At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build a proactive AI assistant across the entire tech stack.
- Company: Join a stealth-mode AI company with a small, innovative team.
- Benefits: Competitive salary up to £140k and impactful founding role.
- Other info: Work in a dynamic environment in Elephant and Castle, London.
- Why this job: Be a pioneer in AI, shaping the future of intelligent assistants.
- Qualifications: PhD or significant technical project experience; 5+ years in relevant systems.
The predicted salary is between 140000 - 140000 £ 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.
Dex is an AI recruiter agent that helps you run your job search.
Tell Dex your stack, seniority, and what you want to build.
We will manage your applications and surface other opportunities that are a fit.
The role
A stealth-mode AI company is building a truly proactive AI assistant.
Unlike reactive tools, this one maintains a living model of your entire work history - emails, messages, meetings, documents - to anticipate needs and act on your behalf.
The team is small: repeat founders with deep technical and research backgrounds from top-tier institutions and leading tech companies.
They're solving a hard, fundamental problem in AI: building a persistent, intelligent agent that truly understands context.
This isn't a narrow, siloed role.
You'll be a Founding Senior Engineer, spanning the entire stack.
That means building the performant desktop application, the backend for live model ingestion, and the algorithmic layer in between.
You'll work directly with AI researchers, owning the end-to-end delivery of core product features.
The scope is yours to claim.
You're joining a small team, hiring more than one into this role, so you'll define your impact.
- The work
- Design and build the desktop application (front and back end) for a proactive AI assistant.
- Develop and maintain the backend systems that ingest and keep a live, persistent model of user data current.
- Implement core algorithms that bridge the AI research layer and the user-facing product, enabling proactive actions.
- Drive end-to-end feature development, from user requests and hypotheses to shipping robust, scalable products.
- Collaborate closely with AI engineers, translating research insights into production-ready systems.
What You Bring
- Something genuinely remarkable: a Ph D or personally owning a hard technical project end-to-end. This must be your project, not a team effort.
- 5+ years building comparable systems, with a track record of solving hard problems in academic or industrial settings.
- Strong proficiency in Type Script, Python, Rust, or C++, with the ability to quickly pick up new languages (Rust is key here).
- Experience owning the full engineering lifecycle: shipping robust, scalable products directly from user requests, ideally with a scientific approach to problem-solving.
- Comfort with cloud infrastructure, SQL/No SQL databases, and a self-organising, autonomous work style.
- Willingness to work in person five days a week in Elephant and Castle, London.
- Why apply through Dex
This is a rare, high-impact founding role at a stealth-mode AI company, not widely advertised.
Dex helps you cut through the noise: get a direct introduction, skip cold applications, and receive a full brief before you even interview.
We'll ensure your profile is seen by the right people for this role and others like it, giving you an edge in a competitive market.
As part of the recruitment process at Dex, we process your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice for Job Applicants.
This notice explains how and why your data is collected and used, and how you can contact us if you have any concerns.
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Founding Senior Engineer (up to £140k) 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 Founding Senior Engineer (up to £140k) 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 Founding Senior Engineer (up to £140k) 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.
