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Senior Software Developer, AI Labs
Waterloo, ON
We believe that communication belongs to everyone. Our mission is to democratize phone service and remove barriers that prevent people from staying connected.
As TextNow continues to evolve, Artificial Intelligence is becoming a foundational capability across our products, operations, and employee experience. Our AI Labs team is responsible for identifying, validating, and scaling AI-powered solutions that create measurable impact for customers and employees.
We're looking for a Senior Software Developer who can help transform AI opportunities into production-ready systems, partner with stakeholders across the business, and accelerate TextNow's adoption of AI technologies.
What You'll Do
Build AI-Powered Solutions
- Design, develop, and deploy AI-enabled applications, services, and automations
- Build internal tools and intelligent workflows using LLMs, AI agents, and orchestration frameworks
- Evaluate emerging AI technologies and rapidly prototype new concepts
- Transform proofs-of-concept into scalable production systems
Lead Technical Delivery
- Drive architecture and implementation decisions for AI initiatives
- Define patterns and standards for AI application development
- Balance experimentation speed with security, governance, and operational excellence
- Ensure solutions are reliable, observable, maintainable, and cost-effective
Enable the Organization
- Partner with business stakeholders to identify high-value AI opportunities
- Translate business problems into technical solutions
- Consult with teams across Product, Engineering, Customer Care, Trust & Safety, Marketing, Finance, and Operations
- Help teams adopt AI capabilities and best practices
Build Internal AI Capabilities
- Develop reusable AI services, frameworks, and components
- Create integrations with enterprise platforms and business systems
- Design automation workflows that reduce manual effort and increase operational efficiency
- Contribute to AI governance, evaluation frameworks, and responsible AI practices
Mentor and Influence
- Coach engineers and technical stakeholders on AI development approaches
- Share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned
- Drive technical discussions and influence the direction of TextNow's AI strategy
What You Bring
Technical Experience
- 5+ years of software development experience
- Experience designing and delivering production-grade software systems
- Strong programming skills in one or more modern languages (Go, Python, TypeScript, Ruby, or similar)
- Experience with cloud platforms and modern deployment practices
AI & Automation Experience
- Hands-on experience building applications with Large Language Models
- Experience training custom models
- Understanding of prompt engineering, evaluation methodologies, and AI system design
- Experience with workflow automation and orchestration platforms
- Familiarity with retrieval systems, vector databases, knowledge management, or agent frameworks
Delivery & Collaboration
- Comfortable operating in ambiguous environments with evolving requirements
- Strong communication skills with technical and non-technical audiences
- Demonstrated ability to lead projects from concept through deployment
- Ability to identify opportunities independently and drive execution
Mindset
- Curious and pragmatic
- Strong ownership mentality
- Bias toward experimentation and learning
- Able to balance speed with long-term sustainability
- Excited by solving business problems using technology
Nice to Have
- Experience building enterprise AI solutions
- Experience with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or open-source model ecosystems
- Experience with observability and AI performance monitoring
- Experience implementing AI governance, evaluation, or security frameworks
- Telecommunications industry experience
- Experience building internal developer productivity tools
Base Salary Range
The expected base salary range for this role is:
Canada Intermediate: CAD $113,400 - $162,000 annually
Canada Senior: CAD $158,000 – 207,000 annually
Canada Staff: CAD $200,400 – 248,000 annually
Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
Our goal is to offer a competitive package that reflects the impact and expertise you bring to the team.
This posting is for a current, active vacancy.
More about TextNow
Our culture
We’re proud of the culture that we’ve built at TextNow, but one of the most common questions we hear is ‘how do you continue to sustain it as the world and the company continues to change?’ The reality is that we’re only able to keep up because each and every TextNovian contributes to our culture through being involved, by living our values, sharing feedback, embracing change and more!
Our values
Customer Obsessed
We strive to have a deep understanding of our customers.
Do Right By Our People
We treat each other with fairness, respect, and integrity.
Accept the Challenge
We adopt a "Yes, We Can" mindset to achieve ambitious goals.
Act Like an Owner
We treat this company like it's our own... because it is!
Give a Damn
We are deeply committed and passionate about our work and achieving results.
Our benefits and more
This is a brief overview of the benefits that TextNow offers its employees. More complete details can be found in TextNow’s Benefit Guide and legal plan documents, which are available to employees on or shortly after their start date with TextNow. The benefits listed herein are for illustrative purposes only and may change from time-to-time in TextNow’s sole discretion.
Free phone service
Strong work life blend
Employee stock options
Unlimited vacation
12 paid holidays per year
Competitive pay
Health, dental, and vision benefits
Short-term & long-term disability
$750 annual wellness benefit or healthcare spending account
RRSP matching (Canada)
Parental leave for eligible employees
Learning & Development opportunities
We travel a few times a year for various team events, company-wide off-sites, and more
More information about our total rewards package will be available during the hiring process.
Dogfooding & Customer Obsession
At TextNow, every employee gets to actively use our app for calling and texting. Dogfooding helps us experience what customers do, to spot issues early, and drive better design, developer, and user experiences.
Diversity and Inclusion
Our aim is to make every person who joins TextNow feel like they belong, that they’re valued, and that they’re able to be their authentic selves at work.
We’re all accountable for creating an inclusive culture and a sense of belonging for one another. By doing this together, we’ll make TextNow better for everyone.
Equal opportunity
We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
Applicants who require reasonable accommodation during the hiring process may contact our Talent Team.
TextNow Candidate Policy
By submitting an application to TextNow, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with the TextNow Candidate Policy
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