Senior Backend Engineer, AI & Productivity

For millions of teams working in dozens of industries, day-to-day business gets done on the phone. So why — despite the huge leaps we've taken in design and usability — does most business phone software still look, feel, and act like it was born in the 90s? OpenPhone is changing that.

We’re a new type of business phone with a mission to help people communicate better and be more productive.

We’re backed by Y Combinator and some of the best venture firms around including Tiger Global, Craft Ventures, Slow Ventures, and others. We take pride in providing an exceptional customer experience and a product people love, which is why we’re excited that our customers have rated us the #1 VoIP Provider on G2.

OpenPhone is the modern, sophisticated answer to the clunky, outdated phone systems that have been slowing down businesses for years. With thousands of happy customers and several rounds of funding in just five years, it's safe to say we're onto something big.

What You'll Do

• Design and integrate LLM-based solutions, focusing on RAG implementations and optimal architecture patterns
• Lead rapid experimentation and prototyping of AI features, conducting proof of concepts to validate solutions
• Drive cost optimization for AI implementations through efficient architecture design
• Work closely with product, engineering, and customer experience teams to develop AI solutions
• Build and optimize prompt engineering workflows to enhance user experiences
• Implement robust error handling and monitoring for AI systems
• Guide technical discussions around AI architecture decisions
• Mentor team members and champion innovation in AI development

Required Skills

• 5+ years of backend engineering experience with TypeScript/Node.js or Python
• Experience with LLM integrations (OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI) and familiarity with orchestration frameworks like LangChain or LlamaIndex
• Experience/familiarity with real-time event-driven and streaming systems
• Working knowledge of prompt engineering, RAG, and vector databases
• Experience with API design and microservices architecture
• Track record of rapid prototyping and experimentation
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills

About You

• You thrive in a fast-paced environment with evolving requirements
• You balance quick experimentation with production-ready code
• You're skilled at navigating ambiguity and driving projects to completion
• You collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders
• You make thoughtful architectural decisions, balancing innovation with constraints
• You focus on business impact and user experience
• You enjoy mentoring others and fostering engineering excellence

Nice to Have

• Experience with conversational AI and voice agent development
• Knowledge of autonomous agent architectures and workflows
• Background in data pipeline design and ETL processes
• Experience building low-latency, real-time AI systems
• Familiarity with AI agent orchestration frameworks
• Understanding of multi-agent systems and communication patterns
• Knowledge of AI system cost optimization

Compensation

The annual base salary range for this position is as follows, plus equity and benefits:
Canada: $196,000 - $218,000 CAD

The ranges displayed reflect the target for new hire salaries, and within each range, individual pay is determined by your skills and experience, as well as relevant education. Your recruiter can share more and answer questions about the specific salary range during the hiring process.

Salary is just one component of OpenPhone’s total compensation package. Your total rewards package will include equity, extensive medical coverage, a monthly lifestyle stipend, and a flexible PTO policy.

Who we are

As a fully remote company, we thrive asynchronously as a team. We are curious, ambitious, and dedicated to our work. We value trust above all else, and have a strong bias for action. If you're looking for a place to do your life's work, please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.

And remember, there's no such thing as a 'perfect' candidate. We're looking for optimists with grit and determination, who are excited to face the challenges of a growing startup. OpenPhone is the type of company where you can grow, and we encourage you to apply for this role even if you don't think you meet all the requirements.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse work environment. It is important that you are able to bring your authentic self to work every day. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. #LI-Remote