Senior Software Engineer - Linguistics Tooling

DeepL is a global communications platform powered by Language AI. Since 2017, we’ve been on a mission to break down language barriers. Our human-sounding translations and intelligent writing suggestions are designed with enterprise security in mind. Today, they enable over 100,000 businesses to transform communications, reach new markets, and improve productivity. And, empower millions of individuals worldwide to make sense of the world and express their ideas.

Our goal is to become the global leader in Language AI, building products that drive better communication, foster connections, and make a real-life impact. To achieve this, we need talented individuals like you to join our exciting journey. If you're ready to work with a dynamic team and build your career in the fast-moving AI space, DeepL is your next destination.

What sets us apart is our blend of modern technology, competitive benefits, and an open, welcoming work culture that enables our people to thrive. When we share what it's like to work at DeepL, the reactions are overwhelmingly positive. This may be because of our products that have helped countless people worldwide or our shared mission to improve communication for individuals and businesses, bringing cultures closer together. What we know for sure is this: being part of DeepL means joining a team dedicated to innovation and employee well-being. Discover what our teams have to say about life at DeepL on LinkedIn, Instagram and our Blog.

The mission of the Linguistic Tooling Team is to enable DeepL’s AI research teams to collect, curate, and discover data by delivering purpose-built software solutions, while maintaining technical excellence in a fast-paced environment. We are a seasoned group with a history of delivering high-quality results within a complex, high-stakes research environment, but we maintain a culture of deep autonomy. We don't believe in "tech for tech’s sake"—we empower our engineers to choose the right stacks and strategies to solve the problems they deem most important. If you value a work environment where your technical judgment is trusted and your impact is immediate, you’ll fit right in.

• Full-Cycle Feature Engineering: Architect, develop, and maintain sophisticated full-stack features using a modern tech stack (TypeScript, React/Next.js, Python, FastAPI, and Kubernetes)

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Interface directly with researchers and domain experts to translate high-level research objectives into technical specifications and actionable roadmaps

• Technical Ownership: End-to-end ownership of projects, internal tools, and/or cross-functional aspects, such as infrastructure or security

• Infrastructure Management: Take ownership of the deployment and evolution of applications within our self-managed Kubernetes cluster, ensuring high availability and performance

• Code Quality & Technical Excellence: Participate in thoughtful code reviews, contribute to architectural decisions, and help raise the bar for engineering excellence across the team

• Experimentation & Innovation: Contribute to the technical direction of the team by proposing new approaches, conducting experiments, and integrating cutting-edge developer tools (including AI-assisted coding technologies).

We are seeking a high-agency engineer who excels in collaborative, fast-moving environments and is comfortable navigating the inherent uncertainty of experimental research.

• Proven Professional Expertise: You possess a minimum of 3 years of professional software development experience with a demonstrated track record of delivering complex, production-grade features. Proficiency in our stack is a plus, but not a requirement

• Strong Full-stack Engineering Skills: You combine comprehensive understanding of the entire development stack with clean abstractions, robust data modeling, and sound architectural decisions

• Collaborative Ownership and High Agency: You are a dedicated team player who prioritizes collective success and transparent communication. Still, you also possess the individual drive to take full ownership of complex tasks and drive projects forward with high agency

• Adaptability: You maintain focus and motivation within a shifting landscape where research priorities evolve rapidly. You possess the judgment to balance robust, sound engineering with the speed and flexibility required to navigate experimental uncertainty

• Exceptional Communication: You can communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, demonstrating the ability to explain complex technical trade-offs to researchers and domain experts

• User Empathy: You enjoy designing workflows and internal tools that improve the lives of others, showing a genuine interest in making technical processes more intuitive and productive

• Continuous Learning: You are eager to learn and open to new challenges, demonstrating the ability to work effectively with unfamiliar languages or tools whenever the problem demands it

• 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 onboarding's, 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!

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.