Staff AI Engineer - Remote

About Replika

Replika is an AI companion loved by 35M+ users around the world. We’re redefining what it means to connect with technology — emotionally, intelligently, and personally. From mobile to VR, we’re building an experience that feels less like software and more like someone who gets you.

We’ve been featured in TED Talks, Stanford and Harvard studies, the Lex Fridman podcast. All for one reason: people connect with Replika in a deeply human way.

We're scaling fast and taking on bold challenges to become the most human AI on the planet.

About the Role

We're looking for a Software Engineer with strong Python & System Architecture experience to join our AI team. You'll work closely with AI engineers, and backend developers, and DevOps to bring AI solutions into production, with a focus on infrastructure, automation, and performance.

If you're someone who thrives in cross-functional teams, is excited about operationalizing cutting-edge LLM technologies, and has a solid foundation in backend systems and DevOps, we’d love to meet you.

Responsibilities

• Build, manage, and optimize backend systems and APIs supporting AI/ML workloads.
• Support and maintain robust data and ML pipelines, ensuring scalability and reliability.
• Develop FastAPI-based microservices leveraging Python async patterns.
• Manage state and flow tracking using Redis and MongoDB, optimizing performance and persistence layers.
• Integrate with LLMs (LLaMA, OpenAI, Anthropic) and support vector database operations (e.g., Pinecone).
• Implement and maintain Docker-based containerized environments for both development and production.
• Design and monitor event-driven systems using Kafka.
• Implement structured logging (Structlog/Logfire) and observability solutions (e.g., Datadog).
• Collaborate with the DevOps team on CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions.
• Contribute to Quadrant integration for deployment and operational alignment.
• (Optional) Provide support for Scala-based components, if applicable.

Required Skills & Experience

• Minimum 5+ years of experience with Python development
• Experience with Redis (especially asyncio clients) for state tracking and flow control.
• Strong understanding of MongoDB query patterns and schema design.
• Experience working with Large Language Models , including LLaMA (3.x preferred).
• Hands-on with LLM APIs such as OpenAI , Anthropic , etc.
• Experience with vector databases like Pinecone , understanding semantic search and embeddings.
• Proficient with Docker and docker compose
• Experience in event-driven systems with Kafka (producers/consumers).
• Strong grasp of CI/CD using GitHub Actions .
• Familiarity with Quadrant for deployment orchestration.
• Comfortable with logging/monitoring tools such as Datadog .
• Proven experience collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders
• Experience with systems serving at scale (at least 500k+ users)
• Startup mindset: proactive, adaptive, and comfortable navigating ambiguity

Nice to Have

• FastAPI for building async APIs and microservices.
• Familiarity with Scala or willingness to learn it.
• Experience with Kubernetes or other orchestration tools.
• Prior work in AI/ML-focused product teams or research environments.
• Experience in leadership roles such as Team Lead, Engineering Manager, or Staff Engineer

What You’ll Get

• A chance to build a product that actually matters to millions of people
• Freedom to work remotely with a globally distributed team
• Offsites in different countries with people who actually like each other
• A trustworthy, high-responsibility environment where your ideas really matter

Work at Replika

At Replika, growth isn’t a maybe—it’s built in. Do the work. Deliver. One great project could double your salary. Seriously. Who do we think we are? Replika. We move fast. Very. Join us at the forefront of emotional AI.