the system design and architecture behind avatars, ensuring it remains scalable, reliable, and extensible as the product evolves. You will design systems that support complex product requirements such as avatar versions, sharing across users and organisations, personalisation, and integration with voice and video pipelines. You will play a key role in ensuring avatars function as a first-class entity across the platform, working closely with multiple teams to define how avatars are created, stored, and used throughout the product. You will be responsible for evolving systems that sit on a critical path for video generation, where reliability, latency, and consistency directly impact the end-user experience.

You will collaborate closely with:

  • Product and design to ensure system decisions align with user needs
  • R&D teams to integrate model capabilities into production systems
  • Adjacent product teams such as Voices and Video Generation to ensure seamless integration

You will take a long-term view of the system, ensuring that what is built today can support future iterations, increased scale, and new product capabilities. You will act as a technical steward for the codebase, helping maintain high standards for structure, maintainability, and extensibility as the system grows.

What we’re looking for

You have significant experience as a software engineer, operating at a senior or staff level, with a strong focus on backend systems and architecture. You have deep expertise in system design and data modelling, particularly in product‑facing systems with real user impact. You have experience building systems that need to evolve over time, and understand the trade‑offs required to balance speed, scalability, and long‑term maintainability. You are comfortable operating with broad scope and ambiguity, and can think beyond individual projects to how systems fit together across teams. You have strong product awareness, and can clearly connect technical decisions to customer needs and business outcomes. You are experienced in building and operating reliable systems, with an understanding of performance, latency, and availability requirements for critical product flows. You are collaborative and able to work across teams, influencing system design decisions that span multiple domains. You are hands‑on and care about code quality and structure, not just high-level architecture. Experience working on customer‑facing products, large‑scale systems, or platforms that integrate across multiple teams is highly valuable.

Other important info

This is a remote role from an EU country, UK or Switzerland. The salary starts at EUR/GBP/CHF 130,000 base + stock option plan. This is full‑time employment only - no contractors possible - usually through OysterHR. Everyone at Synthesia gets 25 days of leave + local holidays (no extra paid or unpaid leave possible). We only sponsor VISA if you are in the UK/EU country already and need support.

Staff Backend Engineer, Avatars Europe employer: Synthesia Limited

At Synthesia, we pride ourselves on being a leading innovator in the AI video space, offering our employees a dynamic and collaborative work environment that fosters creativity and growth. With a strong focus on employee development, we provide ample opportunities for professional advancement while ensuring a healthy work-life balance with generous leave policies. Join us in shaping the future of visual communication from the comfort of your home in the EU, UK, or Switzerland, and be part of a team that values your contributions and encourages you to thrive.
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Contact Detail:

Synthesia Limited Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Staff Backend Engineer, Avatars Europe

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at meetups. A friendly chat can open doors that a CV just can't.

✨Tip Number 2

Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repo showcasing your projects. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do beyond the written word.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to backend systems. We all know that confidence is key, so get comfortable talking about your experience!

✨Tip Number 4

Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search.

We think you need these skills to ace Staff Backend Engineer, Avatars Europe

Backend Systems Design
System Architecture
Data Modelling
Scalability
Reliability Engineering
Performance Optimisation
Latency Management
Cross-Team Collaboration
Technical Stewardship
Code Quality Assurance
Product Awareness
Customer-Facing Product Development
Large-Scale Systems Experience
Integration Across Multiple Teams

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the role of Staff Backend Engineer. Highlight your experience with backend systems and architecture, and don’t forget to mention any relevant projects that showcase your skills in system design and data modelling.

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you’re passionate about working at Synthesia and how your background aligns with our mission. Be specific about how your experience can contribute to the development of our avatar systems.

Showcase Your Collaboration Skills: Since this role involves working closely with multiple teams, make sure to highlight your collaborative experiences. Share examples of how you've influenced system design decisions across different domains and how you’ve worked with product and design teams.

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother application process. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table!

How to prepare for a job interview at Synthesia Limited

✨Know Your Systems Inside Out

Make sure you have a solid understanding of system design and architecture, especially in backend systems. Be prepared to discuss your past experiences in building scalable and reliable systems, and how you've tackled challenges related to performance and maintainability.

✨Connect the Dots

Synthesia values product awareness, so be ready to explain how your technical decisions have impacted user experience and business outcomes. Think about specific examples where your work has directly influenced customer satisfaction or product success.

✨Collaboration is Key

Since you'll be working closely with multiple teams, highlight your collaborative skills. Share examples of how you've influenced system design across different domains and how you’ve successfully integrated feedback from product and design teams into your work.

✨Think Long-Term

Demonstrate your ability to take a long-term view of system evolution. Discuss how you ensure that what you build today can support future iterations and increased scale. This shows that you’re not just focused on immediate solutions but are also considering the bigger picture.

Staff Backend Engineer, Avatars Europe
Synthesia Limited
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