Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Connector Platform)

PerplexityPerplexity·Remote(San Francisco)
Software Development

WFA Digital Insight

The demand for skilled software engineers with expertise in remote work and digital skills has surged in recent years, with a notable 25% growth in job postings for similar roles. Perplexity's Connector Platform team is at the forefront of this trend, and this position offers a unique chance to work on the core layer that enables agents to interact with enterprise data. With the rise of remote work, candidates with experience in building scalable and reliable architectures will be in high demand. Before applying, candidates should be aware of the company's focus on security, collaboration, and innovation.

Job Description

About the Role

The Member of Technical Staff position at Perplexity is a critical role that entails designing and implementing the connector runtime, building and extending the semantic layer, and defining authentication and authorization patterns for connectors. As a key member of the Connector Platform team, you will work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure the development of a unified and reliable surface for agents to interact with. The team's primary focus is on building the data layer that enables Perplexity's agents to reach into the world's software, and your contribution will be essential to the team's success.

The Connector Platform team is responsible for turning hundreds of heterogeneous integrations into one unified surface that agents can call with confidence. This requires a deep understanding of system design, API integration, and security protocols. As a member of this team, you will have the opportunity to work on complex problems, collaborate with experienced engineers, and contribute to the development of a cutting-edge platform.

The company's commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction is reflected in its emphasis on building a knowledge layer that pushes and pulls context into connectors. This approach enables the development of agents that can discover what tools exist, understand what each one means, and decide which to call, ultimately grounding their reasoning in real, permissioned, and up-to-date enterprise data. Your role will be crucial in ensuring the success of this approach and the development of a scalable and reliable platform.

What You Will Do

  • Own the design and implementation of the connector runtime, including registering, hosting, and executing built-in connectors, hosted MCP servers, and CLI-backed tools behind a single agent-facing interface.
  • Build and extend the semantic layer, including tool and entity schemas, capability metadata, relationship modeling, and mechanisms for capturing and applying organization- and account-specific corrections and knowledge.
  • Design the tool-discovery and tool-selection surfaces that agents use to find the right connector and call it correctly, optimizing for both model accuracy and context efficiency.
  • Make agent loops robust, including structured results, partial-failure and retry semantics, idempotency, pagination, rate-limit handling, and observability into every tool call an agent makes.
  • Define authentication, authorization, and credential-isolation patterns for connectors, partnering with Security and Backend Platform on defense-in-depth.
  • Build the connector onboarding path, including schemas, fixtures, and evaluation suites, so new connectors ship with measurable quality.
  • Set the technical bar for connector reliability and operability, including SLAs, observability, error-rate monitoring, and incident response for an always-on, high-fan-out integration surface.
  • Partner with product and AI teams to define clear connector interfaces and integration patterns, enabling new agent capabilities to reliably build on the shared platform.

What We Are Looking For

  • Experience designing and building backend systems that run in production, typically 4+ years for mid-level and more for senior and staff roles.
  • Strong system design skills, with a track record of building efficient, reliable, and scalable architectures, ideally including API integration, gateway, or platform-style systems with many heterogeneous downstreams.
  • Strong proficiency in at least one backend language, such as Python, Go, or Rust, and the ability to work effectively in a multi-language environment.
  • Hands-on experience with modern infrastructure, such as AWS, Kubernetes, and related cloud technologies.
  • Depth in at least one of the following areas: OAuth and authorization protocols, API/connector or MCP-server development, schema and semantic modeling, or building tooling and evaluation for LLM-based agents.
  • Comfort working in security-sensitive areas, such as authentication, authorization, and credential isolation, and making pragmatic trade-offs between safety, simplicity, and velocity.
  • Collaborative mindset and eagerness to solve hard, ambiguous problems alongside other experienced engineers.

Nice to Have

  • Experience with containerization and orchestration, such as Docker and Kubernetes.
  • Familiarity with Agile development methodologies and version control systems, such as Git.
  • Knowledge of testing frameworks and methodologies, such as unit testing, integration testing, and end-to-end testing.
  • Experience with monitoring and logging tools, such as Prometheus and Grafana.

Benefits and Perks

  • Competitive salary and equity package.
  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Generous paid time off and holidays.
  • Flexible working hours and remote work options.
  • Professional development opportunities, including training and conference attendance.
  • Access to cutting-edge technologies and tools.
  • Collaborative and dynamic work environment.
  • Recognition and reward for outstanding performance.

How to Stand Out

  • Focus on showcasing your experience with backend systems, API integration, and security protocols in your resume and cover letter.
  • Be prepared to discuss your approach to system design, scalability, and reliability during the interview process.
  • Highlight your ability to work effectively in a multi-language environment and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
  • Emphasize your understanding of security-sensitive areas, such as authentication and authorization, and your ability to make pragmatic trade-offs between safety, simplicity, and velocity.
  • Prepare to discuss your experience with modern infrastructure, such as AWS and Kubernetes, and your familiarity with containerization and orchestration.
  • Showcase your problem-solving skills and ability to work on complex problems.

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