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- Tasks: Own the technical architecture and develop a cutting-edge data product.
- Company: Exciting seed-stage start-up with a proven founder and innovative vision.
- Benefits: Remote work, potential for permanent role, and hands-on experience in a dynamic environment.
- Other info: Opportunity to shape the future of a game-changing product in a fast-paced setting.
- Why this job: Join a small team tackling complex challenges and make a real impact from day one.
- Qualifications: Strong backend engineering skills and experience with data pipelines and PostgreSQL.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Contract - 6 months with a potential for permanent
Remote - with agreed regular collaboration days in London
Start date - within 1 month
The company is a seed-stage start-up building a structured data product for a large, established industry. The product helps decision-makers assess whether something is worth committing serious time and capital to — earlier, and with better evidence than is currently possible. The founder has scaled a £100m+ technology company in the same sector before. Design partners are live, the first deployment is underway, and the company is backed by aligned investors. Small team, real commercial pressure.
The technical challenge involves a large, versioned spatial reasoning system with strict provenance requirements. The current stack is SQL and Python. You are coming in at the point where architecture decisions matter most. The core complexity: a single question is straightforward. Scaling to 60–100 external data pipelines is where the hard thinking is. The platform needs to be flexible without being over-engineered for the stage of the company. The store is PostGIS-based and bitemporal.
You will own the technical architecture from day one: ingestion architecture, bitemporal store, versioned API surface, observability and more. Roughly 70% hands-on engineering, 30% architecture decisions.
Essential skills:
- Strong backend and platform engineering
- Production PostgreSQL or equivalent relational database experience
- API design and typed contracts
- Data pipeline design, ingestion, and operational reliability
- CI, observability, and deployment discipline
- End-to-end capability across platform, infrastructure, and cloud
- An AI-first engineering workflow that has materially changed your speed and output — you should be able to explain where it helps, where it fails, and how you preserve correctness
- Bitemporal, event-sourced, or audit-heavy data systems
This is a super rare, day one role - please get in touch to find out more.
Founding Data Engineer employer: Inara
Contact Detail:
Inara Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Founding Data Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, especially those who are already working in data engineering. A casual chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects, especially those involving SQL, Python, and data pipelines. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your backend and platform engineering knowledge. Be ready to discuss your experience with PostgreSQL and API design, as these are key for the role.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to connect directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Founding Data Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Founding Data Engineer role. Highlight your experience with SQL, Python, and any relevant data pipeline projects. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Share your passion for data engineering and explain why you're excited about joining a seed-stage start-up like ours. Let us know how you can contribute to our mission.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: In your application, don’t forget to showcase your technical skills, especially in backend engineering and API design. We’re looking for someone who can hit the ground running, so make it clear how you meet our essential skills.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of applications and ensures you get all the updates directly from us. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Inara
✨Know Your Tech Stack Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in SQL and Python, as these are crucial for the role. Brush up on your knowledge of PostgreSQL and PostGIS, and be ready to discuss how you've used them in past projects, especially in relation to data pipelines and architecture.
✨Prepare for Architectural Discussions
Since you'll be making key architecture decisions, think about your approach to designing ingestion architectures and versioned APIs. Be prepared to share examples of how you've tackled similar challenges before, focusing on flexibility and avoiding over-engineering.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
The company is looking for someone who can handle complex data systems. Prepare to discuss specific instances where you've successfully scaled data pipelines or improved operational reliability. Highlight your thought process and the impact of your solutions.
✨Understand the Business Context
Familiarise yourself with the industry and the company's product. Be ready to explain how your technical skills can help decision-makers assess investments more effectively. This shows that you’re not just a techie but also understand the bigger picture.