At a Glance
- Tasks: Own and develop our public API, build integrations, and architect AI infrastructure.
- Company: Join Adclear, a fast-growing tech company revolutionising compliance for banks and lenders.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity, private healthcare, gym contributions, and flexible working.
- Other info: Fast-paced culture with direct founder involvement and opportunities for rapid growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a dynamic environment with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Proven backend experience, strong judgement, and familiarity with modern coding tools.
The predicted salary is between 75000 - 110000 £ per year.
About Adclear
Adclear is building the compliance infrastructure that regulated industries should have always had. Compliance review is a real bottleneck for every bank, lender, and investment platform that wants to market themselves and we're the team eliminating it with software. Founded in 2024 and trusted by Monzo, Lloyds, and PensionBee, Adclear is setting a new standard for compliance review. We've raised £2.6m, built an evaluation system that runs against real client data every day, and we're growing fast.
The Role
This is a senior backend role at the core of the platform. You'll own the systems everything else runs on: the public API other companies build against, the integrations that reach into our customers' tools, and the infrastructure behind an AI pipeline that reviews real client data every day. You'll talk to the engineers and customers building on our API, and as a senior engineer you'll have real input into the architecture of the platform as a whole.
What you'll do
- Own our public-facing API. The contracts, the versioning, the docs, the auth. Other companies build on this every day, so the bar for it is high.
- Build out our MCP server, the surface that lets AI agents act inside Adclear safely.
- Build the integration layer that reaches into wherever customers create marketing: Canva, Figma, Google Docs, Contentful, and the rest.
- Handle the messy parts well: rate limits, auth quirks, the integration that breaks because someone else changed their API.
- Help architect the infrastructure behind our AI pipeline. Orchestration, queuing, retries, latency, cost, and the eval system that runs against real client data daily.
- Help keep the plumbing the whole team relies on in good shape: CI/CD in GitHub Actions, database migrations, monitoring and error tracking, alerting, and metrics. The systems you build should stay up, and tell us quickly when they don't.
- Set the bar for backend engineering as we grow. We're six engineers today. What you build and how you build it shapes the team that comes after.
- Ship a change to production on your first day and a feature in your first week. We deploy continuously.
What we're looking for
- Senior backend depth. You've owned production systems end-to-end, designed APIs other people built on, and modelled data that held up as it scaled. Your track record shows systems that shipped, stuck, and stayed up.
- Strong judgement under ambiguity. You balance speed, reliability, and cost, push back when something's underspecified, and make pragmatic calls when it needs to ship.
- Systems taste. You notice when an interface is wrong, when a failure mode is unhandled, when something will hurt at 10x the load, and you say so.
- Cross-functional pragmatism. You work effectively with founders, designers, and AI engineers. You unblock yourself rather than waiting.
- AI literacy. You're fluent with modern coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, agents, whatever you've settled on). You treat them as collaborators, know when to trust them and when to override them, and have opinions about where they help and where they get in the way.
- Security sense. We serve banks and we're SOC 2 Type II certified. Auth, data handling, audit trails, and tenant isolation are things you think about by default.
Strong technical depth in:
- TypeScript specialist. You write it well and you've owned services end-to-end in it.
- API design and data modelling.
- Building production systems with AI in the critical path.
- Postgres and Drizzle, or equivalent.
- Modern web infrastructure. Node, distributed systems, the usual.
Nice to have
- Python.
- Cloudflare experience: Workers, Queues, and the wider Cloudflare stack. We run on it, so this is a real plus.
- Experience with Hono or Drizzle.
- Experience in regulated industries: fintech, healthtech, legaltech.
The Stack
A Hono API on Cloudflare Workers, with Queues and the wider Cloudflare platform for infrastructure. Drizzle and Postgres on the data layer.
How we work
Founders are closely involved in the day-to-day. No PM buffer. You talk to the people building on your API, and you act on what you hear. You own what you ship, including after it's shipped.
This isn't the right role if you want tightly scoped tickets, a fixed lane, or a strict 40‑hour week. The pace is fast and the scope moves.
Compensation
£75,000–£110,000 Meaningful equity Private healthcare and dental cover Hardware budget Monthly gym contribution Four days a week in our London office
Senior Backend Engineer employer: Adclear
Adclear is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and innovative work culture, where senior backend engineers play a pivotal role in shaping the future of compliance infrastructure. With a focus on employee growth, you will have the opportunity to take ownership of critical systems and collaborate closely with founders and cross-functional teams, all while enjoying competitive compensation, meaningful equity, and a supportive environment that prioritises work-life balance with a four-day work week in our vibrant London office.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Backend Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at meetups. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repo showcasing your projects, especially those involving APIs and backend systems. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the technical interview! Brush up on your TypeScript and API design skills. Be ready to discuss your past projects and how you tackled challenges in production systems.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to get noticed by our team. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to connect directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Backend Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Experience:When you're writing your application, make sure to highlight your experience with backend systems and API design. We want to see how you've owned production systems and what you've built that has scaled successfully.
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so avoid jargon and focus on what makes you a great fit for the role. Remember, we’re looking for strong judgement and pragmatism!
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to tailor your application to our specific needs. Mention your familiarity with TypeScript, Postgres, and any experience in regulated industries. This shows us you’ve done your homework and understand what we’re about.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures it gets into the right hands. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table!
How to prepare for a job interview at Adclear
✨Know Your Tech Stack Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in TypeScript, Postgres, and the Cloudflare stack. Be ready to discuss your past experiences with these technologies, especially how you've designed APIs and built production systems. Bring examples of your work that demonstrate your technical depth.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to talk about specific challenges you've faced in previous roles, particularly around ambiguity and system failures. Highlight how you balanced speed, reliability, and cost while making pragmatic decisions. This will show your strong judgement under pressure.
✨Demonstrate Cross-Functional Collaboration
Adclear values teamwork across different roles. Be prepared to share examples of how you've effectively worked with engineers, designers, and other stakeholders. Discuss how you’ve unblocked yourself in the past and contributed to a collaborative environment.
✨Understand Compliance and Security
Since Adclear operates in regulated industries, brush up on compliance standards like SOC 2 Type II. Be ready to discuss how you’ve handled security in your previous projects, including data handling and audit trails. This will show that you’re not just technically skilled but also aware of the industry’s requirements.
