At a Glance
- Tasks: Build innovative AI solutions and ship features for our mental health app.
- Company: Join Slingshot AI, the team behind Ash, a groundbreaking mental health AI.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity ownership, remote work options, and personal therapy coverage.
- Other info: Dynamic team culture with opportunities for rapid growth and collaboration.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in mental health while working with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Early-career engineers with a passion for building and problem-solving.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 120000 £ per year.
Location: London
Employment Type: Full time
Department: Engineering
Compensation: £60K – £120K. Offers Equity. We aim to pay 90th percentile for the industry. All roles include meaningful equity ownership.
Slingshot AI is the team behind Ash, the first AI designed for mental health. Our mission is to make support more accessible and help people change their lives in the ways they want. We’re building a world‑class team by empowering individuals with the autonomy, flexibility, and support they need to do their best work. We dream big, iterate fast, and care deeply. If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
Our team spans machine learning, product, engineering, conversational design, clinical, growth, and operations, with offices in both New York City and London. We're a well‑funded Series A company, having raised $93M from top‑tier tech investors.
We're looking for early‑career engineers who are exceptional builders. You're a year or two into your first job, and you have evidence already that you're brilliant, that you build, and that you're on a fast growth trajectory. The Slingshot team consists entirely of experienced engineers, so you'll be joining as one of a few select early‑career engineers. You'll thrive at Slingshot when you show up hungry, take ownership from day one, and treat every problem as yours to solve. You'll ship to real users in your first weeks, and grow faster here than you would anywhere else. We'll give you scope as fast as you can take it.
Our tech stack uses Kotlin for core backend services, Python for our ML work, Dart/Flutter for the app, Next.js/TypeScript for internal tooling, as well as Rust for low level media streaming. We use gRPC and GCP (Kubernetes, Cloud Run) as our primary cloud provider. You're not required to be an expert in any of these, and we'd like you to come with a learning mindset and to not be afraid of getting your hands dirty with whatever tool the job might require.
What You'll Do
- Ship features to the Ash app that users interact with, end to end (app, backend, through our modelling stack).
- Build internal tooling that enables our whole team, letting our designers ship for themselves, our trust and safety people scale themselves with AI, and turn ideas into live products faster than anyone would think possible.
- Push our AI‑native development forward, finding where AI can allow one person to do the work of five.
- Work closely with leadership to run Slingshot as an AI‑native company, not just one that builds AI.
What we look for
- Evidence of intelligence and builder energy.
- Participation in hackathons or launching products that real people used.
- High test scores, competition results, or another clear signal of raw ability.
- A passion for coding, with repos, demos, and shipped work to prove it.
Our team typically works long hours — expect to be in the office most days and to put in well beyond a standard week. Don't have the evidence yet? Build something. If you don't have a project to point to, that's fine: show us instead. Build something, record a short demo video, and send us a link to the repo. That will tell us more than your CV ever could.
Not sure what to build? Here are some ideas where we'd love to see an open‑source app:
- An open‑source Loom (screen + camera recording and easy sharing).
- An open‑source Granola (AI meeting notes).
- A receipt and expense scanner.
- A QR code generator.
- A Slackmoji generator powered by AI.
- Background removal from images.
- A PDF toolkit: merge, split, compress, rotate, and sign.
- An expense splitter like Splitwise.
- An AI teleprompter for calls that guides you on what to say.
- Anything that involves learning something new and building something valuable.
What We Offer
- A chance to join a passionate tight‑knit team working on something to change the world.
- Competitive compensation (top of personal market).
- Travel between our NYC / London offices.
- Usual startup perks like free lunch and coffee in office + generous learning budget.
- We cover your personal therapy.
Compensation Range: £60K - £120K
AI Native Software Engineer employer: Slingshot
At Slingshot AI, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration. Our London office offers a vibrant work environment where early-career engineers can thrive, with opportunities for rapid personal and professional growth while contributing to meaningful projects in mental health. With competitive compensation, equity ownership, and a supportive team atmosphere, we empower our employees to take ownership and make a real impact from day one.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land AI Native Software Engineer
✨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 Slingshot 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 Slingshot.
✨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 Slingshot.
✨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 Slingshot 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 AI Native Software Engineer
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 Slingshot.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Slingshot 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 Slingshot
✨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 Slingshot 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.
