Lead Platform Engineer

London Source: WhatJobs

£140,000–£160,000

Lead Software Engineer (backend and AI focusses) - Up to £160k - London

We're partnering with a venture-backed AI startup building an AI-native platform that combines automation, voice AI, and agentic workflows to solve complex real-world operational problems. Engineering sits at the heart of the business, with AI embedded into both the product and the way the team builds software.

As a Lead Software Engineer, you'll work directly with the Head of Engineering in a highly impactful, hands-on role. This is a fast-moving startup environment where adaptability is key. The focus is primarily Node.js, with Python used across AI initiatives, automation, and LLM-powered features. Open to moving into more senior postions as the team grows!

What you'll be doing

Building and scaling backend services using Node.js and TypeScript.
Developing AI-powered features, agentic workflows, and automation tools.
Working closely with engineering leadership on technical strategy and architecture.
Using Python to support AI, data, and machine learning initiatives.
Taking products from idea through to production in a high-ownership environment.
Helping shape engineering best practices in an AI-first business.
Managing a small engineering team.

What we're looking for

Strong commercial experience with Node.js, TypeScript, NestJS, REST APIs and distributed systems .
Experience building products in startups, scale-ups or high-growth technology businesses .
Hands-on experience with Python and an interest in Generative AI, LLMs, AI Agents, Agentic Workflows, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), Prompt Engineering and AI Automation .
Experience integrating with models such as OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Gemini or open-source LLMs .
Strong understanding of system design, microservices, event-driven architecture and cloud-native development .
Experience working with PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Vector Databases (Qdrant, Pinecone, Weaviate or similar) .
Comfortable working in ambiguous environments where priorities evolve quickly.
Product-minded engineer who wants to own outcomes, not just tickets.