Founding Product Engineer

Founding Product Engineer

Full-Time 60000 - 80000 € / year (est.) No home office possible
Cornerstone VC

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Shape healthcare experiences with innovative tech that impacts patients and clinicians daily.
  • Company: Join a passionate team dedicated to transforming the NHS for everyone.
  • Benefits: Enjoy homemade meals, paid volunteer days, and a generous learning budget.
  • Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
  • Why this job: Be part of a mission to fix the NHS and make a real difference.
  • Qualifications: 5+ years in software development, expertise in React and TypeScript.

The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 € per year.

Location: Stratford, East London

Employment Type: Full time

Location Type: On-site

Department: Engineering

Let’s make the NHS the most advanced healthcare system in the world. The world’s best healthcare, for free. It's not a new idea, it's called the NHS. But the largest healthcare provider is fundamentally broken. So we’re on a mission to fix it with technology that actually works. We love the NHS because it’s accessible to all, free at the point of delivery and employs millions up and down the UK. But we've all read the headlines. It's under intense pressure with rising costs, GP strikes, budget uncertainty and an ageing population. Which means longer wait times, fewer appointments and lower quality care for the people who need it most. The NHS is beautiful, but broken.

Our Principles:

  • Care deeply
  • Work hard
  • Be your word
  • Trust in radical truth and transparency
  • Do your life's best work
  • Find the fun

As one of our Founding Product Engineers, you’ll own and shape the experiences used every day by patients and clinicians where performance, clarity, and reliability directly impact care.

What we’re looking for:

  • You will have 5+ years of experience, with expertise in React and TypeScript.
  • You’ve experienced a startup or scale-up especially at early stage.
  • You’ve been part of a small squad of high performing engineers and you weren’t just “one of many”.
  • You’re comfortable owning ambiguous problems end-to-end.
  • Care deeply about user experience, performance, and simplicity - you seek the feedback loop!
  • You constantly raise the bar for both engineering and product not just internally but in our customers' eyes.
  • Someone that thrives in autonomy, responsibility, and building things that truly matter.

Tech environment:

  • Fullstack (Backend leaning): React, TypeScript (core focus)
  • APIs: Designing and consuming scalable, well-structured services
  • Data: Working with production systems and performance considerations
  • AI: Integrating modern AI models into real-world healthcare workflows
  • Experience in scaling product environments or high-stakes domains (health, finance, infra) is a strong advantage.

What success looks like:

  • You ship intuitive, high-quality user experiences that clinicians and patients rely on daily.
  • You influence product direction, not just implementation.
  • You identify and solve performance and usability challenges before they become problems.
  • You become a trusted voice across engineering, product, and design.
  • The team delivers faster and better because of you.

A bit about us:

We’re all NHS staff. We’re inside‑outsiders. Trusted with one of the biggest datasets in the world. Our office is within a GP practice. This is our unfair advantage. Got a question? Pop down the corridor. Want to learn how your work affects real patients? Pop downstairs to reception. 3‑5 days in the office, depending on your team and the company schedule. We highly prioritise in‑person communication and prefer candidates who want to work 4+ days a week in the office. Our anchor days are Mon, Tues and Fri.

Homemade breakfast and lunch are on the house every day when you're in the office, ensuring you're fuelled for success! We work in growth cycles. Every 8 weeks we do the same set of activities. 1 week outside of Business‑as‑Usual to research, strategise, plan our work. 7 weeks to knuckle down and deliver it. We’re highly collaborative. One of the benefits of a high trust team is we often work autonomously, but as a team we’re very collaborative by nature. Two heads are often better than one, and we frequently lean on each other to solve problems together.

We’re backed by industry leaders. We’re on the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator, backed by the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Program, winners of the London Business School Healthtech Challenge, Innovate UK, and Y Combinator (S23).

An opportunity for real upside:

  • Paid volunteer days. We offer an additional 2 paid days off per year where you can give back to your mission of choice.
  • Every 8 weeks we take a day off to socialise as a team. In the past we’ve hiked box hill, raved at All Points East and spent one rainy day at Thorpe park. This works out as 6 working days a year.
  • Learning budget of £250 annually and time off to spend it - we care about this; this is flexible and based on need but everyone will receive a yearly allocation towards their continual growth.
  • Health and fitness budget of £60 per month.
  • An additional 7 days of paid leave is available if you want to take time to learn how to meditate.
  • Tooling; You’ll have your choice of operating systems and any additional tools you need to do your best work (e.g. keyboard, additional monitors, mouse etc).
  • If you’re on our Engineering teams you’ll receive the latest MacBook Pro and our Growth & Ops teams receive a MacBook Air.
  • We know health and family come first which is why we have a generous sick leave policy with additional days that can be taken for mental health leave.
  • We prioritise time outside of work to bond, once a year we’ll holiday together! Destination chosen by popular vote. In 2025, we spent 8 days in a surf camp in France!

