At a Glance
- Tasks: Build AI-powered cybersecurity products and own features from start to finish.
- Company: Join a venture-backed AI startup with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, meaningful equity, and direct access to founders.
- Other info: Be one of the first engineering hires and enjoy huge ownership.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by building products that customers love.
- Qualifications: Strong Python skills and experience in backend architecture.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
Some engineers enjoy writing code. Others can't stop building.
If you've been programming since you were a teenager, spend your evenings experimenting with new technology, and get genuine satisfaction from shipping products, this role was written for you.
Referment is partnering with a venture-backed AI startup looking for one exceptional engineer to help build the next generation of AI-powered cybersecurity products.
You'll work directly with the founders and own features from customer problem through to production.
- You'll enjoy this role if you…
- Love building more than talking about building
- Prefer shipping software over writing documentation
- Can move between backend, frontend and infrastructure without thinking twice
- Get excited by hard engineering challenges like building compilers, DSLs, or internal developer tools
- Use AI every day, but don't rely on it to think for you
- Enjoy solving messy customer problems instead of perfectly defined tickets
- What You'll Be Building
- Rather than owning a small corner of a huge codebase, you'll own products end-to-end
- You'll design complex backend architecture and systems.
- Ship React interfaces.
- Build internal developer tools and agentic consoles.
- Improve databases and handle systems programming.
- Debug production and deploy continuously.
- Help shape both the product and the engineering culture.
What We're Looking For
- Deep technical focus on hard engineering and complex backend architecture
- Strong Python backend fundamentals with high-level application of tools like Fast API, Django, or Flask
- Senior-level technical sophistication and the ability to move beyond routine maintenance tasks
- Verifiable track record of technical contributions and honest project claims (e. g. active Git Hub or OSS presence)
- React experience or willingness to work across the frontend
- Startup mentality with genuine product ownership
- Around 3-6 years' experience with a focus on engineering depth
Extra points for experience with
- Founding or leadership roles (e. g. Co-Founder or CTO)
- Building internal developer tools, DSLs, or compilers
- Multi-language proficiency (e. g. Go, C, or Rust)
- Cybersecurity
- Workflow orchestration (Prefect, Airflow)
- High-growth Saa S
- This probably isn't for you if…
- Your focus is primarily on product management or innovation titles rather than hands-on engineering
- You consider routine infrastructure maintenance to be your core focus area
- You need detailed specs before starting work
- You only enjoy one part of the stack
- You avoid production responsibility
- You're looking for a comfortable corporate engineering role
- You're currently splitting your attention with another startup
Why join?
- Competitive salary
- Meaningful equity
- One of the first engineering hires
- Direct access to the founders
- Huge ownership from day one
- Build products that customers actually use
- #Referment
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
Senior Python Engineer (AI Startup) (C0BE438) employer: Referment
Join a leading Tier 1/2 contractor renowned for its commitment to delivering complex, large-scale construction projects across the South West and London. With a strong focus on employee development, you will benefit from a dynamic work culture that encourages innovation and collaboration, alongside opportunities for career progression in a site-based leadership role. This is your chance to take ownership of high-stakes infrastructure projects while working within a supportive environment that values safety, quality, and commercial success.