Staff Software Engineer (AI) at Literati

San Francisco, California, United States

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

Senior (5 to 8 years), Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Insurance, AIIndustries

Requirements

8+ years of experience building high-quality production software (Python preferred)
Demonstrated experience architecting and delivering asynchronous, high-throughput, distributed systems in production
Strong expertise with FastAPI, Django, asyncio (or similar frameworks) in Python
Proficiency with NodeJS, React, Typescript and/or Express (or equivalent) — with the ability to evaluate when to use which stack and to mentor others
Deep knowledge of SQL and real-time or near-real-time distributed data processing systems (e.g., RabbitMQ, SNS, SQS, Kafka)
Strong cloud experience (AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure) and familiarity with DevOps practices, infrastructure as code, monitoring/observability, CI/CD pipelines
Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, make principled trade-offs between speed and quality, and drive innovation while maintaining long-term sustainability
Experience working in a fully remote, asynchronous, distributed team environment; excellent communication skills and ability to influence without authority
Passion for emerging technologies and the curiosity to explore how they apply to real business problems

Responsibilities

Define and drive the technical vision for one or more core platforms or domains, including architecture, infrastructure, tooling, and performance
Design, develop, and maintain software applications that leverage foundational LLMs and are built with high performance, scalability, resilience, and observability in mind
Lead cross-functional initiatives: collaborate with data scientists, product managers, other engineering teams, and infrastructure/DevOps to translate business strategy into scalable, technical roadmaps
Serve as a technical mentor and coach: influence coding practices, meet quality standards, perform deep code reviews, share knowledge, and raise the bar for engineering excellence
Actively drive architectural design and trade-off decisions, balancing fast iteration and long-term maintainability. Gain buy-in from senior stakeholders across the organization and ensure alignment on strategic initiatives
Own operational excellence: troubleshooting, debugging, and resolving issues across the entire stack; lead the on-call rotation; define and measure reliability metrics (SLA/SLO/SLI) and lead post-mortem follow-ups
Evangelize best practices: proactively identify technical debt, propose improvement initiatives, and help deliver them; introduce new technologies and processes that accelerate team productivity and quality
Represent the engineering organization externally when needed (conference talks, open-source contributions, partner engagements) to raise our profile and bring back learnings

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

AILLMsSoftware ArchitectureScalabilityResilienceObservabilityMentoringCode ReviewDevOpsInfrastructure

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What experience level is required for this Staff Software Engineer role?

The role requires 8+ years of experience building high-quality production software, with Python preferred, and demonstrated experience architecting and delivering asynchronous, high-throughput, distributed systems in production.

What is the salary or compensation for this position?

This information is not specified in the job description.

Is this role remote or does it require office work?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What is the company culture like at Liberate?

The team consists of talented and motivated engineers with diverse backgrounds who value collaboration, learning and improvement, trust and respect, and technical excellence, creating an environment where teammates enjoy working together, celebrate successes, and have fun solving interesting problems.

What makes a strong candidate for this Staff Software Engineer position?

A strong candidate has 8+ years of experience building production software (Python preferred), expertise in architecting distributed systems, and the ability to lead technical vision, mentor engineers, and drive cross-functional initiatives.

Literati

Curated book subscription service for all ages

About Literati

Literati offers a subscription service for curated book selections aimed at both adults and children. Each month, subscribers receive a new hardcover book chosen by influential figures, known as Luminaries, from various fields such as business, sports, and the arts. This approach provides readers with enriching and inspiring content. For children, Literati features a 'try before you buy' option, allowing parents to receive a selection of expertly reviewed books to ensure quality and age-appropriateness. The company differentiates itself by combining celebrity involvement with expert curation, appealing to those seeking intellectual and inspirational reading experiences. Literati's goal is to foster a love for reading through high-quality literature while generating revenue through subscription fees and book sales.

Austin, TexasHeadquarters

2017Year Founded

$89.5MTotal Funding

SERIES_BCompany Stage

Education, Consumer GoodsIndustries

201-500Employees

Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Short-term Disability Insurance

Parental Leave

Flexible Work Hours

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Company Equity

Risks

Increased competition from companies like Book of the Month challenges Literati's market share.

Celebrity involvement risks brand reputation if associated figures face controversies.

Integration challenges from Follett Book Fairs acquisition may disrupt Literati's operations.

Differentiation

Literati offers curated book selections with celebrity involvement, enhancing its unique market position.

The 'try before you buy' model for children's books sets Literati apart from competitors.

Literati's platform includes exclusive content and discussions, enriching the reader's experience.

Upsides

Rising interest in personalized content boosts demand for Literati's curated book services.

AI-driven personalization can enhance Literati's book selection process, improving customer satisfaction.

Celebrity and influencer marketing trends align with Literati's Luminary-curated adult book offerings.

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