Duolingo
Staff Software Engineer, Backend
🇺🇸 Seattle, WA
🕑 Full-Time
💰 $200K - $360K
💻 Software Engineering
🗓️ June 19th, 2025
Python
Edtech.com's Summary
Duolingo is hiring a Staff Software Engineer, Backend to develop, release, and maintain backend services and infrastructure, and to build AI-driven developer tools that enhance engineering workflows. The role involves defining strategy and architecture for AI developer tools, collaborating across teams, and leading high-impact projects to improve software lifecycle efficiency.
Highlights
- Develop, release, and maintain backend services and infrastructure.
- Design and iterate on AI-infused developer tools to simplify workflows.
- Lead project priorities, milestones, and ensure continuous delivery.
- Collaborate with developers company-wide.
- Required programming experience in Java, Python, or Kotlin.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related technical field.
- Strong skills in data structures, algorithms, and software design.
- Experience building customer-focused products.
- Preferred experience includes full stack development for iOS/Android and public cloud providers.
- Experience integrating AI/ML systems into developer tooling, including prompt design and model evaluation.
- Salary range: $200,000–$360,000 USD, excluding equity and benefits.
Staff Software Engineer, Backend Full Description
Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It’s a big mission, and that’s where you come in!
At Duolingo, you’ll join a team that cares about finding innovative solutions to complex technical problems, running countless experiments (300+ at a time!) with our massive user base to make data-driven decisions, and educating our users and employees alike. You’ll have limitless learning opportunities, mentorship and collaboration with world-class minds, and a variety of projects with large scopes — while doing work that’s both fun and meaningful.
Join our life-changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.
Below you can find more information about the teams we're hiring for:
DevX AI Team:
The DevX AI team empowers engineers at Duolingo to be more effective, by introducing AI-infused tools that simplify workflows and reduce friction and toil. As a Staff Engineer in the team, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of engineering at Duolingo. You will define the strategy and architecture of AI-driven developer tools, mentor senior engineers, and drive high-leverage initiatives that touch every part of our software lifecycle. You will build developer tooling that amplify the impact of engineers, including productionizing an MCP infrastructure to connect with AI coding agents.
You will...
- Develop, release, and maintain backend services and/or infrastructure
- Introduce and iterate on developer tools, and advocate for adoption
- Collaborate on projects with developers across the company
- Lead individual project priorities, milestones, and ensure we're always shipping
You have...
- A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related technical field
- Strong competencies in data structures, algorithms, and software design
- Experience programming in Java, Python, or Kotlin
- Experience working closely with customers, and building products that they love
Exceptional candidates will have...
- Industry experience with full stack development for iOS or Android
- Industry experience building high-traffic products using public cloud providers
- Experience integrating AI/ML systems into developer-facing tools, including prompt design, model evaluation, or agent workflow orchestration
We post a multi-level salary range for all of our roles.
This is not inclusive of the rest of our awesome portfolio that includes equity compensation and world-class benefits. Our salary ranges are the same for all US locations. Your recruiter can share more details about the range for a specific level during the hiring process. The actual salary within the range is determined by many factors including but not limited to, skills, experience, education, and internal equity.
Salary Range:
$200,000—$360,000 USD
Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits here.
We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact accommodations@duolingo.com.
Duolingo is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
By applying for this position your data will be processed as per the Duolingo Applicant Privacy Notice.
