At a Glance
- Tasks: Build a groundbreaking payments infrastructure for automated vehicle transactions.
- Company: Join a pioneering startup in the mobility tech space.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus, equity, and the chance to shape the future.
- Other info: Opportunity for significant ownership and career growth in a dynamic environment.
- Why this job: Be the first engineer and make a real impact on innovative payment solutions.
- Qualifications: Experience in backend systems, APIs, and cloud infrastructure.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Location: London, Office-based/Hybrid
Salary: to £160k + 20% bonus + meaningful equity
This is a true greenfield build. The Founding Engineer will be the first technical hire and sole architect building an infrastructure layer for automated vehicle payments, where vehicles seamlessly pay for tolls, parking, and charging without any driver interaction. The technology – which YOU will build – automatically detects when a vehicle enters a chargeable location and handles payment in the background using vehicle telematics and mobility APIs. You’ll work directly with an experienced founder to build and scale the platform. A technically hands-on yet entrepreneurial role, you’ll help design the architecture, build integrations with telematics providers and payment systems, create their geospatial decision engine, and lay the foundation for a world-class engineering organization. This is a role for someone who enjoys building from first principles, moving quickly, and taking ownership of major technical decisions.
What You’ll Work On:
- Design and build the core platform
- Integrate with vehicle telematics providers and OEM APIs
- Build geospatial systems that determine when vehicles enter and exit chargeable zones
- Develop payment orchestration and billing infrastructure
- Build fleet management and operational tooling
- Create scalable backend services and APIs
- Work directly with parking, tolling, and mobility partners
- Establish engineering standards and technical culture
- Help recruit and lead future engineering hires
Required Expertise:
- Building production backend systems using Python, TypeScript, Go, Java, or similar languages
- Designing and operating REST APIs and distributed systems
- Cloud infrastructure and deployment on AWS
- PostgreSQL and data-intensive applications
- Docker, CI/CD, monitoring, and observability
- Third-party API integrations
- Security and reliability best practices
We’re less concerned with specific credentials and more interested in exceptional builders.
Nice-to-haves, experience of:
- Payments and fintech infrastructure
- Geospatial systems, mapping, or geofencing
- Fleet management, telematics, or connected vehicles
- Mobility, transportation, or automotive technology
What We’re Looking For:
- Strong product instincts
- Ability to move quickly with limited resources
- Comfortable making decisions with imperfect information
- Ownership mentality
- Excited by early-stage startup environments
- Interest in eventually leading an engineering team
The successful applicant will be one of the first employees; you’ll have significant ownership and influence over the product and company; the opportunity to build a category-defining mobility infrastructure platform; have direct access to customers and strategic partners; meaningful equity upside; work alongside a founder who has previously built and exited a company in the mobility space. If you’re excited about solving real-world problems at the intersection of mobility, payments, and software infrastructure, we’d love to hear from you.
Founding Engineer – Payments Infrastructure Platform in London employer: Richard Wheeler Associates | IT Recruitment
As a Founding Engineer at our London-based startup, you will be at the forefront of innovation, building a groundbreaking payments infrastructure platform from the ground up. We foster a dynamic work culture that values ownership and rapid decision-making, offering significant equity and the chance to shape the future of mobility technology. With direct access to leadership and opportunities for personal and professional growth, this role is perfect for those eager to make a meaningful impact in an entrepreneurial environment.
Contact Details:
Richard Wheeler Associates | IT Recruitment Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Founding Engineer – Payments Infrastructure Platform in London
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✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
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We think you need these skills to ace Founding Engineer – Payments Infrastructure Platform 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 Richard Wheeler Associates | IT Recruitment.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Richard Wheeler Associates | IT Recruitment 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 Richard Wheeler Associates | IT Recruitment
✨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 Richard Wheeler Associates | IT Recruitment 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.
