trax/docs/team/job-descriptions.md

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Team Job Descriptions

Hiring Priority Order

  1. Backend Python Developer (Senior)
  2. Backend Python Researcher (Mid-Level)
  3. Audio Engineer Specialist
  4. AI/ML Deep Researcher
  5. AI/ML Developer
  6. Frontend Developer (Vanilla JS + Tailwind)
  7. Frontend Researcher

1. Backend Python Developer (Senior)

Role

Core Architecture & Pipeline Development

Priority Skills

  • Deep Python expertise (Critical)
  • System design (Critical)
  • Whisper/ML experience (Critical)

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement protocol-based service architecture for media processing
  • Build iterative transcription pipeline (v1→v2→v3→v4)
  • Integrate Whisper models with M3 optimizations
  • Develop batch processing system with queue management
  • Design PostgreSQL schema with JSONB for transcripts
  • Ensure backward compatibility across versions
  • Implement comprehensive testing strategy
  • Code review and mentor team members
  • Document architectural decisions

Required Skills

  • Expert Python 3.11+ with async/await patterns
  • Strong system design and clean architecture principles
  • Whisper/ML model integration experience
  • PostgreSQL with SQLAlchemy and Alembic
  • Protocol/ABC patterns and dependency injection
  • pytest with factory patterns and real file testing
  • Experience with audio processing pipelines
  • Git workflow and code review practices
  • Performance optimization and profiling

Nice to Have

  • FFmpeg experience
  • FastAPI/async frameworks
  • Performance optimization on Apple Silicon
  • DevOps/CI/CD knowledge
  • Experience with large-scale batch processing
  • Previous transcription service development

Compensation Range

$150,000 - $200,000 (Senior level)


2. Backend Python Researcher (Mid-Level)

Role

ML Experimentation and Performance Optimization

Priority Skills

  • ML experimentation (Critical)
  • Performance profiling (Critical)
  • Documentation (Important)

Responsibilities

  • Research and benchmark Whisper model variants
  • Profile performance bottlenecks in transcription pipeline
  • Experiment with multi-pass strategies and parameters
  • Document findings and create proof-of-concepts
  • Research speaker diarization approaches
  • Optimize batch processing strategies
  • Create performance benchmarks and metrics
  • Investigate new transcription models and techniques
  • Collaborate with senior developer on implementations

Required Skills

  • Python 3.11+ with research/experimentation focus
  • ML/AI fundamentals and model evaluation
  • Performance profiling tools (cProfile, memory_profiler)
  • Data analysis and visualization (pandas, matplotlib)
  • Technical documentation and reporting
  • Jupyter notebooks for experimentation
  • Git for experiment tracking
  • Statistical analysis and hypothesis testing

Nice to Have

  • Whisper model internals knowledge
  • Audio processing knowledge
  • Academic research background
  • PyTorch/TensorFlow basics
  • Published papers or blog posts
  • Experience with A/B testing

Compensation Range

$100,000 - $130,000 (Mid-level)


3. Audio Engineer Specialist

Role

Audio Processing Pipeline Development

Priority Skills

  • FFmpeg expertise (Critical)
  • Audio DSP (Critical)
  • Python audio libraries (Important)

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement audio preprocessing pipeline
  • Optimize FFmpeg commands for format conversion
  • Implement audio quality assessment algorithms
  • Develop noise reduction and enhancement techniques
  • Handle multi-channel to mono conversion
  • Implement dynamic range compression
  • Design chunking strategies for long audio files
  • Create audio analysis metrics (SNR, quality scores)
  • Optimize for various audio formats and codecs

Required Skills

  • Expert FFmpeg knowledge and optimization
  • Audio DSP concepts (sampling, filtering, compression)
  • Python audio libraries (pydub, librosa, soundfile)
  • Understanding of audio codecs and formats
  • Signal processing and noise reduction
  • Batch audio processing optimization
  • Audio quality metrics and assessment
  • Experience with real-time audio processing

Nice to Have

  • C/C++ for low-level audio optimization
  • Real-time audio streaming experience
  • Music information retrieval
  • Acoustic analysis expertise
  • Video processing experience
  • Broadcasting standards knowledge

Compensation Range

$120,000 - $160,000


4. AI/ML Deep Researcher

Role

Transcription Model Research and Optimization

Priority Skills

  • Deep learning frameworks (Critical)
  • Model optimization (Critical)
  • Research methodology (Important)

Responsibilities

  • Research state-of-the-art transcription models
  • Optimize Whisper for M3 hardware (Metal/CPU)
  • Investigate model quantization and pruning
  • Research speaker diarization algorithms
  • Benchmark accuracy vs speed tradeoffs
  • Design confidence scoring mechanisms
  • Research voice embedding techniques
  • Create model evaluation pipelines
  • Stay current with ASR research

Required Skills

  • Deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow)
  • Transformer models and attention mechanisms
  • Model optimization (quantization, distillation)
  • CUDA/Metal optimization techniques
  • Research methodology and experimentation
  • Statistical analysis and hypothesis testing
  • Academic paper comprehension
  • Benchmark design and evaluation

