Senior Software Engineer, Windows/Desktop Applications - Oxford, United Kingdom
Oxford, United Kingdom
Mission
The mission of Speechify is to make sure that reading is never a barrier to learning.
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.
* 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+ years 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.
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