Senior Software Engineer, Windows/Desktop Applications - Portland, OR, USA

Speechify

$140K — $200K *
Consumer Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3+ years experience in Windows desktop application development using Windows App SDK, WinUI, C#, XAML; C++ experience is beneficial.
  • Deep knowledge of Windows application architecture and interop between managed and native code.
  • Proven success in designing, building, and shipping production-quality desktop applications focused on reliability and performance.
  • Strong experience with Windows accessibility APIs and commitment to creating inclusive software.
  • Excellent understanding of software engineering principles such as OOP and design patterns, including experience with multithreading and memory management.
  • Experience in leading technical design and mentoring engineers, along with solid communication skills.
  • User-centric approach with dedication to intuitive and polished user experiences.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the design and development of native Windows desktop applications using relevant frameworks and languages.
  • Define best practices for code architecture, performance, and maintainability in Windows development.
  • Drive accessibility initiatives by integrating and validating accessibility support in applications.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to influence product feature planning and UX design.
  • Own the entire lifecycle of features from conception to release, ensuring quality at each stage.
  • Diagnose and resolve complex issues, suggesting robust design solutions for performance and compatibility.

Benefits

  • High-impact role that influences the architecture and user experience of Windows products used by millions.
  • Collaborative engineering culture with opportunities to take on greater responsibilities and leadership.
  • Mentoring opportunities and a path toward technical leadership roles like Tech Lead or Architect.
  • Flexibility and autonomy in problem-solving with a focus on long-term vision evolution.
  • Commitment to building reliable and accessible software that positively impacts users.
Full Job Description
What You'll Do

  • Lead the design, architecture, and development of native Windows desktop applications using Windows App SDK, WinUI (or related UI frameworks), C#, XAML, and - when needed - C++.
  • Define and enforce best-practices for Windows desktop development across the codebase: code architecture, performance, memory usage, responsive UI, cross-version compatibility (Windows 10/11+), and maintainability.
  • Drive accessibility efforts: integrate and validate support for accessibility APIs (e.g. Microsoft UI Automation or other relevant Windows accessibility frameworks), ensure UI controls, focus management, keyboard navigation, screen-reader support, and usability for users with disabilities.
  • Collaborate closely with product designers, UX researchers, QA, and other stakeholders to shape feature planning, UI/UX architecture, and long-term roadmap for the Windows platform.
  • Take ownership of full lifecycle of features: conception 14 design 14 implementation 14 testing 14 release 14 maintenance. Ensure quality, reliability, and consistency across releases.
  • Identify, diagnose, and resolve complex bugs, performance bottlenecks, memory leaks, rendering issues, or compatibility problems - and propose robust architectural or design solutions.


An ideal candidate should have

Required:
  • 3+ in Windows desktop application development using Windows App SDK, WinUI (or similar), C#, XAML - and ideally additional experience with native Windows code (C++, Win32/WinRT/COM).
  • Deep understanding of Windows application architecture, including interop between managed code (.NET) and native code.
  • Proven track record of designing, building, and shipping production-quality desktop applications, with an emphasis on reliability, performance, scalability, and maintainability.
  • Strong experience with accessibility APIs on Windows (e.g. Microsoft UI Automation or similar), and a dedication to building accessible and inclusive software.
  • Excellent software engineering fundamentals: OOP, design patterns, data structures, algorithms, memory management, multi-threading or asynchronous programming (where relevant).
  • Experience leading technical design, mentoring other engineers, conducting code reviews, and making architecture-level decisions.
  • Strong communication skills; ability to articulate tradeoffs, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and drive consensus.
  • A user-centric mindset: focus on building polished, intuitive, and accessible experiences for end users.

Preferred / Bonus:
  • Experience with writing automated tests for UI - unit tests, integration tests, UI automation tests; familiarity with relevant testing frameworks.
  • Experience with performance optimization for desktop apps (memory usage, startup time, rendering performance, high-DPI support, responsiveness under load).
  • Experience with localization/globalization, right-to-left UI support, internationalization, accessibility for multiple regions.
  • Familiarity with telemetry, analytics, crash reporting, logging, and error monitoring in desktop applications.
  • Previous experience in shaping CI/CD workflows, release pipelines, and deployment strategies for desktop applications.
  • Demonstrated ability to take ownership of feature areas or modules and drive them long-term, including maintenance, refactoring, and technical debt management.

What we offer
  • A high-impact role: you will define architecture, shape the future of our Windows product, and directly influence what millions of users see and experience.
  • A collaborative, flat-structure engineering culture - you are not just a coder, but a builder and a decision-maker.
  • Opportunities to lead - mentor others, steer technical direction, and grow into broader technical leadership (e.g. Tech Lead, Architect).
  • Flexibility, autonomy, and responsibility: you define how to solve problems, own features end-to-end, and contribute to long-term product vision.
  • A purpose-driven mission: building software that's reliable, accessible, and user-centered - making a real difference for people.

The United States Based Salary range for this role is: 140,000-200,000 USD/Year + Bonus + Stock depending on experience

Think you're a good fit for this job?

Tell us more about yourself and why you're interested in the role when you apply.
And don't forget to include links to your portfolio and LinkedIn.

Not looking but know someone who would make a great fit?
Refer them!

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Speechify

More Consumer Technology Jobs

Find similar Senior Software Engineer, Windows/Desktop Applications - Portland, OR, USA jobs: