Senior Software Engineer, Windows/Desktop Applications - Frankfurt, Germany

Role overview

This senior engineering role owns the design and development of native Windows desktop applications for a popular text-to-speech reading platform that serves more than 50 million people globally. The position blends hands-on architecture and implementation work with technical leadership, operating inside a fully distributed engineering organization. A defining priority is delivering accessible, performant, and inclusive desktop software within a broader multi-platform product suite.

Responsibilities

- Lead architecture, design, and implementation of native Windows apps using Windows App SDK, WinUI, C#, XAML, and C++ as required. - Establish engineering best practices across code architecture, performance, memory usage, responsive UI, maintainability, and cross-version Windows 10/11+ compatibility. - Drive accessibility work, including integration of Windows accessibility APIs such as Microsoft UI Automation, screen-reader support, focus management, and keyboard navigation. - Own the full feature lifecycle from initial conception through design, implementation, testing, release, and ongoing maintenance. - Partner with product, design, UX research, and QA to shape the Windows platform roadmap and inform UI/UX architecture. - Diagnose and resolve complex bugs, performance bottlenecks, memory leaks, rendering issues, and compatibility problems with durable fixes.

Requirements

- 3+ years of Windows desktop application development using Windows App SDK, WinUI or similar frameworks, C#, and XAML. - Practical experience with native Windows code such as C++, Win32, WinRT, or COM, and understanding of managed-to-native interop via .NET. - Proven track record of designing, building, and shipping production-quality desktop software with a focus on reliability, performance, and maintainability. - Hands-on experience with Windows accessibility APIs and a dedication to accessible, inclusive design. - Strong fundamentals in object-oriented programming, design patterns, data structures, algorithms, memory management, and asynchronous or multi-threaded programming. - Demonstrated ability to lead technical design, mentor engineers, run code reviews, and drive consensus across cross-functional stakeholders.

Nice to have

- Experience with automated UI testing, including unit, integration, and UI automation tests. - Background optimizing desktop performance, including startup time, memory footprint, and high-DPI rendering. - Familiarity with internationalization, localization, and right-to-left UI patterns. - Exposure to telemetry, analytics, logging, crash reporting, and error monitoring. - Hands-on experience shaping CI/CD pipelines and release workflows for desktop applications. - Comfort owning feature modules long-term, including maintenance, refactoring, and managing technical debt.

Benefits and work setup

- High-impact senior role defining the Windows architecture for a product used by millions of readers. - Fully distributed engineering organization with a flat structure, autonomy, and meaningful decision-making authority. - Clear pathways into broader technical leadership, including Tech Lead and Architect tracks, with mentoring opportunities. - Mission-driven work centered on accessibility and inclusive software for a global audience. - For Germany-based candidates: salary range of 30,000-120,000 USD per year, plus bonus and equity, depending on experience.