No private medical insurance, because we believe in the NHS and we are here to improve it!

Parental leave:

  • Post passing probation it is: statutory - 6 weeks 90% pay then, SMP for 33 weeks;
  • If you've been an employee for a year: 12 weeks 100% pay then, SMP for 27 weeks;
  • If you have been here for 2 years: 18 weeks 100% pay then, SMP for 21 weeks. This will improve over time.

We also include up to £9,000 of childcare contribution for primary caregivers to support a five-day return where possible.

Fertility leave: We understand how difficult a fertility journey can be. This is why we give an extra 5 days off per year if you or your partner are going through fertility treatment.

Pension: We operate a standard 3% employer contribution and employees auto‑contribute 5% of their salary. We use Nest as our provider.

Local living benefit: A one-off benefit to support living closer to the office: £5,000 if you live within a 30‑minute walk, or £2,500 within a 30‑minute bike. It is optional, available immediately on signing, and not linked to performance or progression.

If you choose to work late in the office, you can expense dinner after 7pm and an Uber home after 9pm, or earlier if you feel unsafe travelling in the dark. This is optional and about wellbeing, not performance or expectations.

Inclusive & Diverse by Design: We care about building a product that is loved and a culture that is rich in perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. Our team represents more than ten different cultures. We come together every lunchtime for a home-cooked meal, rotated among team members! We want everyone in our team to know that they belong. We are purposeful about this and are proactively building a company that is inclusive of all people; from race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodiversity, disability, colour, and national origin - essentially every type of diversity. We don’t just want people who fit in, we want them to fit together. We're active in continually improving the way we make this happen.

Founding Product Engineer employer: Cornerstone VC

As a Founding Product Engineer at our innovative healthcare startup in Stratford, East London, you'll be part of a mission-driven team dedicated to transforming the NHS into the most advanced healthcare system globally. We offer a collaborative work culture that prioritises autonomy and personal growth, with unique benefits such as homemade meals, generous paid volunteer days, and a supportive environment for learning and development. Join us to make a meaningful impact on patient care while enjoying a vibrant workplace that values diversity and inclusivity.

Cornerstone VC

Contact Detail:

Cornerstone VC Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Founding Product Engineer

Tip Number 1

Get to know the company inside out! Dive into their mission, values, and recent projects. When you show up for interviews, drop in some specific examples of how your skills can help them tackle their challenges. It’ll make you stand out as someone who genuinely cares about their work.

Tip Number 2

Network like a pro! Reach out to current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry events. Ask them about their experiences and share your passion for improving the NHS. This can give you insider info and might even lead to a referral!

Tip Number 3

Prepare for those tricky technical interviews! Brush up on your React and TypeScript skills, and be ready to solve real-world problems on the spot. Practising coding challenges can help you feel more confident and ready to impress.

Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to follow up after your interviews! A quick thank-you email can go a long way. Mention something specific from your conversation to remind them of your enthusiasm and fit for the role. Plus, it shows you’re proactive and really interested in joining their team!

We think you need these skills to ace Founding Product Engineer

React
TypeScript
APIs Design
Data Performance Optimisation
User Experience Design
Problem-Solving
Collaboration

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Your Passion for the NHS:When you're writing your application, let your love for the NHS shine through! We want to see how much you care about making a difference in healthcare. Share any personal experiences or motivations that drive you to be part of this mission.

Highlight Relevant Experience:Make sure to showcase your 5+ years of experience, especially with React and TypeScript. We’re looking for someone who’s been in the trenches of a startup or scale-up, so don’t hold back on those stories that demonstrate your hands-on skills and problem-solving abilities.

Be Authentic and Transparent:We value radical truth and transparency, so be yourself in your application! Don’t just list your skills; tell us about your journey, the challenges you've faced, and how you’ve grown as an engineer. Authenticity goes a long way with us!

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to get your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join our team and be part of our mission!

How to prepare for a job interview at Cornerstone VC

Know Your Tech Inside Out

Make sure you brush up on your React and TypeScript skills before the interview. Be ready to discuss your past projects in detail, especially those that showcase your ability to solve ambiguous problems and improve user experience.

Understand the NHS Landscape

Familiarise yourself with the current challenges facing the NHS. This will not only show your passion for the mission but also help you articulate how your skills can contribute to fixing these issues through technology.

Showcase Your Collaborative Spirit

Since the role emphasises teamwork, be prepared to share examples of how you've worked collaboratively in previous roles. Highlight instances where you’ve influenced product direction or solved problems as part of a team.

Embrace the Company Culture

Read up on the company’s principles and values. During the interview, express how your personal values align with theirs, particularly around care, transparency, and doing your best work. This will demonstrate that you’re not just a fit for the role, but for the team as well.