About the role

Aplyr's Quick Take

This role is for a Staff Software Engineer focused on backend development for Snorkel's Expert Contributor platform. You'll design and implement systems that automate workflows and manage data contributors, ensuring the platform is scalable and efficient. It's an individual contributor role with a significant emphasis on technical leadership and architectural strategy.

Good fit

Ideal candidates have extensive experience in backend engineering, particularly in building scalable systems and automation. You should be comfortable with complex technical challenges and have a proactive, empathetic approach to user needs.

Worth noting

The salary is notably high at $290,000, which may reflect the specialized nature of the role. The position is hybrid, allowing for some flexibility in work location.

About Snorkel

At Snorkel, we believe meaningful AI doesn’t start with the model, it starts with the data.

We’re on a mission to help enterprises transform expert knowledge into specialized AI at scale. The AI landscape has gone through incredible changes since 2015, when Snorkel started as a research project in the Stanford AI Lab, to the generative AI breakthroughs of today. But one thing has remained constant: the data you use to build AI is the key to achieving differentiation, high performance, and production-ready systems. We work with some of the world’s largest organizations to empower scientists, engineers, financial experts, product creators, journalists, and more to build custom AI with their data faster than ever before. Excited to help us redefine how AI is built? Apply to be the newest Snorkeler!

As a Staff Backend Engineer at Snorkel, you will set the long-term technical direction and strategy for our Expert Contributor (EC) Platform. You will be responsible for defining and driving complex, multi-quarter architectural initiatives that ensure our services are innovative, scalable, and resilient. Your work will bridge the gap between human expertise and machine learning by enabling domain experts to provide high-signal data for training and refining state-of-the-art models.

Main Responsibilities

Design and develop mission-critical systems for the end-to-end Expert Contributor (EC) lifecycle, focusing on automated onboarding workflows, performance management, and contributor retention.
Build robust features and integrations with key third-party services, including platforms for assessments and Employer of Record systems.
Automate supply and allocation logic to efficiently manage and deploy a high volume of ECs to various data collection projects, ensuring optimal coverage and quality.
Prototype, optimize, and maintain scalable services to power complex data user management pipelines.
Set the strategy and architecture for build systems, testing frameworks, and CI/CD pipelines.
Lead the transition from scheduled releases to a robust, automated continuous deployment framework, taking end-to-end ownership of the release pipeline.
Build proactively with empathy for both customers and subject matter experts using our tools.
Mentor and guide Senior and Mid-level engineers on technical design, best practices, and project execution across multiple teams.
Partner with cross-functional teams to design and deliver improvements to dev-infra, release processes, and internal tooling.
Engage with product managers, designers, and ML experts to create a phenomenal user experience for data acquisition and refinement.

Qualifications

8+ years of software engineering experience developing performant, intuitive, and scalable web application architectures and 2+ years working at a Staff level or equivalent
Strong background in developer productivity, distributed systems, and cloud platforms (AWS preferred).
Expertise designing REST for internal services and developers.
Experience developing and shipping enterprise software products, specifically those focused on data collection, or machine learning applications.
Track record of leading complex engineering initiatives, influencing stakeholders, and delivering measurable impact.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with strong technical communication skills.

Nice to Have

Experience in hyper-growth startup environments or scaling engineering orgs.
Experience with AI development workflows, AI-assisted code generation, or SRE automation or strong excitement to learn.
Prior experience as a Tech Lead Manager (TLM) or equivalent role with a focus on cross-functional technical leadership and mentorship.

Work Schedule

Work a hybrid schedule with three days per week in our Redwood City HQ or the SF office.

Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.

Salary range(s) for this role

$240,000—$290,000 USD

Be Your Best at Snorkel

Joining Snorkel AI means becoming part of a company that has market proven solutions, robust funding, and is scaling rapidly—offering a unique combination of stability and the excitement of high growth. As a member of our team, you’ll have meaningful opportunities to shape priorities and initiatives, influence key strategic decisions, and directly impact our ongoing success. Whether you’re looking to deepen your technical expertise, explore leadership opportunities, or learn new skills across multiple functions, you’re fully supported in building your career in an environment designed for growth, learning, and shared success.

Snorkel AI is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and is committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Snorkel AI embraces diversity and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Snorkel AI prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, performance, merit, and business need.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Skills & Tags

go aws machine learning ai backend data product design

Aplyr's read

Snorkel AI accelerates AI initiatives by revolutionizing training data management, attracting experts in machine learning and data services.
Synthesized from recent postings & public sources

What's promising

•Innovative platform simplifies and speeds up the creation of training data for AI models.
•Strong focus on research roles indicates commitment to cutting-edge AI development.
•Diverse hiring across operations, engineering, and research suggests robust company growth.

What to watch

•Highly specialized focus may limit opportunities for those outside AI and data fields.
•Success heavily reliant on maintaining technological edge in a rapidly evolving industry.
•Limited public information about company culture and employee satisfaction.

Why Snorkel AI

•Pioneers in programmatic data labeling, reducing reliance on manual data annotation.
•Emphasis on open-source and research roles fosters a collaborative and innovative environment.
•Offers Data as a Service, integrating AI solutions directly into client operations.

Aplyr’s read is generated by AI from public sources. Was it useful?

About Snorkel AI

Snorkel AI

snorkel.ai

View company

Snorkel AI is a company that provides a platform for building and managing training data for machine learning models, enabling organizations to accelerate their AI initiatives.