At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and develop impactful product features while collaborating with a dynamic team.
- Company: Join Kernel, an innovative startup transforming enterprise RevOps with AI-powered data.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity, 24 days holiday, and work-from-anywhere options.
- Why this job: Be part of a fast-paced team shaping the future of AI-driven products.
- Qualifications: 6+ years in software engineering with backend expertise and strong communication skills.
- Other info: Exciting growth opportunities in a small, agile team environment.
The predicted salary is between 95000 - 140000 £ per year.
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. It’s minimalism built for massive scale.
The Role: You are a T-shaped product engineer with a spike in backend engineering. You will work closely with the product and engineering team to build user-facing features, ship at pace, and support the existing infrastructure as we scale. You do not need to be a DevOps expert, but familiarity with AWS and Kubernetes is valuable. You take initiative, adapt quickly, and communicate clearly. The team is small and fast-moving, so you’ll be expected to make decisions and ship code autonomously. You will help the company grow from $3M to $30M ARR, owning projects end-to-end—from ideation to deployment—while helping shape how we build products and infrastructure at Kernel.
What You’ll Be Doing:
- Designing and developing product features that directly impact user workflows
- Collaborating with design, product, and other engineers to deliver exceptional user experiences
- Writing and maintaining clean, reliable, and scalable code across the stack
- Helping ensure performance and reliability for large-scale data operations
- Automating workflows to improve developer velocity and reduce manual work
- Supporting integrations with CRMs and third-party APIs
- Participating in roadmap discussions and contributing technical insights
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.
- 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 or long-term roadmaps
- Prefer perfect specs before building
- Focus narrowly on backend or frontend only
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)
- Don’t enjoy the pace of early-stage startups
- Want to manage a team rather than build
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: £110,000 – £170,000 + 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 (40 minutes)
- Stage 3: Take-Home Task (≤ 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.
Senior Product Engineer employer: Kernel
Contact Detail:
Kernel Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Product Engineer
✨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 aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews! Research Kernel and its tech stack, especially around AI and backend engineering. The more you know, the better you can showcase your skills and fit.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your projects! If you've built anything relevant, whether it’s a personal project or something from work, be ready to discuss it. It’s a great way to demonstrate your hands-on experience.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take that extra step!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Product Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Senior Product Engineer role. Highlight your backend engineering experience and any relevant projects that showcase your skills in building scalable systems. We want to see how you fit into our team!
Show Your Passion for AI: Since we’re all about AI-driven products, don’t forget to mention any experience or personal projects related to LLMs or data-heavy applications. If you’ve got a knack for learning new tech quickly, let us know – we love that kind of enthusiasm!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clear communication, so make sure your skills and experiences shine through without unnecessary fluff. Remember, we’re looking for someone who can communicate effectively in a fast-paced environment.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re proactive – a quality we value at Kernel!
How to prepare for a job interview at Kernel
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Familiarise yourself with the tech stack mentioned in the job description, especially NodeJS, TypeScript, and Postgres. Be ready to discuss your experience with these technologies and how you've used them in past projects.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to share specific examples of how you've tackled challenges in previous roles. Highlight your ability to operate autonomously and make decisions quickly, as this is crucial for a fast-moving team like Kernel.
✨Understand the Company’s Vision
Research Kernel's mission and the impact of their products on RevOps teams. Be prepared to discuss how you can contribute to their growth from $3M to $30M ARR and align your goals with theirs.
✨Prepare for Technical Questions
Expect technical questions during the interview process, especially in the technical interview stage. Brush up on backend engineering concepts and be ready to demonstrate your understanding of LLM application development patterns.