Founding Engineer in London

Founding Engineer in London

London Full-Time 80000 - 100000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
Share

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the development of critical payment and billing systems for ISPs in Africa.
  • Company: Join a venture-backed startup revolutionising internet infrastructure across Africa.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, equity, and paid business travel opportunities.
  • Other info: Work in a dynamic team using AI tools to enhance productivity and innovation.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on Africa's digital future with cutting-edge technology.
  • Qualifications: 7+ years in software engineering, strong TypeScript/Node.js skills, and payment integration experience.

The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.

About Share

Share is a venture-backed internet infrastructure network building Africa’s backbone. The company aggregates underutilized telecom infrastructure, fiber, subsea cables, and data centers, and provides ISPs with scalable access to bandwidth without traditional upfront costs. Through an open-access model, local internet providers can deliver dramatically faster speeds to their subscribers without raising their own costs.

The platform team builds the software that makes this work: billing, payments, subscriber management, RADIUS-based network authentication, and integrations with ISP billing systems and mobile money providers. We are replacing legacy, non-API systems with a modern API platform, and real money is already flowing through the system. This is a small, high-intensity engineering team building core infrastructure under real deadlines. You will own entire domains, not tickets.

The role

We are hiring a Founding Software Engineer to take ownership of the platform’s most critical technical domains: the payments pipeline (collections, revenue splitting, treasury operations), the billing engine (subscription lifecycle, cycle management, automated renewals), and the integration layer (BSS/OSS sync with partner systems). You will work directly with the CTO and a small team of engineers to ship production systems that handle real financial transactions for real ISP partners.

Non-negotiable

  • 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, with at least 3 years in backend systems handling real financial transactions (payments, billing, ledger, or treasury)
  • Deep TypeScript/Node.js expertise. You should be able to design a NestJS microservice from scratch, not just work in one.
  • Production experience with payment gateway integrations (M-Pesa, Stripe, Adyen, or similar). You understand STK push flows, webhook idempotency, callback signature verification, and reconciliation.
  • Strong PostgreSQL skills. You can design schemas for financial data, write migrations, and reason about transaction isolation and locking.
  • Experience with event-driven architectures (Kafka, RabbitMQ, or similar). You understand the difference between request-reply and fire-and-forget patterns and when to use each.
  • You ship. You can take a spec document and turn it into production code without waiting for someone to break it into small tasks.

AI-augmented engineering (required mindset)

We expect every engineer at Share to use AI tools as a daily part of their workflow. This is not optional and not aspirational — it is how we operate. Our entire project planning, specification, and documentation process runs through AI-assisted sessions. Our codebase includes AI-readable context files. We use Claude for architecture decisions, code review, spec generation, and technical writing.

What this means for you:

  • You already use AI coding assistants (Claude, Cursor, Copilot, or similar) daily and can articulate how they change your workflow.
  • You are comfortable working with AI-generated specifications and can critically evaluate them, push back where they are wrong, and extend them where they are incomplete.
  • You see AI as a force multiplier that lets a small team operate at the capacity of a much larger one. You are not threatened by it; you are faster because of it.
  • You are willing to contribute to improving our AI-assisted workflows — better prompts, better context files, better session structures.

Compensation & Details

  • Competitive Salary & Equity package
  • Additional Benefits
  • Paid Business Travel when needed
  • Ownership in a venture-backed early stage startup building the future of physical and digital infrastructure in Africa

Founding Engineer in London employer: Share

At Share, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and innovative work culture. As a Founding Engineer, you will have the unique opportunity to shape the future of internet infrastructure in Africa while working alongside a small, dedicated team that values ownership and collaboration. With competitive salaries, equity packages, and a commitment to employee growth through AI-augmented engineering practices, Share is the ideal place for those seeking meaningful and rewarding employment in a fast-paced startup environment.
Share

Contact Detail:

Share Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Founding Engineer in London

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, attend meetups, and connect with people on LinkedIn. 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! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects, especially those related to payments and backend systems. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and sets you apart from the crowd.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews by practising common technical questions and coding challenges. Brush up on your TypeScript and Node.js skills, and be ready to discuss your experience with payment gateways and event-driven architectures.

✨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 being part of our team at Share.

We think you need these skills to ace Founding Engineer in London

Software Engineering
Backend Systems Development
TypeScript
Node.js
NestJS Microservices
Payment Gateway Integrations
PostgreSQL
Event-Driven Architectures
Kafka
RabbitMQ
AI-Augmented Engineering
Production Code Deployment
Technical Documentation
Critical Evaluation of AI Specifications

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Off Your Experience: Make sure to highlight your 7+ years of software engineering experience, especially in backend systems dealing with financial transactions. We want to see how you've tackled similar challenges in the past!

Be Specific About Your Skills: When mentioning your TypeScript and Node.js expertise, don’t just say you know them—tell us about a project where you designed a NestJS microservice from scratch. We love details!

Demonstrate Your AI Savvy: Since we’re all about AI-augmented engineering, share how you’ve integrated AI tools into your workflow. Show us that you’re not just familiar with them but that you actively use them to enhance your productivity.

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to get your application and for you to stay updated on your progress. Let’s make this happen!

How to prepare for a job interview at Share

✨Know Your Tech Inside Out

Make sure you’re well-versed in TypeScript and Node.js, especially when it comes to designing NestJS microservices. Brush up on your payment gateway integrations and be ready to discuss your experience with them in detail. The more specific examples you can provide, the better!

✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills

Prepare to discuss how you've tackled challenges in backend systems, particularly around financial transactions. Think of scenarios where you had to design schemas or handle transaction isolation. Real-world examples will demonstrate your expertise and problem-solving abilities.

✨Embrace AI in Your Workflow

Since AI tools are a big part of the role, be ready to talk about how you use them in your daily work. Share specific instances where AI has improved your efficiency or helped you overcome obstacles. This shows you’re aligned with the company’s innovative approach.

✨Understand the Company’s Vision

Familiarise yourself with Share's mission to build Africa’s internet infrastructure. Be prepared to discuss how your skills can contribute to this vision. Showing that you understand their goals and how you fit into them can set you apart from other candidates.

Founding Engineer in London
Share
Location: London

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