At a Glance
- Tasks: Build and improve cutting-edge AI systems with a focus on reliability and innovation.
- Company: Exciting early-stage AI company with a fast-paced, collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary up to £140k, equity, and founding-level ownership.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with high expectations and excellent growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Shape the future of AI products and make a real impact from day one.
- Qualifications: Strong software engineering skills and hands-on experience with LLMs.
The predicted salary is between 140000 - 140000 € per year.
We’re working with a well-backed early-stage AI company building enterprise-grade generative AI systems for complex, high-value workflows. The team is small, technical, and moving fast - they’re now looking for a Founding AI Engineer to help shape both the product and engineering culture from the ground up.
This is not a “maintain legacy systems” type role. You’ll be joining at the stage where architecture decisions still matter, product direction changes weekly, and exceptional engineers can have outsized impact.
The focus of the role is GenAI systems engineering - designing, evaluating, and deploying LLM-powered products that operate reliably in production environments.
What you’ll be doing:
- Building and improving LLM orchestration pipelines
- Designing prompt systems, evaluation frameworks, and feedback loops
- Working across retrieval, context management, agent workflows, and inference optimisation
- Deploying AI products into production with a strong focus on reliability and observability
- Collaborating closely with founders, product, and end users to rapidly iterate on features
- Helping establish engineering best practices, tooling, and technical direction early on
What they’re looking for:
- Strong software engineering fundamentals
- Hands-on experience building with LLMs and modern AI tooling
- Experience shipping real products, not just prototypes
- Someone comfortable owning problems end-to-end rather than waiting for detailed specs
- Engineers already using AI-native development workflows
- Ability to move quickly without sacrificing engineering quality
- Experience across AI engineering, backend systems, data infrastructure, or scalable SaaS platforms is all relevant
The environment:
This suits someone who genuinely enjoys early-stage engineering. The pace is high, expectations are high, and there’s a strong bias toward ownership and execution. In return, you’ll get real influence over product, architecture, and technical culture from day one.
Package:
- Up to £140k
- Meaningful equity
- Founding-level ownership and autonomy
- London-based, in-office collaboration
If you’re interested in building production-grade GenAI systems in a genuinely high-calibre start-up environment, happy to discuss further.
Tech / AI Specialist Tech / AI Specialist in City of London employer: SR2 | Socially Responsible Recruitment | Certified B Corporation™
As a founding engineer at this innovative AI start-up in London, you'll be part of a dynamic team where your contributions directly shape the product and engineering culture. With a focus on cutting-edge generative AI systems, the company offers a collaborative work environment that values ownership and execution, alongside competitive compensation and meaningful equity. This is an exceptional opportunity for engineers looking to make a significant impact in a fast-paced, early-stage setting.
Contact Detail:
SR2 | Socially Responsible Recruitment | Certified B Corporation™ Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Tech / AI Specialist Tech / AI Specialist in City of London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with folks in the AI and tech scene. Attend meetups, webinars, or even just grab a coffee with someone in the industry. 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 showcasing your projects, especially those involving LLMs and AI tooling. This is your chance to demonstrate your hands-on experience and problem-solving abilities. Make sure it’s easy to access and share when you’re chatting with potential employers.
✨Tip Number 3
Be proactive! Don’t just wait for job postings to pop up. Reach out directly to companies you admire, like the one we’re working with. Express your interest and share how you can contribute to their mission. A little initiative can go a long way!
✨Tip Number 4
Keep learning and adapting! The tech landscape is always changing, especially in AI. Stay updated on the latest trends and tools. Consider taking online courses or attending workshops to sharpen your skills. This shows potential employers that you’re committed to growth and innovation.
We think you need these skills to ace Tech / AI Specialist Tech / AI Specialist in City of London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for AI:When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for AI and tech shine through. We want to see that you’re genuinely excited about building innovative solutions and shaping the future of generative AI systems.
Highlight Relevant Experience:Make sure to showcase your hands-on experience with LLMs and any real products you've shipped. We’re looking for engineers who can own problems end-to-end, so share specific examples that demonstrate your capabilities.
Tailor Your Application:Don’t just send a generic application! Tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect how your skills align with our needs. Mention your familiarity with AI-native development workflows and how you can contribute to our fast-paced environment.
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 don’t miss out on any important updates during the process!
How to prepare for a job interview at SR2 | Socially Responsible Recruitment | Certified B Corporation™
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in the latest AI technologies and LLMs. Brush up on your software engineering fundamentals and be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with building AI products, not just prototypes.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to talk about specific challenges you've faced in previous projects and how you tackled them. This role requires someone who can own problems end-to-end, so highlight instances where you took initiative and drove solutions.
✨Demonstrate Your Collaborative Spirit
Since this position involves working closely with founders and product teams, be ready to share examples of how you’ve successfully collaborated in fast-paced environments. Emphasise your ability to iterate quickly based on feedback.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions that show your interest in the company’s direction and culture. Inquire about their engineering best practices and how they envision the role evolving as the company grows.