At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and build Perplexity's London office, shaping culture and driving technical excellence.
- Company: Join a fast-growing AI company revolutionising information access.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity, comprehensive benefits, and flexible work environment.
- Other info: Opportunity to shape the future of a strategic tech hub in London.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on AI infrastructure challenges at scale.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering with strong leadership and technical expertise.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
Location: London
Employment Type: Full time
Department: AI
Perplexity is revolutionizing how people discover and interact with information through AI-powered search and knowledge tools. As we expand our global footprint, we're establishing a strategic presence in London to drive innovation and growth across Europe.
The Role
We're seeking an exceptional Site Lead to establish and scale our London office. This is a unique opportunity to shape Perplexity's presence in one of the world's leading tech hubs, building teams and culture from the ground up while driving technical excellence in infrastructure and AI systems.
As Site Lead, you'll serve as the face of Perplexity in London, responsible for building our technical organization, fostering a world‐class engineering culture, and directly managing one or more infrastructure teams. You'll report to senior leadership and work cross‐function with teams across our global footprint. The individual in this role will manage teams in London themselves while also facilitating.
Responsibilities
- Site Leadership & Culture
- Establish and lead Perplexity's London office, setting the cultural foundation and operating principles
- Build a collaborative, high‐performance engineering culture that aligns with Perplexity's values while embracing the strengths of the London tech ecosystem
- Serve as the primary point of contact for all London‐based activities and represent the site in company‐wide strategic discussions
- Partner with People/HR, Finance, and Operations to ensure seamless site operations
- Drive local community engagement, partnerships, and Perplexity's brand presence in the London and European tech community
- Technical Leadership
- Directly manage and mentor one or more infrastructure or AI infrastructure teams in London (5–15+ engineers)
- Set technical direction and strategy for London‐based infrastructure initiatives in alignment with company‐wide goals
- Drive architectural decisions and technical excellence across teams
- Ensure robust systems for deployment, monitoring, scalability, and reliability of infrastructure supporting AI/ML workloads
- Collaborate with engineering leaders globally to align on technical standards, best practices, and cross‐site initiatives
- Team Building & Talent
- Build and scale high‐performing infrastructure and AI infrastructure teams through strategic hiring
- Develop and execute talent acquisition strategy for the London site in partnership with recruiting
- Create career development frameworks and growth opportunities for engineers
- Foster technical mentorship and knowledge sharing across teams and sites
- Cross‐functional Collaboration
- Partner with Product, Engineering, and Research teams globally to understand infrastructure needs and deliver solutions
- Coordinate with other site leads and engineering leaders to ensure effective cross‐site collaboration
- Contribute to company‐wide infrastructure strategy and roadmap planning
- Facilitate knowledge transfer and best practice sharing across global teams
Qualifications
- Required
- 10+ years of experience in software engineering with 5+ years in infrastructure, cloud infrastructure, or AI infrastructure roles
- 3+ years of people management experience, including building and scaling teams
- Proven track record of establishing or significantly growing an engineering site or office
- Deep technical expertise in distributed systems, cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure), and infrastructure automation
- Experience with infrastructure supporting large‐scale AI/ML systems, including GPU infrastructure and orchestration, ML training and inference pipelines, and model serving and deployment at scale
- Strong understanding of modern infrastructure technologies: Kubernetes, Terraform, container orchestration, CI/CD systems
- Demonstrated ability to set technical vision and drive execution across multiple teams
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- Experience working in fast‐paced, high‐growth technology companies
- Passion for building inclusive, diverse, and high‐performing teams
- Preferred
- Experience at companies focused on AI/ML, search, or large‐scale consumer applications
- Previous experience as a site lead, office lead, or similar multi‐team leadership role
- Background in building infrastructure for LLM training or inference
- Contributions to open‐source infrastructure or AI infrastructure projects
- Experience scaling teams from 0 to 20+ engineers
- Active involvement in the London or European tech community
- MBA or advanced technical degree
What Success Looks Like
- 30 Days
- Deep understanding of Perplexity's infrastructure, technology stack, and organizational structure
