Senior Staff Software Engineer | API

MEET DEEPL DeepL is a global AI product and research company focused on building secure, intelligent solutions to complex business problems. Over 200,000 business customers and millions of individuals across 228 global markets today trust DeepL's Language AI platform for human-like translation, improved writing and real-time voice translation. Founded in 2017 by CEO Jaroslaw “Jarek” Kutylowski, DeepL now has around 1,000 passionate employees and is supported by world-renowned investors including Benchmark, IVP, and Index Ventures. Our goal is to become the global leader in trusted, intelligent AI technology, building products that drive better communication, foster connections, and create a meaningful impact. To achieve this, we need talented people like you to join our journey. If you’re ready to shape the future of AI and grow your career in a fast-moving, purpose-driven environment, DeepL is your next destination. WHAT SETS US APART What sets us apart is our blend of cutting-edge AI technology, meaningful work, and a culture where people truly thrive. We’re a team of innovators, researchers, and creators driven by a shared purpose to unlock human potential by making work simpler, smarter, and more connected. When we share what it’s like to work at DeepL, the reactions are overwhelmingly positive. This might be because of our technology that helps millions of people and businesses communicate and work better every day, or because of the trust, curiosity, and care that shape our culture. What we know for sure is this: being part of DeepL means joining a team dedicated to innovation, growth, and well-being. Discover more about life at DeepL onLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/deepl/,Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepl_official/, and our Blog https://www.deepl.com/en/blog. MEET THE TEAM BEHIND THIS JOURNEY The API & Partnership track acts as the gateway to DeepL, enabling the world to integrate our Language and AI capabilities into their own digital ecosystems. We do not just build APIs; we architect the "Golden Path" that allows internal teams to ship faster while ensuring our external interfaces are enterprise-ready. We are the stewards of scale, trust, and integration, empowering millions of users to access DeepL reliably and securely. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES You will serve as a technical strategist, enabling 10x API delivery speed and establishing the trust required for enterprise adoption. Your work will bridge the gap between complex distributed systems and seamless partner integrations. You will: - Drive API Strategy & Scale: Architect a hyper-scalable infrastructure designed to support exponential growth in traffic and data volume. You will set the technical vision for our microservices, ensuring our systems remain resilient, secure, and performant as we scale to the next tier of usage. - Enable the Partner Ecosystem: Lead the technical side of strategic partnerships, building integrations with AWS Marketplace and enterprise SaaS providers. You will own the delivery of "Trust" features—such as granular billing, residency controls, and auditability—that are essential for closing enterprise deals. - Force-Multiply Engineering Velocity: Establish rigorous platform standards (contracts, versioning, security) that raise the bar for the entire organization. By building self-service tooling and automated quality gates, you will empower product teams to deploy independently without breaking production. QUALITIES WE LOOK FOR - Distinguished Technical Experience: 10+ years in software engineering with a focus on high-scale distributed systems and API platform architecture. You have "been there, done that" with modern cloud stacks and backend technologies, and you drive engineering cultures centered on automated testing and operational discipline. - Enterprise Integration Mastery: You understand the nuance of the enterprise landscape. You have deep experience navigating compliance, security, and data residency challenges while building integration patterns that allow third-party ecosystems to thrive on top of your platform. - Strategic Communication: You can translate complex technical challenges into clear strategic proposals. You are adept at writing RFCs and influencing stakeholders across the business—from product managers to other Staff engineers—driving consensus and execution in ambiguous environments. - AI-Native Developer: You embrace the potential of AI to transform software development. You actively use and advocate for AI tools to streamline workflows and are eager to guide the organization in adopting AI-assisted engineering practices. 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 and growth mindset makes us better together. - Hybrid work, flexible hours: we offer a hybrid work schedule, with team members coming into the office twice a week. This allows you to engage directly with your team and experience the unique energy of our workspace, while still enjoying the flexibility and comfort of working from home. With flexible working hours and trust in your productivity, we are in sync with your team’s general locations and time zones to foster effective and seamless collaboration. - Virtual Shares - An ownership mindset in every role. We believe everyone should share in our success, and that’s why every employee receives Virtual Shares, linking your contribution directly to DeepL’s growth and rewarding you with a stake in our future. - 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. - 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. - Competitive benefits: just as our team spans the globe, so does our benefits package. We've crafted it to reflect the diversity of our team and tailored it to align with your unique location, to ensure you feel supported every step of the way. If this role and our mission resonate with you, but you're hesitant because you don't check all the boxes, don't let that hold you back. At DeepL, it's all about the value you bring and the growth we can foster together. Go ahead, apply—let's discover your potential together. We can't wait to meet you! WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER You are welcome at DeepL for who you are - we appreciate authenticity here. Our product is for everyone, and so is our workplace. The more voices we have represented and amplified in our business, the more we will all succeed, contribute, and think forward! So bring us your personal experience, your perspectives, and your background. It’s in our diversity that we will find the power to break down language barriers in the world.