At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build the core orchestration engine for data and AI pipelines.
- Company: Join a rapidly growing tech company focused on innovative data solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary up to £120k, remote work options, and career growth opportunities.
- Other info: Work in a small, dynamic team tackling complex challenges in a critical market.
- Why this job: Take ownership of impactful projects in the exciting field of AI and data orchestration.
- Qualifications: Deep Python experience and strong understanding of distributed systems required.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ 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.
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We will manage your applications and surface other opportunities that are a fit.
The role
This company builds the control plane for data and AI pipelines, used in production by major enterprises and trusted by a community of over 30,000 data practitioners.
They're tackling the fundamental challenge of orchestrating complex data workflows and, increasingly, the emerging world of AI agents.
Backed by leading investors, they're growing rapidly in a critical, underserved market.
You'll own the core orchestration engine: the machinery that schedules, executes, and manages state for every pipeline.
This isn't a backend role where you hand off infrastructure or QA to other teams; you'll drive features from concept to production, writing the Terraform and debugging what you ship.
The team is small, generalist, and focused on the hardest problems, particularly in the nascent AI agent layer.
- The work
- Design and build the core orchestration engine: scheduling, execution, state management, retries, concurrency, and cancellation.
- Engineer for highly variable load, ensuring capacity, back‑pressure, and isolation for systems with extreme peak‑to‑average ratios.
- Drive features end-to-end, from initial concept through to production deployment, including infrastructure‑as‑code (Terraform) and monitoring.
- Tackle the least‑solved problems in the AI‑native layer, building out the control plane for AI agents.
- Debug complex production failures and optimise systems under real‑world, high‑load conditions.
What You Bring
- Deep production Python experience, having made architectural decisions and understood language edges.
- Proven judgment in distributed systems: retries, idempotency, state machines, queues, and debugging race conditions under load.
- A cloud‑native mindset, treating infrastructure (Ia C, serverless) as part of your remit, not someone else’s.
- Strong data modelling instinct, with experience making and learning from critical state persistence decisions.
- A bias to shipping, prioritising impact and knowing when to iterate versus gold‑plate.
- Eligibility to work in the UK.
- Why apply through Dex
This isn't a generic backend role. It's a high‑ownership seat at a company building critical infrastructure for data and AI, tackling genuinely hard problems.
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Backend Engineer (up to £120k) in London 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 Backend Engineer (up to £120k) in London
✨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 Backend Engineer (up to £120k) in London
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.
