Senior Software Engineer (cvi)

YCombinator - North America, 🇺🇸 US, San Francisco

[https://www.workatastartup.com/companies/tavusSenior Software Engineer (CVI) at Tavus (S21)$160K - $250KBuilding the human layer of AISan Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)Full-timeWill sponsor3+ yearsApply now[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79585&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]About TavusAt Tavus, we're building the human layer of AI. Our mission is to make human-AIinteraction as natural as face-to-face interaction, enabling the human touchwhere it has been previously unscalable. We achieve this through pioneeringresearch in multi-modal AI models for human perception and understanding,combined with state-of-the-art human avatar rendering and communication models.Our models power everything from text-to-video AI avatars to real-timeconversational video experiences across industries like healthcare, recruiting,sales, education, and more. By enabling AI to see, hear, and communicate withhuman-like authenticity, we're creating the foundation for the next generationof AI employees, assistants, and companions.We're a Series B company backed by top investors, including Sequoia, YCombinator, and Scale VC. Join us in driving the future of human-AI interaction.About the roleAbout UsTavus [https://www.tavus.io/] is a research lab pioneering human computing.We’re building AI Humans: a new interface that closes the gap between people andmachines, free from the friction of today’s systems. Our real-time humansimulation models let machines see, hear, respond, and even look real—enablingmeaningful, face-to-face conversations. AI Humans combine the emotionalintelligence of humans with the reach and reliability of machines, making themcapable, trusted agents available 24/7, in every language, on our terms.Imagine a therapist anyone can afford. A personal trainer that adapts to yourschedule. A fleet of medical assistants that can give every patient theattention they need. With Tavus, individuals, enterprises, and developers canall build AI Humans to connect, understand, and act with empathy at scale.We’re a Series A company backed by world-class investors including SequoiaCapital, Y Combinator, and Scale Venture Partners.Be part of shaping a future where humans and machines truly understand eachother.The RoleWe're hiring a Senior Software Engineer (CVI) to be a technical driver on theTavus Conversational Video Interface product. This is a very hands-on rolefocused primarily on our multimodal real time conversational product.This isn't your first rodeo - you've tackled ambiguous problems head on, youhave strong opinions about architecture and interface design, and you know howto ship polished, reliable software. You'll work closely with product, andengineering leadership to build the future of human-computer interfaces, fast.This role is ambiguous and you bring a swiss army knife of experience to cutthrough the ambiguity. Here are a few examples of features this role hasshipped: Multilingual support - which allows the replica to speak in multiple different languages within a single conversation RAG and Memories - which lets the replica pull context from document stores and past conversations Utterance to Utterance Optimization - shaving hundreds of milliseconds off utterance turns IPC Standardization - centralizing the interface for inter process communication throughout the codebaseYour Mission 🚀 Jump into our existing CVI codebase and own the development and delivery of new features (ex: Voice localization for accent support, improve sentence endpointing for conversational smoothness, all features related to naturalness optimization) Help shape the future for how users interact with our SoTA models by partnering closely with our Research team to integrate real time models into CVI Contribute across the full product stack as needed, including dipping into research Work with the team to nail reliability and uptimeRequirements You are fluent in Python and have loads of experience with IPC, multiprocessing, and async frameworks. Low level concepts are dear friends You're comfortable out of your normal comfort zone and are willing to learn on the fly You thrives in an ambiguous and fast changing space. The state of the art changes on a dime and you react fast You bring a senior mindset: you set direction, owns decisions, and get things over the finish line. You communicate the complex with incredible clarity and leverage your communication abilities to teach othersBonus if you have: Deep experience with video streaming over WebRTC Deep experience working with LLMs and agentic frameworks Extensive experience with low level systemsBenefits & CultureWhen you join Tavus, you’re joining a diverse and supportive team. Our work isdriven by our people, and our success is shared by all. This position has aflexible work schedule, unlimited PTO, competitive healthcare, and gearstipends, as well as plenty of fun. At the end of the day, we want Tavus to be aplace for you to learn, directly drive impact, and work with a team you love.To learn more about our team culture and benefits, check out our hiring page.[https://www.tavus.io/careers]Tavus is growing fast, and we’d like you to grow with us. If you’re excited toget your hands dirty and help make machines more human, drop your resume andwe’ll be in touch.We are not looking for cultural fits, we are looking for culture creators.Diversity is what drives our success – it’s at the core of how we hire,communicate, and work. We are inclusive to all and combine our diversebackgrounds, skill sets, and perspectives to build the best experiences for ourclientsApply now[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79585&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]OTHER JOBS AT TAVUSAI Researcher (Perception) [https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/79591]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)Research$160K - $250K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79591&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]Support Engineer [https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/76048]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)Full stack$120K - $170K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D76048&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]Senior Software Engineer (Backend) [https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/79588]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)Backend$160K - $250K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79588&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]Senior Software Engineer (CVI) [https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/79585]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)Machine learning$160K - $250K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79585&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]Solution Engineer [https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/74638]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)$125K - $175K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D74638&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]Senior Product Designer [https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/79307]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, USProduct design$150K - $200K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79307&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]Senior Software Engineer (Frontend) [https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/79587]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)Frontend$160K - $250K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79587&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]AI Researcher (Voice) [https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/79590]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)Research$160K - $250K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79590&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]Senior Software Engineer (Agentic Systems)[https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/79586]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)Machine learning$160K - $250K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79586&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]Growth Engineer [https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/76702]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, USFull stack$150K - $200K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D76702&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]Senior Software Engineer (Infrastructure)[https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/79584]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)Devops$160K - $250K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79584&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]AI Researcher (Rendering) [https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/79589]fulltimeSan Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)Research$160K - $250K3+ yearsApply[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79589&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]HUNDREDS OF YC STARTUPS ARE HIRING ON WORK AT A STARTUP.Sign up to see more ›[https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignupjobid%3D79585&defaults%5BsignUpActive%5D=true&defaults%5Bwaascompany%5D=24161]