Member of Technical Staff, Hark Desktop

Job description

**About Hark** Hark is an artificial intelligence company building advanced, personalized intelligence. One that is proactive, multimodal, and capable of interacting with the world through speech, text, vision, and persistent memory. We're pairing that intelligence with next-generation hardware to create a universal interface between humans and machines. While today's AI largely operates through chat boxes and decade-old devices, Hark is focused on what comes next: agentic systems that interact naturally with people and the real world. To get there, we're developing multimodal models and next-generation AI hardware together - designed from the ground up as a single, unified interface for a new era of intelligent systems. **About the Role** At Hark, you'll build the desktop experience that brings our intelligence to where people do their work every day. We're looking for exceptional engineers with deep C++ experience and a background in Chromium or Electron-like application frameworks, who want to shape how a proactive AI lives on the computer. You'll architect and build the native foundations of Hark's desktop app on macOS and Windows, from OS-level integration and system APIs to the features that let Hark see, listen, remember, and act alongside users across their apps and the web. You'll own features end-to-end, work closely with researchers, model engineers, design, and hardware teams, and help define what it feels like to have an intelligent agent built into your desktop. This role is a fit for engineers who thrive in fast-paced environments, take initiative on high-impact problems, and care deeply about building software that is fast, stable, and feels native on every platform. **Responsibilities** - Own features from concept and design through implementation and launch, serving as a desktop and native platform expert on the team. - Build the core of Hark's desktop app, while contributing to features across the full stack. - Build the native capabilities that make Hark multimodal on the desktop, including voice input, audio, screen understanding, and experiences where agents take actions on a user's behalf across apps and the web. - Integrate deeply with macOS and Windows so Hark feels at home on each platform, including system APIs, permissions, notifications, background processes, and connections to Hark hardware and other devices. - Design and implement clear, reusable API in languages like Rust, C++, Typescript, Go, along with the tooling and infrastructure used to build, test, and deploy them. - Partner with researchers and model engineers to bring new model capabilities to the desktop quickly, building foundations that shorten the path from research to product. - Uphold engineering excellence through performance profiling, testing, monitoring, and secure handling of user data, including personal memory, screen content, and conversation history. **Requirements** - 4+ years of experience building technically complex features end-to-end. - Strong Rust/C++ development skills, especially in browser environments such as Chromium or Electron-like application frameworks. - Experience building desktop applications on macOS and Windows, including OS-level integration. - Proven track record of making native applications fast, stable, and efficient, with attention to memory, CPU, and startup performance. - Creativity and ownership in ambiguous problems. You identify the most important work, move quickly from prototype to production, and learn the AI systems your products are built on. **Bonus Qualifications** - General knowledge of web development and TypeScript. - Experience with Python for tooling or deployment infrastructure. - Experience with audio, microphone, or screen-capture APIs in desktop apps. - Experience building desktop apps that connect to hardware or external devices, such as over Bluetooth or USB. - Experience building products on top of large language models or multimodal AI, including streaming responses, voice interaction, or agent interfaces. **Compensation** The US base salary range for this full-time position is between $170,000 - $400,000 annually. The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components and benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.