Backend Software Engineer (Python)

About The Company

At Scribd (pronounced "scribbed"), our mission is to spark human curiosity. Join our team as we create a world of stories and knowledge, democratize the exchange of ideas and information, and empower collective expertise through our four products : Everand, Scribd, Slideshare, and Fable.

We support a culture where our employees can be real and bold; we debate and commit as we embrace plot twists; and every employee is empowered to take action as we prioritize the customer.

We believe in balancing individual flexibility and community connections. Through our flexible work benefit, Scribd Flex , employees can choose the daily work‑style that best suits their needs.

Occasional in‑person attendance is required for all Scribd employees, regardless of their location.

So what are we looking for in new team members? We hire for "GRIT" – the intersection of passion and perseverance toward long‑term goals. We seek individuals who set and achieve G oals, reach R esults, bring I nnovative ideas, and positively influence the broader T eam through collaboration and attitude.

About The Team

The ML Data Engineering team powers metadata extraction, enrichment, and content understanding across all Scribd brands. We process hundreds of millions of documents, billions of images, and deliver high‑quality metadata to enable content discovery and trust for millions of users worldwide.

Our systems operate at massive scale, supporting diverse datasets like user‑generated content (UGC), ebooks, audiobooks, and more. We work at the intersection of machine learning, data engineering, and distributed systems, collaborating closely with applied research and product teams to deploy scalable ML and LLM‑powered solutions in production.

Role Overview

We’re seeking a Software Engineer II with deep experience building event‑driven, distributed, and scalable systems in Python. In this role, you’ll design and optimize large‑scale data and service pipelines running on AWS, supporting Scribd’s content enrichment and metadata systems. You’ll work closely with cross‑functional teams to design reliable backend services that integrate machine learning models and LLM‑based components when needed. This role offers the opportunity to work on cutting‑edge generative AI and metadata enrichment problems at a truly global scale.

Tech Stack

Our backend systems are primarily built in Python, leveraging AWS services such as Lambda, ECS, SQS, and ElastiCache for event‑driven and distributed processing. We also use Airflow, Spark, Databricks, Terraform, and Datadog for orchestration, data processing, and observability.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement event‑driven, distributed systems to extract, enrich, and process metadata from large‑scale document and media datasets.
• Build and maintain scalable APIs and backend services for high‑throughput content processing.
• Leverage AWS services (ECS, Lambda, SQS, ElastiCache, CloudWatch) to design and deploy resilient, high‑performance systems.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to deliver backend solutions that power ML‑driven features.
• Optimize and refactor existing backend systems for scalability, reliability, and performance.
• Ensure system health and data integrity through monitoring, observability, and automated testing.

Requirements

Compensation

In the United States, the base pay is determined within a range based on local cost of labor benchmarks. For the San Francisco market, the range is $126,000 to $196,000. In other U.S. markets, the range is $103,500 to $186,500. In Canada, the range is $131,500 CAD to $174,500 CAD. This position is also eligible for competitive equity ownership and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits, Perks, and Wellbeing At Scribd

Working At Scribd, Inc.

Employees must have their primary residence in or near one of the following cities : United States – Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C.; Canada – Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver; Mexico – Mexico City.

Want to Learn More About Life at Scribd?

Visit LinkedIn or email accommodations@scribd.com if you require adjustments in the interview process.

We want our interview process to be accessible to everyone. Let us know how we can provide reasonable adjustments.

Scribd is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

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