Senior Software Engineer – AI Data Engineering & Pipeline Development – Chattanooga, TN – brighthush

About brighthush

At brighthush, we’re on a mission to transform the way people experience information. By turning written content into engaging, high‑quality audio, we empower millions of users—students, professionals, and lifelong learners—to read faster, remember more, and overcome barriers such as dyslexia, ADHD, and visual impairments. Our award‑winning text‑to‑speech platform spans iOS, Android, macOS, Chrome, and the web, and has been recognized by Google and Apple for its inclusivity and design excellence.

We operate in a fully distributed environment, uniting talent from across the globe. Our team includes seasoned engineers, AI researchers, and product leaders who previously worked at Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Stripe, Vercel, and top university labs. With a culture that prizes autonomy, innovation, and impact, brighthush is a place where your ideas shape the future of learning technology.

Position Overview

We’re seeking a highly skilled Software Engineer – AI Data to join our AI team in Chattanooga, TN. In this role, you will architect and maintain the data pipelines that feed our next‑generation AI models. You’ll work closely with data scientists, product managers, and infrastructure engineers to build scalable, cost‑effective systems that ingest, clean, and transform petabyte‑scale audio and text datasets.

What You’ll Do

• Discover and acquire new audio data sources. Identify high‑value content from public repositories, partner APIs, and web crawls, and design ingestion workflows that ensure data quality and compliance.
• Build and optimize large‑scale data‑processing pipelines. Use Python, Spark, Flink, or similar frameworks to process terabytes of data daily, focusing on throughput, fault tolerance, and cost efficiency.
• Collaborate with AI scientists. Translate research requirements into production‑ready datasets, provide feedback on data quality, and iterate on labeling strategies.
• Own end‑to‑end projects. From problem discovery and design to deployment and monitoring, take full responsibility for delivering reliable, maintainable solutions.
• Champion data governance. Implement metadata catalogs, lineage tracking, and automated quality checks to ensure data integrity across the pipeline.
• Drive continuous improvement. Analyze pipeline performance, identify bottlenecks, and propose architectural changes that reduce latency and operational costs.

Essential Qualifications

• Computer Science or related degree, or equivalent experience. A strong foundation in algorithms, data structures, and system design.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering. Proven experience building robust backend services and data pipelines.
• Expertise in Python and Bash. Comfortable writing production‑grade code in Linux environments.
• Hands‑on experience with production data systems. Familiarity with batch and streaming pipelines, message queues, and distributed storage.
• Strong problem‑solving mindset. Ability to tackle ambiguous problems, propose elegant solutions, and iterate quickly.
• Excellent communication skills. Able to articulate technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Web crawling and data acquisition. Experience building crawlers, scrapers, or APIs to gather large volumes of content.
• Cloud infrastructure and IaC. Proficiency with GCP, Terraform, or equivalent tools for provisioning and managing resources.
• Audio processing and ML training data. Knowledge of audio codecs, feature extraction, and dataset curation for machine learning.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration. Docker, Kubernetes, or similar technologies.
• Knowledge of data privacy and compliance. Understanding of GDPR, CCPA, and other relevant regulations.

Skills & Competencies

• System design and architecture
• Distributed computing (Spark, Flink, Beam)
• Data engineering best practices (ETL, ELT, data lakes)
• Performance tuning and cost optimization
• CI/CD pipelines and automated testing
• Version control (Git) and code review culture
• Agile development and sprint planning
• Cross‑functional collaboration

Career Growth & Learning Opportunities

At brighthush, your career path is shaped by the impact you deliver. As a senior engineer, you’ll:

• Lead technical initiatives that influence product strategy.
• Mentor junior engineers and data scientists.
• Participate in research projects that push the boundaries of AI and audio.
• Attend conferences, workshops, and hackathons.
• Access internal learning resources, including courses on cloud architecture, machine learning, and advanced data engineering.

Work Environment & Culture

Our distributed model means you can work from anywhere, but we also have a vibrant office in Chattanooga for those who prefer in‑person collaboration. The brighthush culture is built on:

• Autonomy. You own your projects and drive their success.
• Innovation. We encourage experimentation and reward bold ideas.
• Inclusivity. Every voice matters; we celebrate diverse perspectives.
• Asynchronous communication. Flexible hours, clear documentation, and asynchronous meetings keep the team aligned.
• Community. Regular virtual meetups, hack days, and social events foster connection.

Compensation & Benefits

We offer a competitive total‑compensation package that includes:

• Base salary: $140,000 – $200,000 (US), commensurate with experience.
• Performance bonus and equity.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Unlimited paid time off and flexible work arrangements.
• Professional development stipend and conference reimbursement.
• Wellness programs, including gym memberships and mental‑health resources.
• Annual company retreats and team‑building events.

Why Join brighthush?

When you join brighthush, you become part of a mission‑driven team that is changing how millions of people learn and consume information. Your work will directly impact users worldwide, helping them overcome reading barriers and unlock their full potential. You’ll collaborate with world‑class engineers, data scientists, and product leaders, all while enjoying the flexibility and autonomy that a distributed culture offers.

We’re looking for engineers who are not only technically proficient but also curious, resilient, and passionate about building products that make a difference. If you thrive in an environment where you can own projects, experiment, and see tangible results, brighthush is the place for you.

How to Apply

Ready to take the next step? Submit your résumé, a brief cover letter explaining why you’re excited about this role, and links to your portfolio or GitHub. We’re eager to learn how your experience aligns with our mission and how you can help us scale the future of AI‑powered audio.

We’re an Equal Opportunity Employer

brighthush is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or any other legally protected status.