Software Engineer, Backend
$175k - $250k USD
About Unit
Unit is an AI video company. We’re building GTV, a consumer product that combines creativity and automation to deliver a next-generation video experience. Our team includes senior people from Instagram, TikTok, and NVIDIA. We’re based in San Francisco and backed by Khosla Ventures, Air Street Capital, and other leaders in AI.
Role Overview
We're looking for an experienced Backend Software Engineer to join the GTV team. You'll work closely with researchers, engineers, and designers to build our core systems, including video generation workflows, reinforcement learning infrastructure, real-time data pipelines, and more. This role is for someone who loves building high-performance systems and wants to reimagine the future of media.
Responsibilities
Design and develop scalable backend systems that power the creative engine behind GTV
Partner with researchers, engineers, and designers to develop new product features and APIs
Build core infrastructure for custom models, agentic workflows, and reinforcement learning loops
Drive reliability and efficiency of distributed systems with automated testing, performance benchmarking, and end-to-end observability
Requirements
3+ years of software engineering experience with proficiency in Python
Industry experience with AWS (S3, Lambda, RDS, SQS, ECS), FastAPI, Docker, CI/CD pipelines, and other backend services
Deep understanding of generative models, distributed systems, information retrieval, large-scale data processing, and asynchronous workflows
Proven ability to debug complex systems, navigate ambiguity, and take ownership of challenging problems
Excellent communication and collaboration with research, engineering, and design teams
Nice To Have
Prior work experience at early-stage or high-growth startups
Familiarity with video generation, encoding, playback, and distribution
Background in generative AI and consumer-facing products
Compensation
$175K-$250K base salary
Competitive equity grant
Top-tier benefits (medical, dental, and vision)
Daily dinner stipend
Relocation support