About this role
About the RoleThis is a rare opportunity to join a seed-stage AI infrastructure company as a Founding Engineer — one of the earliest technical hires working directly alongside the founders. You'll help build a novel infrastructure product that serves as the backbone for next-generation AI applications: coding assistants, agent orchestration systems, and beyond.
You'll have a direct hand in shaping the company's technical direction, architecture decisions, and culture. If you're motivated by deep ownership, fast learning, and building systems that matter at scale, this role is for you.
What You'll DoDesign and build core backend services in Go (Golang) that handle high-traffic, low-latency workloads at scale
Architect and evolve a pragmatic microservices platform running on Kubernetes — and redefine the stack as needs grow
Build and maintain high-quality API platforms with a focus on reliability, performance, and developer experience
Implement and optimise distributed caching and database layers (SQL, NoSQL, distributed caches)
Profile and tune systems for performance under production-scale, high-traffic conditions
Contribute to auxiliary and ML/AI services in Python where needed
Work closely with founders to influence product direction and technical roadmap
What We're Looking ForRequired:
5+ years of experience building backend services in a compiled language — Go (Golang) strongly preferred
Proven experience with distributed systems design and scalability
Strong expertise in databases and caching systems (SQL/NoSQL and caching layers); ability to select and apply the right tool for the job
Kubernetes expertise in production environments
Experience building or designing API platforms with a strong focus on quality and design
Experience with performance profiling and optimisation for high-traffic systems
Background in early-stage startups or greenfield/founding-engineer-type projects
Ability to design both scalable and pragmatic architectures appropriate to the product stage
Deep understanding of concurrency and when/how to apply it
Strong grasp of tradeoffs between quality, speed, and completeness — you know that "minimal" ≠ "broken"
Self-starter who learns new technologies independently and proactively
Nice to Have:
Familiarity with LLM ecosystems, AI gateway concepts, or ML/AI service infrastructure
Experience at high-calibre engineering organisations (e.g. large cloud providers, enterprise software companies)
Ambitions to found your own startup someday — we love that energy
Tech StackCore services: Go (Golang)
Auxiliary/ML services: Python
Infrastructure: Kubernetes (microservices architecture)
Data: SQL databases + distributed caches
Expect this list to evolve — you'll likely be the one driving those changes.
Compensation & BenefitsGenerous total compensation package
Significant equity stake — meaningful ownership from day one
LocationOn-site in London, United Kingdom
Visa sponsorship is not available — candidates must have the right to work in the UK