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- Tasks: Build cutting-edge AI infrastructure and create automated systems with a dynamic founding team.
- Company: Join Melow, a pioneering tech startup redefining AI infrastructure.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, and the chance to shape the future of AI.
- Other info: Fast-paced environment with significant growth opportunities and direct impact.
- Why this job: Be part of a groundbreaking team and leave your mark on AI technology.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in backend or AI systems, deep Python expertise, and startup experience.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 130000 £ per year.
Location: Remote Europe (London preferably) | Full-Time | Founding Team
Salary: up to $130k base + 1% equity
Build the Future of AI Infrastructure
Key Skills
- Python
- AI concepts
- Data Strategy
- Building scalable systems
- Cloud Security
- Data Science
- Working with large quantities of complex data
- Backend programming
- Systems Design
- Multiple programming languages
Melow is building the AI Operating System for data. A dynamic ontology engine making sense across all forms of structured and unstructured data - and a new form of AI worker that executes autonomous workflows with transparent human reasoning across real tools.
We’re building the AI middleware for the world that lets AI understand data the way only data teams do to reason, plan, and act inside real systems. We’re still in stealth, but already working with some of the most recognized companies in the world across fintech, travel, insurance, gaming, and logistics.
We’re builders, solving real and messy problems. Our goal is to define a new software category - and we’re just getting started. We have clients, have raised money, and now want to release what we have built to the world.
The Role: Founding Staff Engineer
Join a high-caliber founding team and take ownership of core AI infrastructure and software engineering - creating automated semantic layers, complex agentic infrastructure, transparent reasoning engines, and orchestration logic.
You’ll work directly with the CEO’s, CTO and development team, helping shape our architecture from first principles and build the foundation for intelligent autonomous systems. This is a hands-on role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, moves fast, and wants to leave a legacy in AI infrastructure.
What You’ll Own
- Build our core agent infrastructure: Scalable agent orchestration, task planning, memory, and execution logic using Python and open-source LLM frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, etc).
- Engineer automated ontology systems: Design the semantic layer that connects every source - structured and unstructured - into a shared data brain.
- Own the agent runtime: Robust planning, tool execution, and observability for distributed, autonomous systems.
- Scale our data infrastructure: Build and maintain metadata stores, data connectors, ETL, and vectorized storage (Chroma, Pinecone, Weaviate).
- Advance our reasoning engines: Build hybrid LLM + symbolic reasoning pipelines, task decomposition frameworks, and long-term agent memory systems.
- Define our engineering culture: Set the bar for system design, quality, and speed. Mentor others, help us hire exceptional talent, and drive long-term architecture.
- Go full-stack if needed: We move fast - sometimes you’ll ship backend APIs, other times hack together a frontend to get feedback.
What We’re Looking For
- 5+ years of experience in backend, infra, or AI systems roles.
- Deep Python expertise. You’ve shipped production systems using LLM’s, LangChain, vector DBs, or custom LLM tooling.
- Real-world experience building agentic systems: reasoning, short and long term memory, tool use, semantic data layers.
- Expertise in ontology development, schema reconciliation, and knowledge graphs.
- Strong foundations in modern data infra (e.g., dbt, BigQuery, Airflow) and cloud (GCP or AWS).
- Background in symbolic AI, reasoning systems, or semantic data modeling is a huge plus.
- Experience at an early stage startup is a must.
- Experience at data native companies like Palantir, DeepMind, Databricks, Snowflake, or early-stage AI infra startups is highly valued.
- Extremely motivated. You’ve shipped side projects, competed in coding competitions, built tools for fun.
- You think in systems and want to build something that endures.
- You 10x with AI tools - Cursor, Windsurf, Cody, etc are part of your daily workflow.
- Grit - we are a startup that values execution, speed and autonomy. Willingness to take the jump, set and meet deadlines by any means.
- Hands on builders - prioritize getting hands into code, and shipping fast focused on customer value, over management of people.
- Value driven builder - will obsess over customers to get to the best version of what we release.
Why Join Melow?
- Frontier tech: You’ll help define the foundations of a new category in AI infrastructure.
- Founding ownership: Equity, decision-making power, and deep technical responsibility from day one.
- Enterprise traction: Already working with global leaders in critical industries.
- Velocity & autonomy: Small team. Big problems. No bureaucracy.
- Backed by conviction: $3.1M seed round from top European and US funds.
Founding Staff Engineer in London employer: talentcentric.com
Contact Detail:
talentcentric.com Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Founding Staff Engineer in London
✨Network Like a Pro
Get out there and connect with people in the industry! Attend meetups, webinars, or even just grab a coffee with someone who works at Melow. Building relationships can open doors that applications alone can't.
✨Show Off Your Skills
Don’t just talk about your experience; demonstrate it! Create a portfolio showcasing your projects, especially those involving Python and AI systems. Share it on platforms like GitHub to let us see your work in action.
✨Tailor Your Approach
When reaching out to us, make sure to highlight how your skills align with our mission at Melow. Mention specific projects or experiences that relate to building scalable systems or working with complex data.
✨Apply Through Our Website
Remember, we prefer you apply through our website rather than directly contacting us. This helps streamline the process and ensures your application gets the attention it deserves!
We think you need these skills to ace Founding Staff Engineer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your skills and experiences align with the role of Founding Staff Engineer. We want to see how you can contribute to building our AI infrastructure, so don’t hold back on showcasing relevant projects!
Show Off Your Passion: We love seeing candidates who are genuinely excited about AI and infrastructure. Share any side projects, competitions, or tools you've built that demonstrate your enthusiasm and expertise in this field. Let your passion shine through!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so avoid jargon and focus on what makes you a great fit for our team. Remember, we’re looking for builders who can communicate effectively!
Apply Through Our Website: To ensure your application gets the attention it deserves, please apply directly through our website. This helps us streamline the process and get back to you faster. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at talentcentric.com
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in Python and the AI concepts mentioned in the job description. Brush up on your experience with LLMs, LangChain, and data infrastructure tools like BigQuery or Airflow. Being able to discuss your past projects and how they relate to the role will show that you’re not just a fit on paper but also in practice.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to discuss specific challenges you've faced in previous roles, especially in building scalable systems or working with complex data. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers. This will help you demonstrate your hands-on experience and how you approach real-world problems.
✨Understand Their Vision
Research Melow and their mission to build an AI Operating System for data. Familiarise yourself with their current projects and the industries they’re involved in. Showing that you understand their goals and how you can contribute will set you apart from other candidates.
✨Be Ready to Discuss Culture Fit
Melow is looking for builders who thrive in ambiguity and value execution. Be prepared to talk about your experiences in fast-paced environments, your motivation for working in startups, and how you align with their values. Highlight your grit and willingness to take ownership of projects, as this will resonate well with their team.