Nice to Have

  • Published ML research
  • Speech recognition expertise
  • Multi-modal model experience
  • Fine-tuning experience
  • Contribution to open-source ML projects
  • PhD or advanced degree in relevant field

Compensation Range

$130,000 - $180,000


5. AI/ML Developer

Role

Production ML Implementation

Priority Skills

  • Implementation focus (Critical)
  • API integration (Critical)
  • Production ML (Important)

Responsibilities

  • Implement Whisper model integration
  • Build confidence scoring systems
  • Develop multi-pass merging algorithms
  • Create structured output templates
  • Implement prompt engineering for enhancement
  • Build speaker diarization pipeline
  • Handle model versioning and deployment
  • Optimize inference performance
  • Create ML monitoring systems

Required Skills

  • Python 3.11+ with production ML focus
  • Faster-whisper and whisper.cpp integration
  • Async Python for ML pipelines
  • JSON schema validation
  • API integration (DeepSeek, OpenAI)
  • Model serving and optimization
  • Error handling and retry logic
  • Production ML best practices
  • Container deployment (Docker)

Nice to Have

  • MLOps experience
  • Model monitoring tools
  • A/B testing frameworks
  • Edge deployment experience
  • Kubernetes knowledge
  • Cloud ML platforms experience

Compensation Range

$120,000 - $160,000


6. Frontend Developer (Vanilla JS + Tailwind)

Role

Modern JavaScript UI Development (No Framework)

Priority Skills

  • Modern vanilla JavaScript (Critical)
  • Tailwind expertise (Critical)
  • Performance optimization (Critical)

Responsibilities

  • Build fast, responsive UI without frameworks
  • Implement transcript viewing interface
  • Create audio player with timestamp sync
  • Design batch processing progress UI
  • Build speaker-colored transcript views
  • Implement search and filter functionality
  • Create export interface for multiple formats
  • Optimize for performance and accessibility
  • Build progressive web app features

Required Skills

  • Expert modern JavaScript (ES6+) without frameworks
  • Advanced Tailwind CSS with custom configurations
  • Web Components and Custom Elements
  • WebSocket integration for real-time updates
  • Audio/Video HTML5 APIs
  • Progressive enhancement principles
  • Performance optimization (lazy loading, virtualization)
  • Accessibility standards (ARIA, WCAG)
  • Service Workers and PWA development

Nice to Have

  • WebAssembly basics
  • IndexedDB for offline storage
  • Previous transcript UI experience
  • Data visualization libraries
  • Mobile-first development
  • Experience with media players

Compensation Range

$110,000 - $150,000


7. Frontend Researcher

Role

UX Research and Design Systems

Priority Skills

  • UX research (Critical)
  • Design systems (Important)
  • Performance analysis (Important)

Responsibilities

  • Research transcript viewing patterns
  • Design information architecture for media processing
  • Research accessibility requirements for transcripts
  • Benchmark UI performance metrics
  • Investigate progressive enhancement strategies
  • Research mobile-first approaches
  • Document UI/UX best practices
  • Create design system documentation
  • Conduct user testing sessions

Required Skills

  • UX research methodologies
  • Design system principles
  • Performance analysis tools
  • Accessibility expertise
  • Information architecture
  • User testing facilitation
  • Figma/design tools
  • Technical writing
  • Data-driven decision making

Nice to Have

  • Frontend development basics
  • Data visualization experience
  • Cognitive load theory knowledge
  • Media player UX experience
  • Analytics tools expertise
  • Previous research publications

Compensation Range

$90,000 - $120,000


Team Composition by Phase

Phase 1 (Weeks 1-2)

  • Backend Python Developer (Lead)
  • DevOps Support (Part-time)

Phase 2 (Week 3)

  • +AI Integration Developer

Phase 3 (Weeks 4-5)

  • +ML Engineer/Researcher

Phase 4 (Week 6+)

  • +Audio/Speech Specialist

Future Phases

  • +Frontend Developer
  • +Frontend Researcher

Interview Process

Technical Interview Structure

  1. Phone Screen (30 min)

    • Background and experience
    • Interest in media processing
    • Basic technical questions
  2. Technical Interview (90 min)

    • Coding challenge (45 min)
    • System design (30 min)
    • Technical discussion (15 min)
  3. Take-Home Project (4-6 hours)

    • Relevant to role
    • Real-world problem
    • Open-ended solution
  4. Team Interview (60 min)

    • Culture fit
    • Collaboration style
    • Questions and answers

Evaluation Criteria

  • Technical competence (40%)
  • Problem-solving ability (25%)
  • Communication skills (20%)
  • Culture fit (15%)

Benefits Package

Standard Benefits

  • Health, dental, vision insurance
  • 401k with matching
  • Flexible PTO
  • Remote work options
  • Professional development budget
  • Conference attendance
  • Hardware budget

Unique Benefits

  • Access to latest AI models
  • Publication opportunities
  • Open-source contribution time
  • Learning stipend
  • Sabbatical options (after 2 years)

Last Updated: 2024
Status: ACTIVE HIRING