At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build innovative R&D tools for the AI era, delivering impactful software solutions.
- Company: Ankar is revolutionising R&D with cutting-edge technology and a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, health insurance, flexible pension, team lunches, and cycle-to-work scheme.
- Other info: Work in a vibrant Shoreditch office with flexibility and strong career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Join a dynamic team shaping the future of innovation and make a real impact.
- Qualifications: Experience in software engineering and a passion for building user-centric products.
Overview
The way companies innovate is broken. The systems built to create and protect ideas can’t keep up with the pace of change. Today, 90% of S&P 500 company value is intangible (e.g., in intellectual property) - yet R&D and IP teams spend half their time buried in manual work, sifting through patents and paperwork instead of pushing the frontier forward. The tools of creating and protecting are stuck in the past. We’re here to fix that.
Ankar is building the R&D tools for the AI era and defining what applied research will look like in the next 20 years. We’re building infrastructure and product experiences our customers rely on every day. You’ll translate messy, ambiguous problems into clean, dependable software—and you’ll do it at the cutting-edge of AI.
We’re at an inflection point:
- We’ve raised >$24M to date from Tier-1 VCs like Atomico, Index Ventures, Norrsken, Daphni, and angels like the Founder of Hugging Face, CEO from Datadog, and Leaders from DeepMind and OpenAI.
- We’re already working with the world’s most innovative companies including Fortune 500 company L’Oréal and global law firm Vorys.
- Expanding our world-class team with alumni from Palantir, Amazon, and BCG to tackle the $1T+ innovation market.
What you’ll do:
- Build world-class product. Design, build, and maintain scalable, reliable systems and user-facing product experiences that customers depend on.
- Ship fast and iterate constantly. Deliver quickly, learn from real feedback, and refine the product week by week with direct access to customers.
- Own end-to-end execution. Take full ownership of projects across frontend, backend, and deployment—from design to implementation to monitoring and maintenance.
- Partner deeply with teammates and customers. Collaborate closely with product, design, and customer-facing teams and customers themselves to ensure what we build is useful, usable, and impactful.
What you'll bring:
- You’re a product-minded, critical builder. You care deeply about what you build, and you have a track record of turning ideas into software that real users love.
- Software engineering experience, including building and shipping production systems end-to-end.
- Strong product intuition and experience partnering with design/product on user workflows.
- Strong systems thinking: ability to design reliable, maintainable software and debug complex issues across the stack.
- Experience in fast-moving startups or high-ownership environments.
What success looks like:
- You ship meaningful product improvements weekly and build trust through consistent execution.
- You proactively identify what the product needs next, not just what’s assigned.
- You raise the bar for quality and velocity through strong engineering judgment.
- You design systems that scale with users and maintainability over time.
Culture at Ankar:
Culture at Ankar is how we think, build, and operate. We’re building a generational company that redefines how the world’s best R&D teams create and protect ideas.
- Contrarian - we think from first principles: We think deeply, question assumptions, and build from first principles. The best ideas come from clarity and rigour.
- Creative - we build with taste: We’re building the R&D tools for the AI era and shaping what applied research looks like over the next 20 years. We care about precision, quality, and systems that last.
- Competitive - we play to win: We move with urgency and set a very high bar for ourselves and each other. Every win raises the bar. Every challenge sharpens us.
What we put behind our people:
- Health Insurance: Full private health & dental coverage for you and your dependents.
- Pension: Flexible pension scheme with up to 5% employer matching on qualifying earnings.
- Food on us: Team lunches twice a week, plus dinner when working late in the office.
- Cycle to work: Green Commute initiative scheme (up to £3k) to help you get a new bike tax-free.
- Way we work: We combine deep, in-person collaboration (minimum 3 days/week in our Shoreditch office) with flexibility and trust. What matters is ownership, impact, and results, not where you work from.
- Visa sponsorship: Yes.
Compensation:
We believe exceptional people should be compensated accordingly. £160,000–£300,000 including equity (depending on experience).
Senior Product Engineer in London employer: Ankar
Ankar is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, making it an ideal place for Senior Product Engineers to thrive. With a commitment to employee growth, competitive compensation, and comprehensive benefits including health insurance and a flexible pension scheme, Ankar empowers its team to push the boundaries of R&D in the AI era. Located in the vibrant Shoreditch area, the company promotes a dynamic work environment that balances in-person collaboration with flexibility, ensuring that every team member can make a meaningful impact.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Product Engineer in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at events. 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. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and how you think.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to product engineering. We want you to feel confident and ready to impress!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Product Engineer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion:When you're writing your application, let your enthusiasm for the role shine through! We want to see that you’re genuinely excited about building innovative products and tackling complex problems in the R&D space.
Tailor Your Experience:Make sure to highlight your relevant experience in software engineering and product development. We love seeing how your past projects align with what we’re doing at Ankar, so don’t hold back on those details!
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so make sure your skills and experiences are easy to understand. Avoid jargon unless it’s absolutely necessary!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Ankar
✨Understand the Product Landscape
Before your interview, dive deep into Ankar's product offerings and the R&D tools they are developing. Familiarise yourself with their approach to AI and how it impacts innovation. This will help you articulate how your experience aligns with their mission.
✨Showcase Your Engineering Journey
Be ready to discuss specific projects where you've built and shipped production systems. Highlight your end-to-end execution skills and how you've tackled complex issues. Use examples that demonstrate your ability to design reliable software and your systems thinking.
✨Emphasise Collaboration Skills
Ankar values teamwork, so prepare to discuss how you've partnered with product and design teams in the past. Share instances where your collaboration led to impactful user experiences, showcasing your ability to work closely with diverse teams.
✨Demonstrate a Growth Mindset
Talk about how you proactively identify product needs and iterate based on feedback. Share examples of how you've raised the bar for quality and velocity in your previous roles, showing that you're not just a builder but a critical thinker who thrives in fast-moving environments.
