Staff Software Engineer

Staff Software Engineer - Platform & Architecture Hybrid, Montreal yasp is pioneering the future of software development with a compiler that leverages agentic AI for advanced optimization and code generation. We don’t draw boundaries between research and engineering. We are creative thinkers and relentless prototypers who live at the bleeding edge of AI research and systems engineering. Together, we explore, invent, and ship novel technology that pushes beyond the state of the art for accelerating deep learning models. We're seeking a Staff Software Engineer who is as much a software architect as a systems operator. You will be the technical conscience of our codebase, defining not just where our software runs, but how it is written, packaged, and architected. You will be responsible for the scale of our infrastructure and the maturity of our Python software ecosystem. What You’ll Do Define Software & Platform Architecture: Own the technical roadmap for yasp's platform, bridging the gap between infrastructure (Kubernetes, Cloud) and application architecture. You will decide how our services communicate, how we handle concurrency, and how we structure our internal developer platforms. Python Ecosystem Stewardship: Act as the main authority on Python development at yasp. You will drive the adoption of modern Python standards (Type hinting, AsyncIO, Pydantic), manage complex dependency chains, and ensure our Python-based compiler and agents are performant and maintainable. Elevate Engineering Standards: Move beyond simple code review. You will design and enforce our processes, implementing rigid standards for testing (unit, integration, contract), static analysis, and release management to treat infrastructure code with the same rigor as product code. Drive Strategic Tooling: Lead the design and implementation of internal libraries, SDKs, and CLI tools that our Research and Engineering teams use daily. You are building the "paved road" that makes other engineers faster and safer. Mentorship and Technical Coaching: Raise the technical bar by mentoring senior engineers on software design patterns, refactoring strategies, and architectural decision-making. You will help infrastructure engineers think like software developers. Reliability & Performance Optimization: Conduct deep profiling of both system resources and application code. You will identify bottlenecks not just in the cloud configuration, but in the application logic (e.g., Python GIL management, memory profiling, efficient data serialization). Cross-Functional Leadership: Serve as the translator between Research (who need flexibility) and Engineering (who need stability), creating architectures that allow rapid prototyping without accruing unmanageable technical debt. What We’re Looking For 8+ years of experience in Software Engineering or Platform Engineering, with at least 3 years operating at a Staff, Principal, or equivalent leadership level . Deep Python Expertise: You are not just a scripter; you are a Python architect. You have mastery over the Python data model, metaprogramming, packaging and performance optimization (multiprocessing vs threading, Cython extensions). Software Architecture Mastery: Proven track record of designing distributed systems, microservices, or event-driven architectures. You understand interface design, API versioning, and the trade-offs between monolithic and decoupled architectures. Cloud-Native Fluency: Expert knowledge of Kubernetes, Service Mesh, and one major cloud provider (AWS, GCP, or Azure), but with a focus on writing operators or controllers rather than just writing YAML. DevOps & CI/CD Evolution: Mastery of modern CI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI), Infrastructure-as-Code and distinct experience implementing security and quality gates within the pipeline. Exceptional Systems Thinking: Ability to model complex systems, foresee scaling limits in both hardware and software, and proactively design for fault tolerance. Communication & Influence: Proven ability to write high-quality architecture proposals and the soft skills to drive consensus on controversial technical decisions. Bonus Points Experience building SaaS products using frameworks like React and FastAPI. Prior experience in the Compiler stack (e.g., LLVM, MLIR, TVM) or engaging with C++/Python bindings (pybind11). Experience with MLOps principles and orchestration tools (Ray, Kubeflow, Airflow). History of maintaining or contributing to open-source Python projects. Opportunities for professional development and growth Dynamic and collaborative work environment Access to cutting-edge software and hardware platforms Free gym on-site. Cute and friendly dog Your First 90 Days Audit & Roadmap: Conduct a full-stack review of the current AI compilation infrastructure and the associated Python codebases. Deliver an architectural state-of-the-union and a 6-month roadmap for modernization. Standardization: Establish a "Golden Path" for new service creation, including a standardized Python project skeleton, linting rules (e.g., Ruff), and CI/CD templates. Strategic Refactor: Identify a critical but brittle component of our platform or compiler interface and lead a refactoring effort to improve modularity and testability. Mentorship: Begin regular architecture review sessions with the engineering team, guiding two senior engineers through the design of a major feature or system migration. You’ll contribute directly to projects that matter — where users, clients, or communities see real benefit. Ownership & Autonomy We give you the space to lead, experiment, and make decisions; we don’t micromanage. Growth Culture You won’t be static. We support your learning with coaching, resources, and exposure to new challenges. Stable & Ethical We operate with transparency, accountability, and financial responsibility. No surprises, no hollow promises. Belonging & Diversity We believe diversity of background, thought, and experience makes us stronger. We strive for an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive. Long-Term Vision We plan and invest for the long run — in the business, in our people, and in our community. At yasp , we’re committed to creating an inclusive and diverse environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We’re looking for people who are excited by deep tech challenges, passionate about pushing the boundaries of AI performance, eager to build products that make a real impact, and absolutely thrive when working with a team. If that sounds like you, we’d love to connect. Apply now #J-18808-Ljbffr