At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build an innovative audit operating system from the ground up.
- Company: Join a pre-seed startup backed by $5M in funding, focused on financial compliance.
- Benefits: Competitive salary up to £170k, dynamic work environment, and opportunities for growth.
- Other info: Work closely with auditors and tackle real-world challenges in a collaborative team.
- Why this job: Be a founding engineer and shape the future of audit technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in building complex systems and a passion for automation.
The predicted salary is between 170000 - 170000 £ per year.
This role is with one of Dex's trusted partner companies.
We work closely with their teams to truly understand their culture, goals, and what they're looking for, so we can match you with the right opportunity and give you context about the role before you commit to a process.
The role
Audit is broken.
It's slow, expensive, and opaque.
This pre-seed startup is fixing it, building an operating system for critical financial compliance in regulated markets.
They're automating statutory audit end-to-end, moving from manual sampling to transaction-by-transaction testing, and delivering a transparent, fixed-price service.
Backed by $5M in pre-seed funding from leading VCs, they're building a small, senior engineering team to tackle a problem ripe for disruption.
You’ll be a Founding Engineer, owning the agent layer of this audit operating system from day one.
This isn't about picking up tickets; it's about defining the process itself.
You'll design, build, and iterate on the core intelligence that plans, executes, and checks audit work, working directly with auditors to embed their expertise.
This role demands comfort with deep ambiguity and a desire to shape the product roadmap.
It is not for those seeking a pre-defined path or predictable sprints.
- The work
- Design and build the core agent layer that plans, executes, and verifies audit work, moving from concept to production.
- Develop the systems for continuous improvement, enabling the agent to learn and refine its evidence-gathering and decision-making.
- Translate complex audit standards (ISA) and expert opinions into deterministic, automated processes.
- Take end-to-end ownership of features, from initial problem statement to deployment and monitoring, across the full stack (Type Script, Fastify, React, Postgres, Temporal).
- Collaborate directly with state-authorised auditors to understand and automate the nuances of financial compliance.
What You Bring
- Proven track record shipping complex systems you personally owned end-to-end, not just contributed to.
- Experience building and measuring intelligent automation or agentic systems, with strong opinions on their design and iteration.
- Ability to decompose highly ambiguous, complex processes into actionable, iterative engineering tasks.
- Comfort working directly with subject-matter experts (e. g., auditors) to translate domain knowledge into technical solutions.
- A genuine desire to work in a London office-first environment, typically 4 days a week.
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Founding Engineer - London (up to £170k) employer: Dex
Join a pioneering early-stage venture-backed company at the forefront of building foundation models for extreme physics, where you will have the unique opportunity to shape the engineering culture from day one. With a strong focus on innovation and collaboration, this role offers competitive compensation, a dynamic work environment, and the chance to contribute to critical advancements in global infrastructure and energy. You'll be part of a small, research-heavy team that values your expertise and encourages personal growth, making it an excellent place for those looking to make a meaningful impact.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Founding Engineer - London (up to £170k)
✨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 Dex 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 Dex.
✨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 Dex.
✨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 Dex 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 Founding Engineer - London (up to £170k)
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 Dex.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Dex 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 Dex
✨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 Dex 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.
