Senior Backend Engineer (TypeScript / Node.js)
Remote – UK / Europe (GMT to GMT+2)
Full-time | Early-stage VC-backed startup
up to £120,000 P/A
We’re hiring a Senior Backend Engineer to join a fast-growing, VC-backed startup building developer-facing AI infrastructure.
This is not a typical “CRUD API” role.
You’ll be building and owning the backend foundations behind AI-powered systems used by real users in production — APIs, distributed services, async workflows, data pipelines, and infrastructure that needs to scale reliably.
What You’ll Work On
* Designing and building production-grade APIs used by external developers
* Owning backend services that support AI agents and large data workflows
* Handling async processing, queues, caching, and traffic spikes
* Building systems that process complex or heavy data payloads
* Collaborating closely with Product & Design in a small, high-autonomy team
* Making pragmatic architectural decisions in a fast-moving environment
What We’re Looking For
* Strong experience building and scaling backend systems in production
* Deep knowledge of Node.js / TypeScript
Experience with:
* Distributed systems
* Async workflows
* Event-driven architecture
* Queues / background jobs
* Caching strategies
* Solid database experience (Postgres, MySQL, Redis etc.)
* Experience working in VC-backed startups or small product teams
* Comfortable operating with high autonomy and minimal process
* Strong communication skills in async, remote environments
Nice to Have
* Experience building AI-powered backend systems (LLMs, RAG, agents)
* Platform / infrastructure experience
* Experience designing APIs used by other engineers
* Exposure to self-hosted or enterprise deployment models
Not the Right Fit If
* Your experience is primarily frontend-focused
* Most of your background is ecommerce, digital agencies, or enterprise-only environments
* You prefer highly structured orgs with strict roadmaps and layers of management
What You’ll Get
* Competitive salary + meaningful equity
* 35 days holiday (including local holidays)
* Remote-first culture
* High ownership and real impact
* Direct collaboration with founders
* Opportunity to shape backend architecture from the ground up