At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and scale Perplexity's London office, driving innovation in AI infrastructure.
- Company: Join a revolutionary tech company transforming information discovery with AI.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth, and the chance to shape a vibrant tech culture.
- Other info: Opportunity to influence the London tech scene and collaborate globally.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of AI technology and build a diverse, high-performing team.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering, with strong leadership and technical expertise.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 € per year.
Requirements
- 10+ years of experience in software engineering with 5+ years in infrastructure, cloud infrastructure, or AI infrastructure roles
- 3+ years of people management experience, including building and scaling teams
- Proven track record of establishing or significantly growing an engineering site or office
- Deep technical expertise in distributed systems, cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure), and infrastructure automation
- Experience with infrastructure supporting large-scale AI/ML systems, including:
- GPU infrastructure and orchestration
- ML training and inference pipelines
- Model serving and deployment at scale
- Strong understanding of modern infrastructure technologies: Kubernetes, Terraform, container orchestration, CI/CD systems
- Demonstrated ability to set technical vision and drive execution across multiple teams
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- Experience working in fast-paced, high-growth technology companies
- Passion for building inclusive, diverse, and high-performing teams
- (Desirable) Experience at companies focused on AI/ML, search, or large-scale consumer applications
- (Desirable) Previous experience as a site lead, office lead, or similar multi-team leadership role
- (Desirable) Background in building infrastructure for LLM training or inference
- (Desirable) Contributions to open-source infrastructure or AI infrastructure projects
- (Desirable) Experience scaling teams from 0 to 20+ engineers
- (Desirable) Active involvement in the London or European tech community
- (Desirable) MBA or advanced technical degree
What the job involves
Perplexity is revolutionizing how people discover and interact with information through AI-powered search and knowledge tools. As we expand our global footprint, we're establishing a strategic presence in London to drive innovation and growth across Europe. We're seeking an exceptional Site Lead to establish and scale our London office. This is a unique opportunity to shape Perplexity's presence in one of the world's leading tech hubs, building teams and culture from the ground up while driving technical excellence in infrastructure and AI systems.
As Site Lead, you'll serve as the face of Perplexity in London, responsible for building our technical organization, fostering a world-class engineering culture, and directly managing one or more infrastructure teams. You’ll report to senior leadership and work cross-functionally with teams across our global footprint. The individual in this role will manage teams in London themselves while also facilitating.
- Establish and lead Perplexity's London office, setting the cultural foundation and operating principles
- Build a collaborative, high-performance engineering culture that aligns with Perplexity's values while embracing the strengths of the London tech ecosystem
- Serve as the primary point of contact for all London-based activities and represent the site in company-wide strategic discussions
- Partner with People/HR, Finance, and Operations to ensure seamless site operations
- Drive local community engagement, partnerships, and Perplexity's brand presence in the London and European tech community
- Directly manage and mentor one or more infrastructure or AI infrastructure teams in London (5-15+ engineers)
- Set technical direction and strategy for London-based infrastructure initiatives in alignment with company-wide goals
- Drive architectural decisions and technical excellence across teams
- Ensure robust systems for deployment, monitoring, scalability, and reliability of infrastructure supporting AI/ML workloads
- Collaborate with engineering leaders globally to align on technical standards, best practices, and cross-site initiatives
- Build and scale high-performing infrastructure and AI infrastructure teams through strategic hiring
- Develop and execute talent acquisition strategy for the London site in partnership with recruiting
- Create career development frameworks and growth opportunities for engineers
- Foster technical mentorship and knowledge sharing across teams and sites
- Partner with Product, Engineering, and Research teams globally to understand infrastructure needs and deliver solutions
- Coordinate with other site leads and engineering leaders to ensure effective cross-site collaboration
- Contribute to company-wide infrastructure strategy and roadmap planning
- Facilitate knowledge transfer and best practice sharing across global teams
What Success Looks Like:
- 30 Days: Deep understanding of Perplexity's infrastructure, technology stack, and organizational structure; Established relationships with key stakeholders across engineering, product, and leadership; Initial hiring plan and culture strategy for London site established; Help the Search, API, AI and Infra teams build out their hiring pipelines.
- 90 Days: Core infrastructure team established and ramping in London; Clear technical roadmap and priorities defined for London-based teams; Site culture and operating rhythms established (team meetings, all-hands, cross-site syncs); London office actively participating in company-wide infrastructure initiatives.
- 1 Year: London site operating as a high-functioning hub with 15-30+ engineers; Infrastructure teams delivering measurable impact on system reliability, performance, and scalability; Strong talent brand established in London market with healthy hiring pipeline; London recognized internally as a strategic site contributing to Perplexity's technical leadership.
Engineering Site Lead employer: Deepstreamtech
Perplexity is an exceptional employer, offering a unique opportunity to lead and shape our London office in one of the world's foremost tech hubs. With a strong emphasis on building an inclusive and high-performing engineering culture, employees benefit from robust career development frameworks, mentorship opportunities, and the chance to drive innovation in AI infrastructure. Our collaborative work environment fosters technical excellence while actively engaging with the vibrant London tech community, making it a rewarding place for professionals seeking meaningful growth and impact.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Engineering Site Lead
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with folks in the London tech scene. Attend meetups, conferences, or even casual coffee chats. The more people you know, the better your chances of landing that dream job!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you've got a portfolio or GitHub with projects related to infrastructure or AI, make sure to highlight them. This is your chance to demonstrate your expertise and passion for the field.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios specific to engineering leadership roles. Think about how you’d build and scale teams, and be ready to share your vision for a high-performing culture.
✨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 genuinely interested in joining our team at Perplexity.
We think you need these skills to ace Engineering Site Lead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Experience:Make sure to highlight your 10+ years in software engineering and any specific roles in infrastructure or AI. We want to see how your background aligns with what we're looking for, so don’t hold back!
Be a People Person:Since this role involves managing teams, share your experience in people management. Talk about how you've built and scaled teams before – we love hearing about your leadership journey!
Technical Expertise is Key:Don’t forget to showcase your deep technical knowledge in distributed systems and cloud platforms. Mention any hands-on experience with tools like Kubernetes or Terraform, as these are super relevant to 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 this exciting opportunity to shape our London office!
How to prepare for a job interview at Deepstreamtech
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you have a solid grasp of distributed systems, cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, or Azure, and infrastructure automation. Brush up on your knowledge of Kubernetes, Terraform, and CI/CD systems, as these are crucial for the role. Being able to discuss your experience with AI/ML infrastructure will definitely set you apart.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Since this role involves managing teams, be prepared to share specific examples of how you've built and scaled engineering teams in the past. Highlight your people management experience and how you've fostered a collaborative culture. This is your chance to demonstrate your ability to lead and inspire others.
✨Understand the Company Culture
Research Perplexity's values and mission. Be ready to discuss how you can contribute to building an inclusive and high-performing team culture in London. Showing that you align with their vision will make a strong impression on the interviewers.
✨Prepare for Strategic Discussions
As the face of the London office, you'll need to engage in company-wide strategic discussions. Think about how you would approach partnerships and community engagement in the London tech scene. Prepare some ideas on how to elevate Perplexity's brand presence and drive local initiatives.
