Head of Engineering

Head of Engineering Location San Francisco, CA : About Us At Tavus, we're building the human layer of AI. Our mission is to make human-AI interaction as natural as face-to-face interaction, enabling the human touch where it has been previously unscalable. We achieve this through pioneering research in multi-modal AI models for human perception and understanding, combined with state-of-the-art human avatar rendering and communication models. Our models power everything from text-to-video AI avatars to real-time conversational video experiences across industries like healthcare, recruiting, sales, education, and more. By enabling AI to see, hear, and communicate with human-like authenticity, we're creating the foundation for the next generation of AI employees, assistants, and companions. We're a Series A company backed by top investors, including Sequoia, Y Combinator, and Scale VC. Join us in driving the future of human-AI interaction. Check it out for yourself The Role As a Conversational Video Interface Engineer at Tavus, you'll be at the forefront of developing our cutting-edge Conversational Video Interface (CVI). This role involves building and optimizing real-time, multimodal AI systems that enable lifelike digital twins to engage in natural conversations. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance the CVI's capabilities, ensuring seamless integration of vision, speech, and emotional intelligence components. Your Mission Develop and Optimize CVI Components: Design and implement core components of the CVI, including WebRTC/video conferencing, vision processing, speech recognition (ASR), text-to-speech (TTS), and replica video output. Integrate Multimodal AI Models: Work with in-house models like Phoenix-3 for lifelike avatar rendering, Sparrow-0 for conversational pacing, and Raven-0 for visual perception to create cohesive, responsive digital twins. Ensure Low-Latency Performance: Optimize the CVI pipeline to achieve sub-600ms utterance-to-utterance latency, delivering real-time, natural conversations. Collaborate with Cross-Functional Teams: Work closely with AI researchers, product managers, and UX designers to align technical development with user needs and product goals. Maintain and Enhance API Infrastructure: Develop and maintain APIs that allow developers to easily integrate Tavus's CVI into their applications, ensuring scalability and reliability. Requirements Educational Background: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. Technical Experience: 3+ years of experience in software engineering, with a focus on real-time systems, multimedia processing, or AI integration. Programming Skills: Proficiency in languages such as Python, C++, or JavaScript, and experience with frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch. Knowledge of Multimedia Protocols: Familiarity with WebRTC, streaming protocols, and video/audio processing techniques. AI Integration: Experience integrating machine learning models into production systems, particularly in areas related to speech, vision, or natural language processing. Problem-Solving Abilities: Strong analytical skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex systems. Bonus if you have: Experience with Digital Avatars: Background in developing or working with digital human representations or avatars. Multilingual Support: Understanding of building systems that support multiple languages and cultural nuances. Cloud Infrastructure: Experience with deploying and managing applications on cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, or Azure. Benefits When you join Tavus, you're joining a family. Our work is driven by our team, and our success is shared by all. This position has a flexible work schedule, unlimited PTO, competitive healthcare and gear stipends, as well as, of course, plenty of fun! At the end of the day, we want Tavus to be a place for you to learn, directly drive impact, and be with a team you love. To learn more about our team culture, and benefits, check out our hiring page! Tavus is growing fast, and we'd like you to grow with us! Are you excited to get your hands dirty? Drop your resume and we'll be in touch! We are not looking for cultural fits, we are looking for culture creators. In fact, diversity is what drives our success - it's at the core of how we hire, communicate, and work. We are inclusive to all and combine our diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and thinking to build the best experiences for our clients. Compensation Range: $160K - $250K