Staff Software Engineer

Toast is revolutionizing the restaurant industry with its innovative platform technology, and we're seeking a Staff Software Engineer to join our Sous Chef team. This role presents an exciting opportunity to lead the next phase of innovation in how Toast helps restaurants operate more efficiently through AI-powered solutions.

The position sits within the Sous Chef team, whose mission is to develop an AI-powered assistant that transforms restaurant decision-making and operations. By delivering actionable insights and intelligent recommendations, this technology enables restaurateurs to focus more on hospitality and less on manual overhead. Success in this role means helping customers reduce operational hours, improve margins, grow revenue, and enhance both guest and employee experiences.

As a Staff Software Engineer, you'll have significant technical ownership and influence, being responsible for end-to-end architecture, experience design, data integrations, and AI service infrastructure. The role combines technical leadership with hands-on development, requiring expertise in backend systems, distributed architecture, and AI/ML technologies.

Key aspects of the role include driving technical strategy for AI-powered experiences, leading cross-team initiatives, architecting scalable services and data pipelines, and mentoring other engineers. You'll work with technologies like Java, Kotlin, and modern cloud infrastructure, while integrating cutting-edge AI and ML capabilities.

The ideal candidate brings 8+ years of experience building scalable backend systems, proven leadership in cross-functional initiatives, and hands-on experience with AI/ML systems. Strong communication skills and the ability to navigate ambiguity are essential, as you'll be influencing technical roadmaps across multiple stakeholders.

Toast offers a comprehensive benefits package including competitive compensation, health benefits, retirement plans, and parental leave. The company maintains a hybrid work environment that balances in-person collaboration with flexibility. This is an opportunity to join a growing technology company that's making a real impact on the restaurant industry while working with cutting-edge AI technologies.

If you're passionate about building intelligent products that help businesses succeed, have a track record of technical leadership, and want to work at the intersection of restaurant technology and AI innovation, this role offers an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact.