Staff Software Engineer - Data Platform

Ambient.ai is a unified, AI-powered physical security platform that helps enterprise organizations reduce risk, improve security operation efficiency, and gain critical insights. Seven of the top 10 U.S. technology companies and multiple Fortune 500 organizations across various industries leverage Ambient.ai to unify their security infrastructure and significantly enhance their security posture.

The Ambient.ai platform applies AI and computer vision intelligence to existing sensor and camera infrastructure to monitor and detect threats continuously in real-time. Ambient.ai does this while simultaneously decreasing false alarms by over 95%, allowing security teams to focus on legitimate threats. With Ambient.ai, companies can do more with less and prevent security incidents before they happen.

We were founded in 2017 by Shikhar Shrestha and Vikesh Khanna, experts in artificial intelligence from Stanford University who previously built iconic products at Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Dropbox. We are a Series-B company backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Allegion Ventures, SV Angel, Y Combinator, and investment angels like Jyoti Bansal, Mark Leslie, and Elad Gil.

Named on the YC Top Companies List 2021, 2022, 2023, and the Forbes Cloud 100 Rising Stars 2020, we are turning the impossible into the inevitable. We always seek passionate people who enjoy solving the most challenging problems with cutting-edge AI/ML.

Position Overview

Reporting to Raghu Nallamothu, this role as a Staff Data Platform Engineer is a unique opportunity to establish the foundational direction and strategy for the data platform team. As the founding member, you will take the lead in designing, building, and scaling data storage and caching systems to petabyte-level capacity, setting the standard for reliability, availability, and performance in support of mission-critical applications. Additionally, you’ll have a pivotal role in pioneering retrieval-augmented generation systems, setting a precedent for cutting-edge data-driven capabilities at Ambient.ai.

The impact you'll make:

• You will lead the design, development, and scaling of our data storage and caching systems to petabyte scale while also spearheading the development of advanced retrieval augmented generation systems. 

• Develop highly efficient caching systems that obliterate latency, ensuring lightning-fast data access.

• Tackle data infrastructure challenges head-on, swiftly troubleshooting and resolving issues to minimize downtime.

• Lead groundbreaking efforts in the retrieval of augmented generation systems, pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

The amazing skills you'll bring to Ambient.ai:

• Foundational Engineering Leadership: Significant experience in software engineering with a specialization in architecting, optimizing, and scaling data infrastructure, ideally as a founding or principal engineer.

• Visionary Data Store Architecting: Proven track record of architecting and scaling data stores to accommodate petabyte-level data volumes, with a clear vision for long-term data infrastructure strategy.

• Advanced Caching System Design: In-depth experience in designing high-efficiency caching systems to eliminate latency, enabling near-instantaneous data access across applications.

• Database & Infrastructure Mastery: Hands-on expertise in scaling, managing, and fine-tuning complex database systems, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, and OpenSearch, to meet enterprise-level demands.

• Programming & Software Development Excellence: Strong programming skills, particularly in Python and C++, with expertise in applying software development best practices to ensure robust, maintainable code.

• Distributed Data Processing Frameworks: Familiarity with distributed data processing frameworks, and a comprehensive understanding of various database management systems to guide strategic technology decisions.

• Retrieval-Augmented Generation Systems Expertise: A solid background in retrieval-augmented generation systems and their application within data workflows, with the ability to leverage this technology for innovation.

Why join us:

• We are creating an entirely new category within a 180+ billion-dollar physical security industry and looking for team members who are also passionate about our mission to prevent every security incident possible 

• We have an impressive customer roster of F500 companies, including Adobe, VMware, and LinkedIn

• Regular Full-time employees receive stock options for the opportunity to share ownership in the success of our company 

• Comprehensive health + welfare package (Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, EAP, Legal Services, 401k plan)

• We offer flexible time off to rest and recharge, including Winter Break (time off between Christmas and New Year’s for most roles depending on customer demand)

• The latest tech and awesome swag will be delivered to your door

• Enjoy a full range of opportunities to connect with your awesome co-workers

• We love to hike, are foodies, and love music! Check out our most recent Ambient Spotify Playlist

Hybrid work environment:

• Employees work from home most days

• The engineering team goes into the San Jose office approximately 4 times per month and as needed for additional team meetings

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We take a market-based approach to pay here at Ambient.ai, and pay may vary depending on multiple factors. The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, level, market conditions, and internal parity. 

Base salary is just one component of our total rewards package. As a fast-growing start-up, our regular employees are also granted stock options, and an opportunity to succeed when Ambient.ai succeeds.  As a young start-up with product market fit, our stock upside is substantial, and a large part of our total rewards strategy. 

The pay scale below represents the starting base salary range we expect to pay for this position, and is subject to change*: 

SF Bay Area:  $188,000 - $235,000  

*From time to time, we may decide to make an offer to a candidate that is either leveled below or above this role based on skills, experience, and interview performance.  

Ambient.ai is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Ambient does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, legally protected medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws. Ambient is an E-Verify participant.