Staff Backend Engineer

Join Modulate as we pioneer the future of conversational intelligence.

Modulate is the leader in conversational voice intelligence. We enable platforms and enterprises to deeply understand how people communicate and take timely action based on those insights.

Our products help detect harm, prevent fraud, and build safer, more trusted online and real-world voice environments. We are building a self-serve Conversation Intelligence Platform — APIs, workflows, and applications that bring voice understanding to customers at enterprise scale.

We are building a self-serve Conversation Intelligence Platform — APIs, workflows, and applications that bring voice understanding to customers at enterprise scale.

About the Role

We're looking for a Staff Engineer to help architect, scale, and evolve our core product platform as we grow into new markets and customer segments.

You'll be a technical leader and systems thinker working across the stack in an environment built on quick iteration, where engineers operate with a high degree of ownership and independence.

This role is best suited to someone who can take an ambiguous customer problem, scope a sharp solution, and ship it end to end — and whose work raises the bar for the whole team.

What You'll Do

• Own features from ambiguous problem statement through design, implementation, deployment, and customer feedback — partnering with product and fellow engineers along the way, across the stack as needed.

• Exercise strong scoping judgment: deliver high-quality features quickly while making deliberate, well-understood trade-offs.

• Set the technical quality bar for the team through your own work.

• Improve engineering workflows and tooling to make delivery faster for everyone.

• Make pragmatic technology choices that fit the problem at hand.

• Multiply the team through design feedback, code review, and mentorship without adding process for its own sake.

• Partner directly with product and customers to shape what we build next.

What We're Looking For

• 8+ years of software engineering experience across multiple layers of the stack, with a strong record of technical ownership and shipped impact.

• A track record of taking products or major features from zero to customers — ideally in startups or environments with quick iteration cycles.

• Excellent judgment about scope: you know when good enough is right, when quality is non-negotiable, and how to tell the difference.

• Strong systems thinking spanning backend services, APIs, data persistence, and the interfaces that connect them.

• Comfort with ambiguity and independence — you don't need a spec, a ticket, or permission to do the right thing.

• Clear, direct communication with engineers, product leaders, and customers alike.

Nice to Have

• Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred), infrastructure-as-code, and DevOps practices.

• Experience productionizing ML models or building on ML-powered APIs, especially audio/voice.

• Experience in developer-facing API products, gaming, or trust & safety.

Benefits

At Modulate, we prioritize people and sustainability—because doing great work requires feeling supported and safe. Some of our key benefits include:

• Competitive salary + equity- Full health, dental, and vision coverage

• Flexible PTO, with a strong culture of taking it

• Weekly team lunches with dietary accommodations

• Hybrid work: core in-office days with flexible remote options

• Regular leadership and industry learning sessions

• Support for career development and continued learning

• Up to 8 weeks work-from-anywhere policy

• A deeply inclusive, human-centered culture

Pay Transparency

Modulate believes in transparency as a cornerstone of equity and trust. Compensation for this role is based on seniority, skills, and experience.

Salary: $180,000 to $200,000
Equity: Offered
Other perks: HSA, FSA, 15 holidays, professional growth resources

About Modulate

Modulate is on a mission to make voice a force for good online. Our tools help communities thrive by proactively detecting toxic behavior, protecting user identity, and empowering safety teams. We’re trusted by leaders in gaming and beyond—and we’re growing fast.

We believe that great cultures don’t just happen. That’s why we’ve built a foundation of intentional systems: from bias-reducing hiring practices to transparent pay to tools that help teams collaborate across communication styles. At Modulate, we treat people like people—and we’re building technology that does the same.

Ready to join us? Apply here or reach out directly—we’re excited to meet you.