Feeny
Perplexity

Member of Technical Staff (Backend Software Engineer, Search Crawler) at Perplexity (Belgrade, Serbia)

Perplexity· Belgrade, Serbia·

Role details

Employment
Full-Time

Perplexity at a glance

AI-powered answer engine that returns real-time, cited answers, now expanding into an agentic browser and on-device agents.

Perplexity runs an AI answer engine that searches the live web and returns direct, cited answers instead of a page of links. It has extended that core into an AI browser (Comet), an on-device agent (Computer), a developer API, and vertical tools like patent search.

$1.7B raised · latest: Series E extension · $200M · 2025 (reported $20B valuation) · backed by Accel, IVP, NEA, SoftBank Vision Fund 2

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Backend Software Engineer to join our Crawler team. In this role, you will design, develop, and operate systems that ingest, process, and manage web-scale data in support of our next generation of advanced search technologies. This is a critical, high-impact engineering position, requiring expertise across both backend and frontend components of our data acquisition stack.

Responsibilities

  • Take ownership of and lead projects focused on developing large-scale web crawlers, ingestion pipelines, and data processing systems.
  • Build, maintain, and optimize core backend and frontend components for crawler services, including storage, retrieval, and UI dashboards for data management.
  • Collaborate closely with Search and Infrastructure teams to ensure the reliable, high-quality ingestion and processing of billions of web pages.
  • Architect and implement fullstack features and scalable distributed systems that handle high-load and real-time data operations.
  • Rapidly iterate, experiment with novel approaches, and continuously enhance system performance, usability, and reliability.

Qualifications

  • Minimum of 5 years of software development experience, with strong knowledge of data structures and algorithms in at least one of the following languages: Python, C++, Rust, or Go.
  • Experience with large-scale web crawlers is highly desirable.
  • Proven experience building, deploying, and optimizing high-load, distributed, and hardware-adjacent services.
  • Deep understanding of cloud infrastructure, with hands-on experience in Kubernetes (K8s) and AWS.
  • Demonstrated passion for writing clean, efficient, and scalable systems.

Why work at Perplexity

  • Culture & Environment: “Thoughtful support” culture with emphasis on craftsmanship, ownership, entrepreneurship, scholarship, and partnership. Hybrid schedule (4 days in-office) based on location.
  • Perks: Daily catered meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner in office), office snacks, ride home program, commuter benefits, home office reimbursement, fitness classes, gym memberships.
  • Compensation & Benefits: Competitive salary and equity packages; retirement plans with company match; flexible PTO; holiday shutdown between Christmas and New Year; 12 weeks paid bonding leave; comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Relocation & Visa Support: Relocation assistance and visa/green card sponsorship for eligible roles. Partners with immigration firm to support the process.
  • Engineering Excellence: “Technical assessment for relevant roles”; values hands-on contribution, broad skill sets, and merit-based evaluation. Frequent Tech Talks and exposure to greenfield AI research problems.

Application questions