Cohere

Senior/Staff Backend Engineer

Cohere9 months ago
Location

Toronto

Type

Full Time

Salary

CAD 160,000 – 220,000

Level

Senior

Role

Backend Engineer

Posted

Jun 27, 2025

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

Cohere is seeking a Senior/Staff Backend Engineer to build advanced AI workspace solutions for North, their enterprise AI platform. The ideal candidate will develop high-performance, secure backend systems for autonomous AI agents, working at the cutting edge of AI technology and enterprise solutions.

What you'll do

Platform Development: Build and ship features for North, Cohere's AI workspace platform
AI Agent Development: Develop autonomous agents capable of interacting with sensitive enterprise data
Performance Optimization: Write minimal, efficient code optimized for low-resource environments
Security Implementation: Implement stringent security and privacy mechanisms for AI deployments
Research Collaboration: Work closely with AI researchers to productionize cutting-edge models and techniques

What we look for

Technical

Production PythonExtensive experience shipping Python code in production environments
RAG/Agentic ApplicationsDemonstrated ability to build and deploy high-performance AI applications
Full-Stack ProficiencyCapable of working across different technology layers and understanding complex codebases

Education

Advanced DegreeBachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred

Experience

Enterprise ExperienceProven track record working in both startup and large enterprise settings
Performance EngineeringExperience in developing high-performance, scalable backend systems

Skills

Required skills

PythonProduction-level Python development with extensive experience
RAG ApplicationsExperience building and deploying Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) applications
Backend DevelopmentStrong full-stack capabilities with emphasis on backend systems
Enterprise SoftwareExperience working in both startup and large enterprise environments

Nice to have

AI Model DeploymentExperience productionizing state-of-the-art AI models
Low-Resource Environment OptimizationAbility to write efficient code for constrained computing environments
Security EngineeringDeep understanding of data privacy and security mechanisms

Compensation & benefits

Salary

CAD 160,000 – 220,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Health Benefits

Comprehensive health and dental coverage with additional mental health budget

Parental Leave

100% salary top-up for up to 6 months of parental leave

Flexible Work

Remote-flexible work with global office locations and co-working stipend

Vacation

Generous 6-week (30 working days) annual vacation policy

Personal Enrichment

Budget for arts, culture, fitness, and personal development

Lunch Benefits

Weekly lunch stipend and in-office meal provisions

Interview process

  1. 1
    Initial Screening — Review of application and initial resume screening
  2. 2
    Technical Phone Screen — Detailed discussion of technical background and AI/backend experience
  3. 3
    Coding Challenge — Practical coding assessment focusing on Python, backend development, and AI system design
  4. 4
    Onsite/Virtual Interviews — Multiple interview rounds including technical deep-dive, system design, and team fit assessment
  5. 5
    Final Interview — Discussion with senior leadership about role alignment and strategic contributions
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Cohere

Cohere

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Cohere is a leading enterprise AI company focused on building powerful large language models (LLMs) and tools for businesses. The company's mission is to empower enterprises to integrate cutting-edge AI capabilities into their products and operations, making AI accessible and practical for real-world applications. Cohere offers a range of APIs that allow developers and organizations to harness generative AI for tasks such as text generation, summarization, intelligent search, and conversation. They operate within the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence software market, serving a diverse global clientele.

Toronto, CanadaFounded 2019cohere.com

Tech Stack

Languages
Python
Frameworks
AI Frameworks
Databases
Enterprise Databases
Tools
AI Deployment Tools
Other
Security Tools
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