At a Glance
- Tasks: Build a next-gen engineering platform and tackle complex engineering challenges.
- Company: Join a pioneering startup revolutionising engineering software in Edinburgh.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, and flexible work arrangements.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team with significant growth opportunities and influence.
- Why this job: Shape the future of engineering with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions.
- Qualifications: Strong full-stack experience, especially with TypeScript, React, and cloud applications.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ per year.
Build the future of engineering software.
Nexal is building a next-generation engineering platform for process industries.
Engineering teams today work across disconnected drawings, calculations, schedules, specifications, standards and documents, spread across multiple applications. We're replacing that fragmented workflow with a connected platform where engineering information lives in one place and stays synchronised throughout the design process.
We're looking for an experienced full-stack engineer to become our first engineering hire and help build an enterprise-grade platform capable of secure, collaborative deployment at scale for some of the world's largest infrastructure organisations.
This isn't a feature development role. You'll be helping build the technical foundations of an entirely new engineering platform from the ground up.
It's an opportunity to work on genuinely difficult engineering problems that very few software companies get to solve - from collaborative engineering workflows and graph-based data models to enterprise architecture, CAD and BIM integration, intelligent automation and configurable engineering platforms.
The Role
You’ll work closely with the founder to translate product concepts and customer requirements into scalable production software.
Product direction is driven through close collaboration with customers, rapid prototyping and continuous iteration. Your role is to design and build the systems that make those ideas secure, scalable and maintainable while contributing your own expertise on architecture, usability and technical implementation.
This is a hands‑on engineering role. You’ll spend your time designing, building and shipping software while helping establish the engineering foundations the company will scale upon.
You'll be responsible for
- Backend architecture and APIs
- Engineering standards and best practices
- Security and permissions architecture
- Performance, scalability and reliability
- Technical implementation and architecture
- Helping shape the future engineering team
What you'll build
You’ll work on challenges including:
- Scaling a collaborative multi‑user engineering platform
- Designing secure and scalable data models
- Building modern frontend and backend systems
- Developing configurable engineering workflows
- Creating robust API architecture
- Integrating with CAD, BIM and enterprise engineering software
- Building a highly configurable platform that can be tailored to each customer’s engineering standards, workflows and delivery processes
- Building our AI‑driven standards onboarding engine, enabling customer engineering standards, templates and workflows to be onboarded rapidly across process industries
- Designing enterprise‑grade security and permissions for critical infrastructure organisations
- Improving platform performance, reliability and maintainability
- Helping lay the foundations for future capabilities including engineering automation, drone surveys, automated 3D workflows and AI‑assisted engineering
What we’re looking for
We’re looking for builders.
People who enjoy taking an idea from a whiteboard discussion to production software, working through ambiguity and solving technical problems that don’t already have a defined solution.
You’ll be comfortable working closely with the founder, translating product concepts into scalable software and helping shape how the platform is built.
Early‑stage startup experience is strongly preferred.
Whether you’ve been one of the first engineers in a startup or built your own product or company, you’ll understand how to operate with autonomy, make pragmatic technical decisions and move quickly with minimal process.
You’ll likely have:
- Strong full‑stack software engineering experience
- Experience building and shipping production software
- Strong software architecture skills
- Strong experience with TypeScript, React and Next.js
- Experience designing and building APIs and backend services
- Experience working with PostgreSQL or another relational database
- Experience building cloud‑native applications on AWS, Azure or GCP
- Experience designing authentication and authorisation systems
- Excellent problem‑solving ability
Nice to have:
- Experience building workflow platforms
- Experience integrating with CAD or BIM software
- Experience developing industrial or engineering software
- Experience building graph‑based applications or data models
- Experience building collaborative or real‑time applications
Location
This is an office‑based role in Edinburgh.
During the early stages of the company, we’re looking for someone who can work closely with the founder to enable rapid collaboration, technical discussions and product iteration.
Once established within the business, there will be flexibility to work from home one to two days per week.
Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK and either be based in, or be willing to relocate to, the Edinburgh area. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.
What we offer
- Up to £80,000 depending on experience
- Meaningful equity with significant long‑term upside
- Modern city centre Edinburgh office
- Significant influence over the platform’s technical architecture, engineering practices and future engineering culture
- The opportunity to build a category‑defining engineering platform from the very beginning
- The opportunity to grow into technical leadership as the company scales, should that be a path you’re interested in
- Freedom to solve genuinely challenging engineering problems alongside the founder
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Founding Engineer (Full-Stack) employer: Nexal Technologies
Nexal is an exceptional employer for those looking to make a significant impact in the engineering software space. With a modern office located in the heart of Edinburgh, employees enjoy a collaborative work culture that fosters innovation and creativity, alongside meaningful equity opportunities and the chance to shape the future of a groundbreaking platform. As a founding engineer, you'll not only tackle complex engineering challenges but also have the potential to grow into a leadership role as the company expands, making this a truly rewarding career choice.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Founding Engineer (Full-Stack)
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Nexal Technologies or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Nexal Technologies.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Nexal Technologies.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Nexal Technologies that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Founding Engineer (Full-Stack)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Nexal Technologies.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Nexal Technologies and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Nexal Technologies
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Nexal Technologies uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
