Lead the design and development of native Windows desktop applications at Speechify, focusing on accessibility, performance, and user-centric experiences. Join a remote-first team of 200+ to shape the future of text-to-speech technology.

About the Company

Speechify is on a mission to make reading never a barrier to learning. Over 50 million people use Speechify's text-to-speech products to turn whatever they're reading — PDFs, books, Google Docs, news articles, websites — into audio, enabling them to read faster, read more, and remember more. Speechify's product suite includes iOS and Android apps, a Mac app, Chrome Extension, and Web App. Google recently named Speechify the Chrome Extension of the Year, and Apple recognized it as the 2025 Design Award winner for Inclusivity. Today, Speechify operates with a 100% distributed team of nearly 200 people worldwide, with talent hailing from Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Stanford, Stripe, Vercel, Bolt, and many founder-led startups.

Role Overview

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer, Windows/Desktop Applications to lead the design, architecture, and development of our native Windows desktop application. As a key member of the engineering team, you will own the full lifecycle of features from conception to release and maintenance. You will collaborate closely with product designers, UX researchers, QA, and other stakeholders to shape the Windows platform's roadmap and deliver a polished, accessible, and high-performing experience to millions of users. This role offers high impact, technical leadership opportunities, and the chance to work on a purpose-driven product that changes how people access written content.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, architecture, and development of native Windows desktop applications using Windows App SDK, WinUI (or related UI frameworks), C#, XAML, and — when needed — C++.
• Define and enforce best practices for Windows desktop development across the codebase: code architecture, performance, memory usage, responsive UI, cross-version compatibility (Windows 10/11+), and maintainability.
• Drive accessibility efforts: integrate and validate support for accessibility APIs (e.g., Microsoft UI Automation or other relevant Windows accessibility frameworks), ensure UI controls, focus management, keyboard navigation, screen-reader support, and usability for users with disabilities.
• Collaborate with product designers, UX researchers, QA, and other stakeholders to shape feature planning, UI/UX architecture, and long-term roadmap for the Windows platform.
• Take ownership of full lifecycle of features: conception, design, implementation, testing, release, and maintenance. Ensure quality, reliability, and consistency across releases.
• Identify, diagnose, and resolve complex bugs, performance bottlenecks, memory leaks, rendering issues, or compatibility problems — and propose robust architectural or design solutions.

Tech Stack

• Languages: C#, C++, XAML
• Frameworks & SDKs: Windows App SDK, WinUI, Win32, WinRT, COM, .NET
• Accessibility: Microsoft UI Automation
• Tools: CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, performance profiling tools, crash reporting/telemetry systems

Required:

• 3+ years of Windows desktop application development using Windows App SDK, WinUI (or similar), C#, XAML — with additional experience using native Windows code (C++, Win32/WinRT/COM) preferred.
• Deep understanding of Windows application architecture, including interop between managed code (.NET) and native code.
• Proven track record of designing, building, and shipping production-quality desktop applications with emphasis on reliability, performance, scalability, and maintainability.
• Strong experience with accessibility APIs on Windows (e.g., Microsoft UI Automation or similar), and a dedication to building accessible and inclusive software.
• Excellent software engineering fundamentals: OOP, design patterns, data structures, algorithms, memory management, multi-threading or asynchronous programming.
• Experience leading technical design, mentoring other engineers, conducting code reviews, and making architecture-level decisions.
• Strong communication skills; ability to articulate tradeoffs, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and drive consensus.
• A user-centric mindset: focus on building polished, intuitive, and accessible experiences for end users.

Preferred / Bonus:

• Experience writing automated tests for UI (unit, integration, UI automation tests) and familiarity with relevant testing frameworks.
• Experience with performance optimization for desktop apps (memory usage, startup time, rendering performance, high-DPI support, responsiveness under load).
• Experience with localization/globalization, right-to-left UI support, internationalization, and accessibility for multiple regions.
• Familiarity with telemetry, analytics, crash reporting, logging, and error monitoring in desktop applications.
• Previous experience shaping CI/CD workflows, release pipelines, and deployment strategies for desktop applications.
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of feature areas or modules and drive them long-term, including maintenance, refactoring, and technical debt management.

• A high-impact role: define architecture, shape the future of our Windows product, and directly influence what millions of users see and experience.
• A collaborative, flat-structure engineering culture — you are not just a coder, but a builder and a decision-maker.
• Opportunities to lead — mentor others, steer technical direction, and grow into broader technical leadership (e.g., Tech Lead, Architect).
• Flexibility, autonomy, and responsibility: you define how to solve problems, own features end-to-end, and contribute to long-term product vision.
• A purpose-driven mission: building software that's reliable, accessible, and user-centered — making a real difference for people.
• Speechify is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace.