Senior Software Engineer, Windows/Desktop Applications - Porto, Portugal

Role overview

Contribute to a popular text-to-speech product used by tens of millions of people to listen to articles, documents, and books across mobile, web, and desktop. The Senior Software Engineer will lead the Windows desktop application, owning architecture, performance, and accessibility in a fully remote engineering team. The role blends deep native development with technical leadership, shaping a product that removes barriers to reading.

Responsibilities

- Drive design and implementation of a native Windows desktop application using the Windows App SDK, WinUI, C#, XAML, and C++ when needed. - Set and uphold engineering standards for code architecture, performance, memory usage, responsive UI, and Windows 10/11 compatibility. - Lead accessibility initiatives through Microsoft UI Automation and related Windows frameworks, including screen-reader support, focus management, and keyboard navigation. - Partner with product designers, UX researchers, and QA on feature planning, UI architecture, and the long-term Windows roadmap. - Own features from concept and design through implementation, testing, release, and ongoing maintenance, ensuring quality and consistency. - Diagnose and resolve complex defects, performance issues, memory leaks, rendering problems, and compatibility challenges.

Requirements

- Several years building production Windows desktop applications with the Windows App SDK, WinUI or comparable UI frameworks, C#, and XAML, plus comfort with C++ and Win32/WinRT/COM. - Deep understanding of Windows application architecture, including interop between managed .NET code and native components. - Demonstrated success shipping performant, reliable desktop software at scale. - Hands-on experience with Windows accessibility APIs and commitment to inclusive design. - Strong fundamentals in OOP, design patterns, data structures, algorithms, memory management, and asynchronous programming. - Experience leading technical design, mentoring engineers, running code reviews, and collaborating across teams, with strong communication skills.

Nice to have

- Experience authoring automated UI tests and working with relevant testing frameworks. - Background optimizing desktop performance metrics such as startup time, memory footprint, rendering, and high-DPI rendering. - Familiarity with localization, globalization, RTL layouts, and regional accessibility requirements. - Experience with telemetry, crash reporting, logging, and error monitoring in desktop apps. - Exposure to CI/CD pipelines and release automation for desktop software.

Benefits and work setup

- 100% remote role within a globally distributed engineering organization. - High-impact scope: the role directly shapes the architecture and user experience of the Windows product used by millions. - Flat, collaborative culture that empowers engineers to choose how to solve problems and own features end-to-end. - Clear growth opportunities toward technical leadership positions such as Tech Lead or Architect. - Mission-driven work focused on building accessible, user-centered software that helps people read and learn. - Portugal-based compensation in the range of 30,000–65,000 USD per year plus bonus and equity, scaled to experience.