At a Glance
- Tasks: Build AI-powered features that enhance user experience and simplify complex problems.
- Company: Join Fonoa, a forward-thinking tech company focused on real customer solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on ownership and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of AI innovation and make a tangible impact on products.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in software engineering with strong product instincts and AI knowledge.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
About Engineering at Fonoa
Engineering is central to how we build the business. We focus on solving real customer problems, not just shipping features. We work in small, high-trust teams, with full ownership across the lifecycle, from design to production and beyond.
We value:
- Ownership – engineers own what they build end-to-end
- Simplicity – we break down complex problems into clear solutions
- Thinking Big - we innovate with modern technologies (LLMs, AI Agents, etc.) to solve meaningful problems
- Quality – scalable, maintainable systems are non-negotiable
- Speed & iteration – we ship fast, learn, and improve continuously
- Collaboration – we win as a team, not as individuals
Position Overview
As Fonoa continues to evolve its product capabilities, we are looking for a Senior or Staff Software Engineer to help us build AI-powered experiences that feel deeply integrated into the product, not layered on top of it. This is not a role focused on experiments disconnected from production. You will work on real customer-facing systems, building intelligent workflows, natural language interfaces, and agent-driven experiences that make complex problems simpler for our users and internal teams.
You’ll work closely with engineering, product, and design to prototype, iterate, and scale new AI capabilities across the platform. This includes everything from designing backend systems that power AI workflows to shaping model behaviour, evaluation pipelines, and agent orchestration.
We are still early in this journey, which means this role requires someone who is comfortable operating in ambiguity, experimenting quickly, and helping define how AI is applied across products and workflows. We are looking for engineers who combine strong product instincts with deep technical understanding, and who are excited about building practical AI systems that deliver real value.
This is a highly collaborative, hands-on role for someone who enjoys owning problems end-to-end, moving quickly, and building systems that balance product experience, reliability, scalability, and long-term maintainability.
What You Will Do
- Build AI-powered product features that feel native, fast, and intuitive to use
- Partner closely with product and design to prototype and iterate on intelligent workflows and user interactions
- Design backend services powering natural language interfaces, smart suggestions, and agentic systems
- Optimize prompts, shape model behaviour, and improve evaluation pipelines
- Build and evolve internal and external agent platforms
- Enable both technical and non-technical teams to leverage AI more effectively
- Continuously experiment, iterate, and improve AI systems in production
What We’re Looking For
- 5+ years building customer-facing products at a high-quality software company
- Strong track record of delivering complex, end-to-end product features with visible impact
- Ability to shape problems and drive solutions independently with high ownership
- Deep understanding of LLMs, prompt engineering, agent frameworks, and AI safety/security practices
- Experience with RAG architectures and model evaluation
- Strong product and engineering instincts, with the ability to balance speed, quality, and pragmatism
- Comfortable operating in fast-moving, ambiguous environments
- Proven ability to experiment and deliver in an evolving technology landscape
API Documentation
For engineers, API design and structure are an important part of evaluating a role. You can explore our API and how we build products here: https://docs.fonoa.com/
Tech Stack
We use these technologies today, but we don’t hire for specific tools. We care about engineers who can understand problems, make good technical decisions, and choose the right tools for the job.
- Backend: Node.js, Go
- Frontend: React, TypeScript
- Infrastructure: GCP, k8s, Terraform, Postgres
Note: If you don’t think you have the full experience we’re looking for, but you could be a fit and are willing to learn, do apply anyway! We are building a diverse and inclusive team.
As part of the recruitment process at Fonoa, 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.
Senior/Staff Software Engineer, AI in London employer: Fonoa
Contact Detail:
Fonoa Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior/Staff Software Engineer, AI in London
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company inside out! Research Fonoa's products, values, and recent projects. This will help you tailor your conversations and show that you're genuinely interested in being part of the team.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry events. Building relationships can give you insider info and might even lead to a referral, which is always a bonus!
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your coding skills and understanding AI concepts. Practice problem-solving and be ready to discuss how you've tackled complex challenges in the past.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to showcase your passion for AI and innovation during interviews! Share your ideas on how you could contribute to Fonoa’s mission and demonstrate your excitement about building impactful solutions.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior/Staff Software Engineer, AI in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Ownership: When writing your application, make sure to highlight instances where you've taken ownership of projects. We love engineers who own what they build from start to finish, so share specific examples that demonstrate this quality.
Keep It Simple: We value simplicity in our solutions, so try to convey your ideas clearly and concisely in your application. Avoid jargon and focus on how you break down complex problems into manageable parts.
Think Big: Don’t shy away from showcasing your innovative side! Share any experiences where you've used modern technologies like AI or LLMs to solve real-world problems. We want to see your big ideas and how they can fit into our mission.
Collaborate and Iterate: Emphasise your collaborative spirit in your application. Mention how you've worked with cross-functional teams to prototype and iterate on projects. Remember, we win as a team, so show us how you contribute to that success!
How to prepare for a job interview at Fonoa
✨Understand the Company’s Values
Before your interview, take some time to really grasp Fonoa's core values like ownership, simplicity, and collaboration. Think about how your past experiences align with these values and be ready to share specific examples that demonstrate your fit.
✨Showcase Your Technical Skills
Prepare to discuss your experience with AI technologies, LLMs, and backend systems. Bring along examples of projects where you’ve built customer-facing features or worked on complex problems. This will help you illustrate your deep technical understanding and product instincts.
✨Emphasise Collaboration
Since this role involves working closely with product and design teams, be prepared to talk about your collaborative experiences. Share stories where you partnered with others to prototype or iterate on solutions, highlighting how teamwork led to successful outcomes.
✨Be Ready for Ambiguity
Fonoa is looking for someone comfortable operating in fast-moving environments. Think of instances where you’ve thrived in ambiguity, quickly experimented, and adapted to changes. This will show that you can handle the dynamic nature of the role.