At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a backend team to develop AI-powered products using modern technologies.
- Company: Join a cutting-edge tech company focused on innovative AI solutions.
- Benefits: Enjoy remote work, competitive salary, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Work in a dynamic environment with a high engineering bar and fast career progression.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the AI space while growing your career rapidly.
- Qualifications: 6+ years in software development with strong leadership and Python skills.
We're expanding the Backend Lead behind an AI-powered product built on modern LLM technologies. You will own the platform services domain, partnering closely with product and engineering to turn ambitious ideas into scalable, production-ready systems.
- 6+ years of experience building and shipping production software.
- 3+ years of hands-on experience with asynchronous Python in production environments.
- 2+ years of engineering leadership experience, leading teams through execution while remaining deeply technical.
- Strong background designing and evolving complex distributed systems, platform-level infrastructure, or other high-scale backend architectures.
- Thrive in high-autonomy environments: able to define technical direction, break down ambiguous problems, prioritize work, and deliver results without detailed specifications or constant guidance.
- Product-minded engineering approach: take end-to-end ownership of features - from shaping technical solutions and planning execution to identifying risks early, coordinating with cross-functional teams, and driving successful delivery.
- Strong technical leadership skills: able to provide thoughtful feedback, setting a high technical bar, while making decisions that maximize team effectiveness.
- Practical experience building with LLMs and agentic AI frameworks (e.g. LangGraph or similar), combined with an up-to-date understanding of the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem and engineering best practices.
- Comfortable operating in fast-moving, high-ambiguity environments, where requirements evolve, priorities shift, and engineers are expected to shape solutions rather than simply implement predefined tasks.
- Lead a small backend team, owning execution - decomposition, estimation and prioritization.
- Continuously assess team performance and growth and adjust team composition when needed - all without disrupting delivery.
- Build and maintain integrations with third-party services.
- Develop our internal LLM agent framework, with a focus on scalability, throughput, and parallel processing.
- Extend and refine platform architecture to meet the project's evolving needs.
- Technically lead the backend/platform track: break down complex work into clear tasks and build processes around product goals.
- Adapt quickly as priorities shift - work in short feedback loops, keep the team aligned, and drive work through to completion.
- Work closely with other teams: align on architecture and integrations, understand ownership boundaries, and decide what your team owns versus what can be handed off.
- Ensure system observability and reliability through metrics, tracing, and monitoring.
Tech stack: Python 3.13, asyncio, Kubernetes, Kafka, PostgreSQL, HTTP/gRPC, ELK, Grafana.
- The team has built award-winning AI products for tech corporations: devices, voice assistants, products that are actually in the world
- Cutting-edge tech stack: Speech Technologies, NLP, Generative AI (LLMs, diffusion models), voice-first agentic architecture with privacy-first and on-premises deployment
- High engineering bar and real ownership: the team cares about what actually works in production, not what looks good in a demo, and you'll see the impact of your work directly
- Fast career progression: a senior-heavy team and a high volume of real problems means you grow faster than you would anywhere else
- Startup pace with enterprise stability: real clients, real revenue, no bureaucracy
- Fully remote across Europe
- 21 vacation days + public holidays + 5 sick days
- Private English lessons via Preply
- Company-paid subscriptions to top AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and others)
Backend Team Lead in London employer: Acclaim
At Acclaim, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration among skilled professionals. With rapid career progression opportunities, competitive compensation, and the flexibility of remote work from Europe or the US, our team thrives in a supportive environment that embraces cutting-edge technologies and entrepreneurial spirit. Join us to work on exciting projects for prominent clients while contributing to the development of our proprietary AI-driven products.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Backend Team Lead in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Acclaim or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Acclaim.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Acclaim.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Acclaim that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Backend Team Lead in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Acclaim.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Acclaim and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Acclaim
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Acclaim uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
