At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and lead major backend initiatives for scalable systems at the forefront of AI.
- Company: Join Encord, a rapidly growing AI data platform trusted by top companies.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity, 25 days leave, and a vibrant team culture.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with opportunities for growth and collaboration across teams.
- Why this job: Make a tangible impact on AI technology while mentoring and shaping future engineers.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in backend infrastructure with expertise in distributed systems.
About us
Encord is the universal data layer for AI that helps 300+ AI teams train and run models on the right data. Our platform indexes, curates, annotates, and evaluates data across the full AI lifecycle, from development through production. Trusted by Woven by Toyota, AXA, UiPath, Zipline, and more.
We're an ambitious team of 150+ working at the frontier of AI and have raised $60M in Series C funding from Wellington Management, CRV, Next47 and Y Combinator.
The role
We're looking for a Principal Engineer to join our Foundations team, the backend backbone that builds the reliable, scalable, fast systems everyone else at Encord builds on top of. The team's core challenges sit deep in distributed and data intensive systems.
The product mindset on this team is different from most of the company: short-term product insight matters less, long-term matters a lot. Our Foundations team plans around how the next 6, 12, and 24 months will look, with an overarching shape to the problem: handling multiple orders of magnitude the data we handle today. This is our most senior individual contributor role. You'll own the hardest architectural calls, make the trade-offs that shape the platform for years, and raise the engineering bar across the company.
Encord is growing rapidly, with our product as the key driver of that growth. A year ago, we were a team of 100, now, we're over 150 and continuing to accelerate. The systems that got us here won't get us to what's next. That's the problem you'll own.
What you'll do
- Design and lead major database and processing-system initiatives
- Design performant protocols and APIs, such as our label-format API, that customers use directly. This work sits across both product and engineering
- Build robust distributed systems and reason rigorously about how they fail and how they behave under load
- Level up engineers across the company through design reviews, pairing, and mentorship, without adding process for its own sake
Who we're looking for
- You've seen and built more than most. You've personally designed, built, and operated large-scale distributed systems in production, and you've lived with your architectural decisions long enough to know which trade-offs actually matter
- Your impact shows up in the output of the engineers around you, not just your own commits. You make hard things look simple and teach others to do the same
- You want your work to have a tangible outcome for people. You're not satisfied with building products that do not see the light of day
- You are a builder. You enjoy all aspects of building not only software but a complete product, and are comfortable moving across the stack when necessary
- You enjoy problem-solving and thinking from first principles, reach for the simplest solution that works, and know when boring technology wins
- You're happy to own problems without a predefined, clear definition or obvious solution, and are excited to have autonomy to make decisions as you go
- You understand that being a member of a high-performing team requires two things. You contribute your best work and help others contribute their best. You'll always lend a helping hand when needed and level up those around you
Experience requirements
- 10+ years building large-scale backend infrastructure applications, including several years operating at staff/principal level with company-wide technical influence
- Deep expertise in distributed systems (databases, processing systems, replication, partitioning, queuing, caching) and a rigorous understanding of how they fail and behave under load at scale
- Experience leading large-scale data migrations and system-splitting or re-architecture projects with real customer data on the line
- Experience owning reliability and operations in production, including monitoring, alerting, and DevOps/SRE
- A track record of raising engineering quality across teams through architecture reviews, code reviews, testing, rollout, and monitoring practices
- Demonstrated ability to influence without authority, driving technical alignment across teams in a fast-moving, low-process environment
Tech stack
We are technology-agnostic at Encord and are not looking for experience across all of these. As long as you're open to learning, please apply.
- Backend: Python
- Frontend: TypeScript and React
- Deployment: Kubernetes
- Infrastructure: GCP
- Machine learning: PyTorch, CUDA, Ray
Why Encord
- Competitive salary, commission, and meaningful equity in a high-growth startup
- Strong in-person culture: the team works from our London office 4+ days/week
- 25 days annual leave + UK public holidays
- Annual learning & development budget
- Travel for customer visits, events, and conferences across the UK and Europe
- Company lunches twice a week
- Monthly socials & bi-annual team offsites
Principal Engineer - Backend in London employer: Encord
Encord is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and innovative work culture, particularly for the GTM Finance Partner role. With a focus on employee growth and development, you will have the opportunity to shape financial strategies from the ground up while collaborating closely with cross-functional teams. Located in a vibrant environment, Encord offers unique advantages such as embracing cutting-edge AI tools and a commitment to meaningful work that drives both personal and professional fulfilment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer - Backend 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 Encord 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 Encord.
✨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 Encord.
✨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 Encord 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 Principal Engineer - Backend 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 Encord.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Encord 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 Encord
✨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 Encord 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.
