At a Glance
- Tasks: Own and develop critical APIs, ensuring a seamless experience for developers and agents.
- Company: Join Perplexity, a cutting-edge tech company revolutionising developer platforms with AI.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic team environment with a focus on autonomy and real impact.
- Why this job: Shape the future of API technology while working with innovative tools and models.
- Qualifications: Experience in high-load systems and a passion for API design or platform operations.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
Perplexity is looking for engineers who want to put planet-scale search in the hands of every developer and every agent. The API Platform is one of the fastest-growing surfaces of the company, and the team behind it owns all of it. The Search API, the Agent API, agent first SDKs, docs - from the request path to the developer experience. You'll work at the boundary where Perplexity's infrastructure meets the outside world, and you'll shape what that boundary looks like as agents become the dominant consumers of APIs.
We build with AI, for people who build with AI. If you spend your days working alongside frontier models and tooling, you already know where today's developer platforms fall short and that instinct is exactly what we're hiring for.
There are two ways into this team, and we're hiring for both:
- The product-minded API engineer who cares about schema design, SDK ergonomics, and a developer's first five minutes with the platform.
- The infra-leaning platform engineer who cares about progressive delivery, observability, and keeping a high-traffic API stack fast and boringly reliable.
The daily work mixes both - come in from whichever side is yours.
What you'll do:
- Own critical APIs end to end: write the RFC, ship the implementation, roll it out from staging through canary to full fleet, and keep iterating after launch.
- Contribute directly to product codebases across Go, Rust, Python.
- Build the surfaces agents consume: hosted MCP, tool calling, connectors, and auth flows that let agents onboard and operate on their own.
- Harden the platform for enterprise use: authentication patterns, data-handling guarantees, guardrails, and the security posture of a public API under real load.
- Own what you run in production: monitors and dashboards as code, alerts that page you, postmortems you write and act on.
- Partner with Research to evaluate frontier capabilities and turn the promising ones into production API features; work with Product, GTM, and customers directly to find the gaps between what builders need and what the platform offers today.
What we look for:
- Experience with designing and operating distributed, high-load systems.
- Build with frontier models and tools - open source and closed source - every day, and you can walk us through your agentic workflow in detail.
- High autonomy and agency, paired with real product sense: you think about developers and customers, what an API user wants next, and where the frontier is heading.
- Working fluency with the core cloud infrastructure stack: a major cloud provider, Kubernetes, CI/CD.
- Depth on at least one side of the role: API product craft or platform operations, and genuine interest in the other.
Nice to have:
- You've built your own agent loops or harnesses: the fastest way to stand out.
- You've built developer or API tooling in the LLM ecosystem or in adjacent domains where API schemas evolve fast under real customer load, such as fintech or payments.
- You've contributed to open-source SDKs, frameworks, or integrations that developers actually use.
Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Backend API) in London employer: Perplexity
At Perplexity, we pride ourselves on fostering a dynamic and innovative work culture that empowers our employees to make a real impact in the tech industry. As a member of our small, dedicated team in a vibrant location, you'll enjoy opportunities for professional growth while working on cutting-edge infrastructure projects that redefine how users interact with the internet. We offer competitive benefits, a collaborative environment, and the chance to contribute to meaningful advancements in search technology.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Backend API) in London
✨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 Perplexity 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 Perplexity.
✨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 Perplexity.
✨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 Perplexity 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 Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Backend API) in London
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 Perplexity.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Perplexity 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 Perplexity
✨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 Perplexity 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.