- Established relationships with key stakeholders across engineering, product, and leadership
- Initial hiring plan and culture strategy for London site established
- Help the Search, API, AI and Infra teams build out their hiring pipelines
- 90 Days
- Core infrastructure team established and ramping in London
- Clear technical roadmap and priorities defined for London‐based teams
- Site culture and operating rhythms established (team meetings, all‐hands, cross‐site syncs)
- London office actively participating in company‐wide infrastructure initiatives
- 1 Year
- London site operating as a high‐functioning hub with 15–30+ engineers
- Infrastructure teams delivering measurable impact on system reliability, performance, and scalability
- Strong talent brand established in London market with healthy hiring pipeline
- London recognized internally as a strategic site contributing to Perplexity's technical leadership
Why Join Perplexity
- Ground‐floor opportunity to build and lead a strategic site for a fast‐growing AI company
- Work on cutting‐edge AI infrastructure challenges at massive scale
- Shape the culture and technical direction of an entire office
- Competitive compensation including equity
- Comprehensive benefits package
- Flexible work environment
- Opportunity to make a significant impact on how millions of people access and interact with information
Location: London, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
Perplexity is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Engineering Site Lead in London employer: Pantera Capital
Perplexity is an exceptional employer, offering a unique opportunity to shape the culture and technical direction of our London office in one of the world's leading tech hubs. With a commitment to building a collaborative, high-performance engineering culture, we provide comprehensive benefits, competitive compensation including equity, and a flexible work environment that fosters employee growth and engagement. Join us to tackle cutting-edge AI infrastructure challenges and make a significant impact on how millions access information.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Engineering Site Lead in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the London tech scene. Attend meetups, conferences, or even casual coffee chats. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you’ve got a portfolio or GitHub, make sure it’s up to date. Share projects that highlight your expertise in infrastructure or AI systems. This is your chance to demonstrate what you can bring to the table beyond just a CV.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t be shy about reaching out directly! If you see a role at Perplexity that excites you, drop us a message. A personal touch can go a long way in making you stand out from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 4
Prepare for interviews by researching our company culture and values. Think about how your experience aligns with what we’re looking for in a Site Lead. Be ready to discuss how you can help shape our London office and drive technical excellence!
We think you need these skills to ace Engineering Site Lead in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Site Lead role. Highlight your experience in building teams and driving technical excellence, as this is what we’re really looking for!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills:We want to see how you’ve successfully managed teams in the past. Share specific examples of how you’ve fostered a high-performance culture and driven collaboration across teams.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it straightforward. Use clear language to describe your achievements and how they align with our mission at Perplexity. We appreciate brevity!
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensure you’re considered for this exciting opportunity.
How to prepare for a job interview at Pantera Capital
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you have a solid understanding of the technical requirements for the Engineering Site Lead role. Brush up on your knowledge of distributed systems, cloud platforms like AWS or GCP, and infrastructure automation tools such as Kubernetes and Terraform. Being able to discuss these topics confidently will show that you're the right fit for the job.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Since this role involves managing teams, be prepared to share examples of your previous leadership experiences. Talk about how you've built high-performing teams, fostered a collaborative culture, and driven technical excellence. Highlight any specific achievements that demonstrate your ability to lead effectively in a fast-paced environment.
✨Understand Perplexity's Vision
Research Perplexity and its mission to revolutionise information discovery through AI. Be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals and how you can contribute to building their London office. Showing genuine interest in the company’s vision will set you apart from other candidates.
✨Prepare Questions
Interviews are a two-way street, so come prepared with thoughtful questions. Ask about the company's culture, the challenges they face in scaling their London office, or how they envision the future of AI infrastructure. This not only shows your enthusiasm but also helps you gauge if the company is the right fit for you.
