Founding Backend Engineer
📍 London | On-site / field exposure
💰 Up to £150,000 + meaningful equity
📄 Permanent | Founding Team
We're working with a rapidly growing early-stage technology company building software to coordinate complex, high-value physical operations in real time.
The product combines sophisticated backend systems, algorithms and AI to continuously respond when plans change — helping organisations coordinate people, tasks, equipment, locations and time.
The business already has significant early traction, including a live enterprise deployment and a substantial commercial pipeline, backed by a recent multi-million-pound pre-seed investment.
They're now looking for a Founding Backend Engineer to join the core engineering team and take significant ownership of the platform.
The Role
You'll be responsible for building the backend systems that power a real-time operational platform.
This is a highly technical role where you'll work on stateful systems, algorithms, event-driven architecture, APIs and complex operational workflows.
You'll also work directly with customers and the founders, spending time understanding real-world operations and turning those problems into scalable software.
What you'll be doing
Design and build core backend systems using TypeScript and Python
Build APIs and services running on AWS
Design complex stateful systems and workflows
Work with Postgres and operational data
Build systems capable of responding to constantly changing events and constraints
Implement algorithms that support real-time decision-making
Work closely with AI/ML engineers to integrate intelligent capabilities
Develop reliable, scalable production software
Work directly with customers to understand operational challenges
Visit live customer environments and understand how the product operates in the real world
Help shape architecture, engineering practices and technical direction
Turn customer-specific learnings into reusable product capabilities
What we're looking for
Strong commercial backend engineering experience
Excellent experience with TypeScript and/or Python
Strong API and distributed systems experience
Experience building production systems on AWS
Strong database experience, ideally Postgres
Excellent understanding of software architecture and system design
Comfortable working with complex state, workflows and event-driven systems
Strong algorithms and problem-solving ability
Experience working in an early-stage startup or high-growth environment is highly desirable
Comfortable working directly with customers and operating outside a traditional engineering environment
You don't necessarily need experience in aviation or physical operations. What's important is that you're comfortable tackling complex, ambiguous problems and building robust software from first principles.
Why join?
Up to £150,000 salary, flexible for exceptional candidates
Meaningful equity
Founding-level ownership and influence
Direct access to the founders
Opportunity to define core architecture from the beginning
Work on a technically challenging product with genuine real-world impact
Direct customer exposure rather than building in isolation
Opportunity to help shape the engineering team as the company scales
UK work authorisation required. London-based.
If you're a strong backend engineer who wants genuine ownership and the opportunity to become one of the key technical people in an early-stage company, this is worth a conversation.