At a Glance
- Tasks: Develop and maintain secure, reliable backend systems for our enterprise platform.
- Company: Join Synthesia, the leading AI video platform trusted by top brands worldwide.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, stock options, 25 days leave, and a remote work environment.
- Other info: Dynamic culture focused on building, collaboration, and rapid growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Be part of an innovative team shaping the future of AI and visual communication.
- Qualifications: 7+ years in software engineering with strong backend development experience.
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. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in London, with offices and teams across Europe and the US. 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.
Following our recent Series E funding round, where we raised $200 million, our valuation stands at $4 billion. Our total funding exceeds $530 million from premier investors including Accel, NVentures (Nvidia's VC arm), Kleiner Perkins, GV, and Evantic Capital, alongside the founders and operators of Stripe, Datadog, Miro, and Webflow.
About the role: You will work on core enterprise platform systems, focusing on backend services that ensure Synthesia is secure, reliable, and scalable for our largest customers. You will contribute to distributed backend systems and shared platform services, and be responsible for the safe and reliable operation of these systems in production. You will have ownership of projects that span months and multiple teams, requiring you to break down complex, ambiguous problems into clear steps that can be delivered and validated iteratively. You will work closely with product, security, legal, and infrastructure partners, and will be expected to translate business and regulatory requirements into scalable technical solutions. You will evaluate your work through system health and reliability metrics, leveraging observability and monitoring to ensure systems meet performance, reliability, and compliance expectations. You will consider the long-term direction of the platform, ensuring that the systems we build today can support future scale, enterprise requirements, and evolving regulatory needs.
What we're looking for:
- At least seven (7) years of experience as a software engineer, with experience operating at a senior or staff level.
- You have experience building and operating backend systems at scale, ideally within platform or enterprise-focused teams.
- Strong expertise in backend development and system design. Experience across the stack is a plus, but this role is primarily backend-focused.
- Relevant engineering experience for teams building enterprise-grade systems; this may include areas such as security, compliance, data handling, access control, multi-tenant systems, or platform services.
- Experience owning systems in production, including observability, incident response, and reliability improvements.
- Ability to work across teams and functions, aligning with stakeholders and driving technical initiatives end-to-end.
- Strong alignment with building reliable, scalable systems that support long-term product and business goals.
- Previous experience leading projects or mentoring other engineers is a plus.
Why join us? We’re living the golden age of AI. The next decade will yield the next iconic companies, and we dare to say we have what it takes to become one.
Our culture: At Synthesia we’re passionate about building, not talking, planning or politicising. We strive to hire the smartest, kindest and most unrelenting people and let them do their best work without distractions. Our work principles serve as our charter for how we make decisions, give feedback and structure our work to empower everyone to go as fast as possible.
Serving 50,000+ customers (and 50% of the Fortune 500): We’re trusted by leading brands such as Heineken, Zoom, Xerox, McDonald’s and more.
Proprietary AI technology: Since 2017, we’ve been pioneering advancements in Generative AI. Our AI technology is built in-house, by a team of world-class AI researchers and engineers.
AI Safety, Ethics and Security: AI safety, ethics, and security are fundamental to our mission. While the full scope of Artificial Intelligence's impact on our society is still unfolding, our position is clear: People first. Always.
The hiring process: 30-40min call with our Technical Recruiter, 45min call with an Engineering Manager about your past projects, 90min Live Coding interview, a collaboration exercise with our Engineer (not Leetcode style), 60min System Design, technical discussion usually about a real problem we had in production, 45min call with leadership, focus on examples of collaboration, growth and going through details of your future team. The process does not need to take long - we can be done in seven working days.
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, Enterprise employer: Synthesia
At Synthesia, we pride ourselves on fostering a dynamic and innovative work culture that empowers our employees to excel in their roles. As a leading AI video platform, we offer competitive salaries, generous leave policies, and a commitment to professional growth, ensuring that our team members are equipped to thrive in a fast-paced environment. With a focus on collaboration and cutting-edge technology, working with us means being part of a mission-driven company that values creativity and integrity while shaping the future of AI.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Backend Engineer, Enterprise
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company inside out! Research Synthesia's products, culture, and recent news. This will help you tailor your conversations and show genuine interest during interviews.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry events. A friendly chat can sometimes lead to referrals, which can give you a leg up in the hiring process.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for those technical interviews! Brush up on your backend development skills and be ready to discuss your past projects in detail. Practice coding challenges that reflect real-world problems, not just Leetcode.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up! After your interviews, send a thank-you email to express your appreciation. It’s a nice touch that keeps you fresh in their minds and shows your enthusiasm for the role.
We think you need these skills to ace Staff Backend Engineer, Enterprise
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Staff Backend Engineer role. Highlight your experience with backend systems, especially in enterprise environments, and show how your skills align with what we're looking for.
Showcase Your Projects:When detailing your past projects, focus on those that demonstrate your ability to handle complex backend systems. We want to see how you've tackled challenges and contributed to system reliability and scalability.
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to describe your experiences and achievements, making it easy for us to see your qualifications at a glance.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. This way, your application will be processed more efficiently, and you'll have access to all the latest updates about the role and our company.
How to prepare for a job interview at Synthesia
✨Know Your Backend Systems
Make sure you brush up on your backend development skills. Be ready to discuss your experience with distributed systems, security, and compliance. Synthesia is looking for someone who can translate complex problems into scalable solutions, so prepare examples of how you've done this in the past.
✨Showcase Your Project Ownership
Be prepared to talk about projects you've owned from start to finish. Highlight how you broke down complex tasks and collaborated with different teams. Synthesia values engineers who can drive technical initiatives, so demonstrate your leadership and mentoring experiences.
✨Understand the Company Culture
Familiarise yourself with Synthesia's work principles and culture. They appreciate smart, kind, and unrelenting individuals who focus on building rather than planning. Show that you align with their values and can contribute positively to their team dynamics.
✨Prepare for Technical Discussions
Expect a live coding interview and system design discussions. Practice coding collaboratively and be ready to tackle real-world problems. Synthesia wants to see how you approach challenges, so think out loud and explain your thought process during the interview.
