Founding Engineer / Lead Software Engineer / Senior Software Engineer
London (Hybrid)
Full-time
Salary - £80,000 - £120,000 + Equity
We’re looking for a Founding Engineer to help build the foundations of a new product tackling complex infrastructure and AI behaviour challenges.
This is an early opportunity to take real ownership in a small, fast-moving team working on hard technical problems with meaningful impact.
You’ll be working across backend engineering, system design, and building production-ready infrastructure from scratch.
If you enjoy autonomy, moving quickly, and shaping both product and engineering direction, you’ll fit right in.
What you’ll work on
* Designing and building backend systems using Python and frameworks like FastAPI, or similar.
* Creating reliable, scalable architecture for real-time decisioning systems.
* Implementing caching, queuing, load balancing, and distributed processing.
* Shipping high-quality code quickly in an environment where done is better than perfect.
* Building internal tools, APIs, and core services that support the entire product.
* Working closely with the founding group to define engineering culture, processes, and standards.
What we’re looking for
* Strong backend engineering experience Python.
* Experience with FastAPI, Django, Flask, or related frameworks.
* Confidence designing system architecture from scratch and making pragmatic trade-offs.
* Comfort working in ambiguous, high-autonomy environments.
* A bias toward shipping and iterating rather than over-engineering.
* Interest in challenges involving AI behaviour, infrastructure, or regulated environments.
* Someone who enjoys taking ownership and shaping direction, not just following tickets.
Nice to have
* Experience in fintech, health tech, defence, or other regulated spaces.
* Exposure to AI/ML systems.
* Open-source contributions or independent projects.
* Experience building real-time or safety-critical systems.
What you’ll get
* The autonomy and influence that comes with being part of an early engineering team.
* The chance to work on real, unsolved problems with serious technical depth.
* A meaningful equity package.
* A collaborative environment focused on learning, ownership, and speed.