At a Glance
- Tasks: Build systems and pipelines for reliable data access and improve product decision-making.
- Company: Join a leading tech company transforming user experience with innovative AI solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a small, dynamic team where your contributions directly shape the future.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on how millions of users receive high-quality answers every day.
- Qualifications: 3+ years in software engineering, strong Python and SQL skills, and big data experience.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Perplexity serves tens of millions of users daily with reliable, high-quality answers grounded in an LLM-first search engine and specialized data sources. The Answer Quality team ensures that our prompts, tools, search, and specialized datasets, combined with both frontier and in-house models, create the best possible experience for our users. As our product evolves, our evaluations must remain fast, accurate, and actionable. In this role, you will build the data flywheel that serves teams across Perplexity.
Responsibilities
- Build the systems and pipelines that enable Search, Product, and other teams to independently access and utilize reliable eval verdicts without bottlenecks.
- Take ownership of the "evals-to-product" loop, autonomously determining the best way to turn raw signals into durable datasets that power decision‑making across the company.
- Build a robust simulator pipeline capable of replaying user interactions with the product in formats legible to LLMs and VLMs, reflecting product changes as they are shipped.
- Maintain data trust by implementing monitoring, lineage, and quality checks, ensuring downstream consumers can rely on the results implicitly.
- Operate in a small, high-impact team where your work directly shapes how Perplexity measures and improves Answer Quality.
Qualifications
- 3+ years of software engineering experience shipping production systems.
- Strong proficiency in Python and SQL with the ability to write production‑grade, maintainable code.
- Experience with big data systems including distributed compute and large-scale storage.
- Solid fundamentals in data modeling, system design, and debugging distributed systems.
- Experience with AWS and lakehouse ecosystems like Databricks or Spark.
- Comfortable with agentic coding workflows and using AI‑assisted development tools to iterate faster.
Preferred Qualifications
- Data engineering background including pipelines, orchestration, and warehousing patterns.
- Familiarity with LLM/VLM interfaces, tokenization, structured formats, and multimodal payloads.
- Experience with evaluation platforms, experimentation systems, or machine learning infrastructure.
- Prior work supporting customer‑facing products at scale.
Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Data Flywheel) in London employer: Perplexity
Perplexity is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and innovative work culture, where your contributions directly impact the user experience for millions. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, you will have access to cutting-edge technologies and the opportunity to collaborate within a small, high-impact team, ensuring your work is both meaningful and rewarding. Located in a vibrant tech hub, Perplexity offers a unique environment that encourages creativity and autonomy, making it an ideal place for passionate software engineers to thrive.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Data Flywheel) in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, especially those at Perplexity. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insights that a job description just can't.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you've got a project or two that showcases your Python and SQL prowess, don’t hesitate to share them. A portfolio can speak volumes about your capabilities.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the tech interview! Brush up on your data modelling and system design skills. We want to see how you think through problems, so practice explaining your thought process clearly.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you're genuinely interested in joining our team at Perplexity.
We think you need these skills to ace Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Data Flywheel) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match the job description. Highlight your software engineering experience, especially with Python and SQL, and any relevant projects that showcase your ability to build systems and pipelines.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to tell us why you're excited about the role and how your background aligns with our mission at Perplexity. Share specific examples of your work that demonstrate your proficiency in data engineering and your understanding of LLMs.
Showcase Your Projects:If you've worked on any relevant projects, whether personal or professional, make sure to include them in your application. We love seeing practical applications of your skills, especially those that involve big data systems or machine learning infrastructure.
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 gives you a chance to explore more about our team and culture!
How to prepare for a job interview at Perplexity
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your Python and SQL skills before the interview. Be ready to discuss your experience with big data systems and how you've tackled challenges in distributed computing. They’ll want to see that you can write maintainable code and understand system design.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to share specific examples of how you've built systems or pipelines in the past. Think about times when you took ownership of a project and how you turned raw data into actionable insights. This will demonstrate your ability to contribute to the 'evals-to-product' loop.
✨Familiarise Yourself with Their Products
Dive deep into Perplexity’s offerings and understand how their LLM-first search engine works. Being able to discuss their product evolution and how your role would impact Answer Quality will show that you're genuinely interested and engaged.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions about their data trust practices, monitoring, and quality checks. This not only shows your interest but also your understanding of the importance of reliable datasets in decision-making across the company.
