Senior Software Engineer - AI (Materia AI)

Description

About the role

We're building the next generation of AI‑powered platforms for tax and accounting professionals, and we’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer who can architect high‑performance backend systems that bring real‑world AI capabilities to life. If you thrive in fast‑moving environments, enjoy tackling complex distributed‑systems challenges, and want your work to directly enable intelligent, production‑grade features, this role is for you.

As a Senior Software Engineer – AI, you will design, implement, and optimize backend services that fuel AI‑native experiences across our Materia‑driven product ecosystem. You’ll be responsible for shaping the architecture, scalability, and reliability of systems that coordinate LLM interactions, serve high‑traffic APIs, and manage large‑scale content processing.

Thomson Reuters informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. We serve professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Our products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world leading provider of trusted journalism and news.

We are powered by the talents of 26,000 employees across more than 70 countries, where everyone has a chance to contribute and grow professionally in flexible work environments. At a time when objectivity, accuracy, fairness, and transparency are under attack, we consider it our duty to pursue them. Sound exciting? Join us and help shape the industries that move society forward.

As a global business, we rely on the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of all employees to deliver on our business goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing a drug-free workplace.

Thomson Reuters makes reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. If you reside in the United States and require an accommodation in the recruiting process, you may contact our Human Resources Department at HR.Leave-Expert@thomsonreuters.com . Disability accommodations in the recruiting process may include things like a sign language interpreter, making interview rooms accessible, providing assistive technology, or other relevant accommodations. Please note this email is not intended for general recruitment questions and we will promptly respond to inquiries regarding accommodations. More information on requesting an accommodation here.

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More information about Thomson Reuters can be found on thomsonreuters.com

Responsibilities

• Design and build backend services using Python, FastAPI, and PostgreSQL to support real‑time AI interactions and large‑scale data flows.
• Shape the architectural foundation of our AI platform by defining service boundaries, system interfaces, and scalable design patterns.
• Develop high‑performance APIs and microservices that power AI agents, orchestration engines, and content pipelines, ensuring smooth operation under heavy load.
• Integrate backend systems with modern LLM providers (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic) and implement reliable orchestration, routing, and execution safeguards.
• Productionize AI capabilities with robust error handling, guardrails, telemetry, and deep observability for performance and reliability.
• Lead core engineering decisions—driving architecture reviews, mentoring teammates, and promoting best practices in testing, resiliency, and maintainability.
• Strengthen CI/CD pipelines and DevOps automation to support fast, stable, cloud‑native development workflows.
• Collaborate closely with ML engineers, product managers, and designers to turn early AI concepts into scalable backend solutions.
• Deliver backend systems that transform ambitious AI ideas into production‑ready experiences used by thousands of professionals.

Requirements

• Required
• Minimum 7+ years building backend systems, APIs, and microservices.
• Strong proficiency in Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, and AWS cloud services.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems, architecture, and data modeling.
• Experience with AI‑driven systems or agent‑based architectures.
• Proven ability to deliver production‑ready, highly reliable systems.
• Excellent debugging skills and strong cross‑functional communication.
• Comfortable operating in fast‑paced, iterative environments.
• Preferred
• Curiosity and enthusiasm for integrating AI technologies into real applications.
• Familiarity with embeddings, vector search, or RAG retrieval patterns.
• Strong opinions on testing, automation, and operational robustness.
• Experience with modern LLM APIs or orchestration frameworks.
• #LI-SB1

Benefits

• Hybrid Work Model: We’ve adopted a flexible hybrid working environment for our office-based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected.
• Flexibility & Work-Life Balance: Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, whether caring for family, giving back to the community, or finding time to refresh and reset. This builds upon our flexible work arrangements, including work from anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year, empowering employees to achieve a better work-life balance.
• Career Development and Growth: By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we prepare our talent to tackle tomorrow’s challenges and deliver real-world solutions. Our Grow My Way programming and skills-first approach ensures you have the tools and knowledge to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI-enabled future.
• Industry Competitive Benefits: We offer comprehensive benefit plans to include flexible vacation, two company-wide Mental Health Days off, access to the Headspace app, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, employee incentive programs, and resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
• Culture: Globally recognized, award-winning reputation for inclusion and belonging, flexibility, work-life balance, and more. We live by our values: Obsess over our Customers, Compete to Win, Challenge (Y)our Thinking, Act Fast / Learn Fast, and Stronger Together.
• Social Impact: Make an impact in your community with our Social Impact Institute. We offer employees two paid volunteer days off annually and opportunities to get involved with pro-bono consulting projects and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
• Making a Real-World Impact:  We are one of the few companies globally that helps its customers pursue justice, truth, and transparency. Together, with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law, turn the wheels of commerce, catch bad actors, report the facts, and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.
• In the United States, Thomson Reuters offers a comprehensive benefits package to our employees. Our benefit package includes market competitive health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance programs, as well as a competitive 401k plan with company match. In addition, Thomson Reuters offers market leading work life benefits with competitive vacation, sick and safe paid time off, paid holidays (including two company mental health days off), parental leave, sabbatical leave. These benefits meet or exceeds the requirements of paid time off in accordance with any applicable state or municipal laws. Finally, Thomson Reuters offers the following additional benefits: optional hospital, accident and sickness insurance paid 100% by the employee; optional life and AD&D insurance paid 100% by the employee; Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts; fitness reimbursement; access to Employee Assistance Program; Group Legal Identity Theft Protection benefit paid 100% by employee; access to 529 Plan; commuter benefits; Adoption & Surrogacy Assistance; Tuition Reimbursement; and access to Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Thomson Reuters complies with local laws that require upfront disclosure of the expected pay range for a position. The base compensation range varies across locations.

Eligible office location(s) for this role include one or more of the following: New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and/or Irvine, CA; McLean, VA; Washington, DC. The base compensation range for the role in any of those locations is $127,000 USD - $235,000 USD.
For any eligible US locations, unless otherwise noted, the base compensation range for this role is $110,000 USD - $204,200 USD.

Base pay is positioned within the range based on several factors including an individual’s knowledge, skills and experience with consideration given to internal equity. Base pay is one part of a comprehensive Total Reward program which also includes flexible and supportive benefits and other wellbeing programs.
This role may also be eligible for an Annual Bonus based on a combination of enterprise and individual performance.