Hike is representing a client building technology that helps people have natural conversations across languages.
They're a small, well funded team tackling a difficult problem: making live translation work in everyday conversations. This is an opportunity to join early and help build the business behind the technology.
You'll be part of our senior leadership committee - sitting alongside the CEO, Head of Engineering, Head of Product, Head of GTM and Chief of Staff. You own the AI direction, the model architecture, and the long-term technical bets made on how this product thinks, learns and scales.
This is a founding-level role in everything but title.
What we're looking for
- You have deep hands-on experience building and shipping AI models - not just fine-tuning, but understanding what's under the hood
- You've worked on problems that are genuinely hard - real-time processing, speech, translation, or low-latency inference would be a strong signal
- You're the kind of engineer who came up through places like DeepMind, top research labs, or early-stage AI teams where the bar was exceptionally high
- You're curious, sharp and energised by unsolved problems rather than comfortable ones
- You're someone people trust with decisions that are hard to reverse - you think carefully, communicate clearly, and don't cut corners on what matters
- You can work independently at a senior level while staying closely aligned with a small, fast-moving team
Compensation
- Salary:a competitive salary, benchmarked to the role and your experience. We're happy to discuss specifics early on.
- Equity:meaningful equity as an early employee.
- Pension:workplace pension with employer contributions.
What you'll get
- Recognition and rewards for great work.
- All the boring stuff everywhere else provides - 25 days off, pension, the lot.
- Amazing London offices: two spaces, one floor, 360 degrees across London. One side is built for collaboration and energy (small talk encouraged). The other is quiet, calm - a low-distraction focus space, always there when you need it.
- A fully stocked fridge, a proper lounge, and a team that genuinely likes spending time together. Food is taken seriously here.
- You shape your own environment. Lighting, a desk away from the noise, headphones, a setup that works for you. Just ask.
- Flexible hours around a small set of shared core hours, plus focus time we actually protect, so you can work when you think best.
- Ownership and autonomy. If you want to deploy a solution, you don't need five meetings. You just do it.
- A clear first-month plan and someone you can ask anything, so you're never left guessing what's expected.
- A team that takes the mission seriously, but not itself - we love socials, passion, and building something we believe in.
- Benefits are still being shaped - tell us what would make a real difference to your quality of life, and we'll consider it. We mean that.
Hike. We see the possibility in people.
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Founding AI Engineer employer: Hike
Join a dynamic and innovative team in the heart of London, where your contributions will directly impact the development of real-time speech translation technology. As an employer, we prioritise a collaborative work culture that values simplicity in problem-solving, offers flexible working hours, and provides ample opportunities for personal and professional growth. With competitive compensation, a supportive environment, and a focus on employee well-being, we ensure that every team member feels valued and empowered to make a difference.
