At a Glance
- Tasks: Own and scale our back-end infrastructure while designing systems for massive data processing.
- Company: Join a dynamic startup revolutionising RevOps with AI-powered solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity, 24 days holiday, and work-from-anywhere options.
- Why this job: Be part of a small team making a big impact in the AI space.
- Qualifications: 6+ years in software engineering with strong backend skills.
- Other info: Work closely with founders and enjoy a thrilling startup environment.
The predicted salary is between 100800 - 166400 Β£ per year.
About Kernel
Kernel provides enterprise RevOps teams with AI-powered company data for their CRMs. We raised $14M in Series A funding from top VCs and operators at Plaid, OpenAI, and Slack to build an AI-native alternative to Dun & Bradstreet's entity and hierarchy data. RevOps teams at Navan, Gong, Mistral, and AlphaSense use Kernel to run their organizations. At Kernel, we process 7B+ tokens a day and run 1.8M+ agents daily, all on an architecture that's intentionally simple: one database, one queue. Itβs minimalism built for massive scale. Our queue processes a daily volume on par with the entire Visa network's transactions (~365M/day). All of which has been built by a small but mighty team of engineers.
The Role
You are a T-shaped full stack engineer with a spike in backend engineering. You will work with product and engineering on the product overall and support our infrastructure so we can scale efficiently. You do not need to be a DevOps wizard, but experience with AWS and Kubernetes is helpful. You are adaptable, take initiative and enjoy contributing at pace. The team is lean, the environment is low-structure and clear communication matters. You will own our back-end infrastructure from AWS to our workflow automations in n8n and help the company grow from $3M to $30M ARR. We are still early in building our infrastructure, so you will play a key role in shaping what we build and how we build it.
What You'll Be Doing
- Owning and scaling Kernel's back-end infrastructure (AWS, NodeJS, Postgres, n8n)
- Designing systems that process millions of accounts, terabytes of data and thousands of parallel executions
- Building reliable, scalable data pipelines and services for enterprise customers
- Rapidly shipping features to users and to our internal team
- Continuously evaluating code, infrastructure and processes to find improvements
- Automating manual processes to increase speed and reliability
- Sharing feedback on roadmap direction and ideas on bets to place and potential solutions
More specifically you will be:
- Ensuring a world-class, scalable back-end infrastructure
- Working daily with the team to move us toward our next goal
- Implementing mass-action workflows that clean, enrich and complete CRM data
- Establishing robust monitoring, observability and reliability practices
- Partnering with product and solutions engineering to translate business logic into safe mass actions in customer CRMs
What You Bring
- 6+ years of software or product engineering experience
- Strong experience building and scaling production systems
- Comfort with backend engineering (NodeJS, Postgres, TypeScript)
- Strong understanding of LLM application development patterns (RAG, prompt engineering, consistency testing) - either through production experience or demonstrated personal projects. If you're new to LLMs but have shipped complex production systems in other domains and are comfortable rapidly learning new technologies, we'd still love to hear from you.
- Ability to operate autonomously in a small, high-velocity team
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills
- Some experience with Kubernetes or distributed systems
It is a plus if you also have:
- Experience working on AI-driven or data-heavy products
- Frontend experience (NextJS, React, TypeScript)
- Understanding of CRM data models or workflow automation
This role may not be for you if you:
- Need lots of structure
- Will only ship pixel-perfect results before releasing
- Need a fully fleshed-out spec to code
- Are heavily indexed on DevOps and have spent less time on software engineering
This role is definitely not for you if you:
- Prefer fully remote work (this role requires at least 3 days a week in the office)
- Do not enjoy the intensity of an early-stage startup
- Have side hustles or other projects
- Want to manage a team
What We Offer
We will do our best to offer you a ride of a lifetime. It will not be easy, but it will be thrilling.
Salary: Β£120,000 β Β£200,000 + equity
24 days holiday per year + bank holidays
2 weeks work-from-anywhere
Pension plan
Top-spec equipment and central London office
Free dinner at the office
Team events and dinners
Work directly with the founders to scale the systems that power enterprise AI
Tech Stack
Back-end (AWS): NodeJS, TypeScript, Postgres
Front-end: NextJS, TypeScript, Tailwind
Workflow automation: n8n
Team
We are around 30 people with 7 engineers and 1 Product Manager.
Visas & Relocation
We sponsor visas for exceptional candidates and provide relocation support for those moving to London.
Interview Process
- Stage 1: Introductory Call (40 minutes)
- Stage 2: Hiring Manager Call (30 minutes)
- Stage 3: Take-Home Task (β€ 2 hours)
- Stage 4: Technical Interview (90 minutes)
- Final Stage: Founders Interview - a conversation with Anders (CEO) and Marcus (CTO) focused on values alignment and long-term vision.
- Following Mutual Fit: Reference checks and offer stage.
Senior Full Stack Engineer in London employer: Kernel Company
Contact Detail:
Kernel Company Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice π€«
We think this is how you could land Senior Full Stack Engineer in London
β¨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at meetups. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that arenβt even advertised yet.
β¨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repo showcasing your projects, especially those related to backend engineering and AI. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do.
β¨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common technical questions and coding challenges. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using platforms that simulate real interview scenarios.
β¨Tip Number 4
Donβt forget to apply through our website! Itβs the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Full Stack Engineer in London
Some tips for your application π«‘
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Senior Full Stack Engineer role. Highlight your backend engineering experience, especially with NodeJS and Postgres, as well as any relevant projects involving LLMs.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Use your cover letter to tell us why you're excited about working at Kernel. Share specific examples of how you've contributed to scaling systems or improving processes in previous roles, and show us your passion for AI-driven products.
Showcase Your Projects: If you've worked on personal projects or have experience with complex production systems, donβt hesitate to include them. We love seeing how youβve applied your skills in real-world scenarios, especially if they relate to data-heavy applications.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. Itβs the best way for us to receive your application and ensures youβre considered for the role. Plus, it shows us youβre keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Kernel Company
β¨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure youβre well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially NodeJS, Postgres, and AWS. Brush up on your backend engineering skills and be ready to discuss how you've used these technologies in past projects.
β¨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to discuss specific challenges you've faced in previous roles and how you overcame them. Kernel values adaptability and initiative, so think of examples where you took charge and made a significant impact.
β¨Communicate Clearly
Since clear communication is key in a lean team, practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. Be ready to share your thoughts on how you would collaborate with product and solutions engineering teams.
β¨Understand the Companyβs Vision
Research Kernelβs mission and the role of RevOps teams in leveraging AI-powered data. Be prepared to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals and how you can contribute to scaling their infrastructure effectively.