Senior Applications Engineer
Recommendation and Content Enrichment Systems

Join Us in Revolutionizing Family-Friendly Content Discovery, Enrichment, and Experience

VidAngel is a fast-growing streaming platform that has helped over 1,000,000 customers over the past decade with content filtering services that help families watch entertainment on their terms. We're evolving from a content filtering utility into a comprehensive family entertainment platform. As a small but nimble tech company, we move fast, wear multiple hats, and are building something that matters to families across the country.

We're building the future of streaming recommendations—where cutting-edge AI meets thoughtful movie and TV curation. Our unique platform has already transformed how hundreds of thousands of families and individuals enjoy entertainment together, and we're just getting started.

About This Role

We're seeking a Senior Application Engineer (full-stack capable but an emphasis on front-end clients) to help push forward the development of our groundbreaking AI-driven content enrichment and recommendation engines. We're creating something that understands not just what people want to watch but how they want to watch it, respecting both their preferences and their values.

You'll work directly with our project lead and core AI modeling engineer (both experts in video/streaming engineering with deep domain knowledge about the product’s main content) to build systems that bridge sophisticated content enrichment, multi-tier AI processing, and intuitive user experiences. This is a rare opportunity to work on a project that combines technical innovation with meaningful impact on families of all types.

What You'll Do

• Architect and implement solutions connecting our backend APIs and data stores to implement seamless media experiences
• Develop rich client experiences across web, mobile, and native TV platforms that make our movie/TV recommendation, discovery, and research systems feel natural and helpful
• Design telemetry systems to capture nuanced user behavior signals (what they watch, what they like, what they’re sensitive to, etc) while respecting privacy
• Create feedback loops that continuously improve our products based on real user interactions
• Collaborate on training our own hyperspecialized models that will become the industry's best at understanding film and television content
• Work iteratively through rapid experimentation cycles, A/B testing, and data-driven decision making

What We're Looking For

Required Experience

• 7 years of full-stack development with deep JavaScript expertise and at least some sustained experience with Swift, Kotlin, or both
• Strong Python or other backend proficiency for understanding and supporting our AI/ML pipelines
• Proven experience consuming server-client APIs and real-time messaging systems
• Experience with modern development and ecosystems

Bonus: AI/ML Knowledge

• Hands-on experience with LLMs and understanding of prompt engineering
• Familiarity with using local AI models (Whisper, Llama, etc) as well as commercial APIs (GPT, Claude, etc)
• Exposure to vector databases and embedding-based search systems
• Understanding of recommendation algorithms and collaborative filtering
• Experience using AI tools (Co-pilot, Claude Code, Codex, etc) to augment your own development workflow

Always a Plus: Domain Experience

• Appreciation for the challenges of family-friendly, personalized content discovery
• Background in media/entertainment tech - whether streaming platforms, content management, media production, etc.
• Understanding of video delivery fundamentals is icing on the cake

The Intangibles

• Obsession with iteration - You move fast (without breaking things) and learn faster
• Data-driven mindset - You love telemetry and letting users guide decisions
• Technical curiosity - You're excited about the convergence of AI and user experience
• Collaborative spirit - You thrive in a small, fast-moving team where everyone contributes ideas
• User empathy - You understand that great tech serves real human needs

Our Tech Stack

• Frontend: Vue, Swift, Kotlin, Brightscript
• Backend: Python, NodeJS
• Databases: PostgreSQL, Redis/Valkey, Typesense, Qdrant
• AI/ML: Whisper, Open-source LLMs, GPT-5, Claude, custom fine-tuned models
• Infrastructure: AWS, on-prem GPU servers
• Monitoring: Clickhouse/Metabase, Mux, custom analytics

What We Offer

Compensation

• Base Salary: $160,000 - $190,000 (based on experience and location)
• Yearly Employee Bonus Plan: All employees share in bonus pool on top of salary
• Equity Participation: Opportunities for meaningful ownership in a still-growing company

Benefits That Actually Matter

• 100% coverage of health, dental, and vision insurance for you with plans ranging from 80% to 100% coverage for dependents
• 401(k) matching - We match 100% up to 4% of your salary
• No PTO policy - Take the time you need, when you need it, as long as you get things done
• Employee-first culture - We want all employees to thrive, and will foster the work environment that fits you best, including hybrid in-office/remote arrangements, flexible daily schedules, etc.

The Experience

• Mission: Help us ensure everyone can enjoy entertainment on their own terms
• Impact: Your code will directly affect how families everywhere discover content
• Innovation: Work with cutting-edge AI technologies in production at scale
• Growth: Learn from the experts already on the team while teaching us as well
• Culture: Join a team that moves fast, thinks creatively, and supports each other

Why This Role is Special

We're building something that understands the nuanced reality of modern viewing where a parent might want thriller recommendations after the kids are in bed, but family comedies for Saturday afternoon. Where some families want to explore challenging content with safety filters, while others prefer gentle discovery within comfort zones. Where individuals and parents are really wanting to know not only “will I like this” but “will this be right for me?”

Our unique dataset (including proprietary content tagging by human experts) combined with state-of-the-art AI gives us capabilities no one else has. You'll be at the forefront of defining how AI can serve diverse user needs respectfully and intelligently.

How to Apply

Submit an application packet that includes:

1. Your resume/CV, with relevant experience (make sure you contextualize it for us!)
2. A brief note about why this role excites you
3. Links to relevant projects (GitHub, etc.)
4. Your thoughts on how AI can improve content discovery while respecting user values

We're looking to move quickly for the right candidate. Initial conversations will be with our project lead, followed by practical technical discussions and meeting the broader team.

Equal Opportunity

We're committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We believe the best products come from teams with varied perspectives and experiences.

Local (Utah) and/or Remote (US) | Full-Time | Senior Level | Immediate Start Available

Salary : $160,000 - $190,000