Senior Software Engineer, Telephony

LiveKit is building the infrastructure layer for the agentic era of computing. Our platform gives developers everything they need to build, test, deploy, scale, and observe AI agents in production. Founded in 2021, LiveKit powers voice and agentic AI applications for OpenAI, Salesforce, Spotify, Meta, and tens of thousands of other developers, collectively facilitating billions of calls each year.

About This Role

Voice has connected people for over a century — and it's entering a new era. As a Telephony Engineer at LiveKit, you'll help reimagine how calls, media, and intelligence flow through modern networks. From SIP and RTP to AI-driven voice experiences, your work will directly impact how businesses and customers communicate across industries worth billions.

You'll own the engineering side of the product portions of our telephony team — including phone numbers, carrier integrations, and the surfaces where telephony meets the rest of the LiveKit cloud product. This is a role for someone who's self-starting, deeply technical, and energized by building a developer platform from the protocol layer up to the API.

You'll Thrive Here If You:

• obsess over crafting code that is fast, reliable, and practical for the problem

• are known as the go-to person for tackling tough technical problems

• work hard and can build and ship fast

• can clearly explain complex technical concepts to other engineers

• are a fast learner, frequently picking up new languages and tools

The best way to impress us is with thoughtful Issues and/or PRs on our GitHub repos.

What You'll Do

• Design, build, and operate telephony services that manage phone numbers, carrier integrations, and SIP trunks at scale

• Develop reliable signaling and media systems that bridge traditional telephony with WebRTC and AI pipelines

• Work closely with carriers and global vendors to expand number coverage, improve routing, and ensure regulatory compliance

• Collaborate with the SFU, Developer Success, Infrastructure, and SDK teams to make voice features easily accessible to developers

• Monitor and optimize voice quality, latency, and reliability using observability and debugging tools

• Contribute to the evolution of modern, developer-friendly APIs for telephony and media control

Who You Are

• A strong senior software engineer who thrives in complex, distributed systems — ideally with experience in Go, C, or C++

• Deep understanding of APIs, backend architecture, and large-scale real-time systems

• You think beyond code — you understand how infrastructure choices shape products, developer experience, and end-user impact

• Hands-on, curious, and comfortable diving into protocols, packet captures, or production issues when needed

• Collaborate well across teams, communicate clearly, and value simplicity in design and execution

Nice to Have

• Prior experience on a developer platform or communications product, with appreciation for the nuances of reliability, latency, and usability

• Background in SIP, RTP, or carrier-grade telephony

• Experience working with global carriers on number coverage, routing, or compliance

Our Commitment to You

• An opportunity to build something truly impactful to the world

• Contribute to open source alongside world-class engineers

• Competitive salary and equity package

• Health, dental, and vision benefits

• Flexible vacation policy

LiveKit is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable law. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact recruiting@livekit.io.