Lead Engineer - Stealth AI Startup

Lead Engineer / Founding Engineering - Stealth AI Startup London (Moorgate) | 2–3 days per week in-office (relocation £ available) To £150,000 + Equity We’re working with a stealth-mode, venture-backed startup building an AI-enabled platform that’s reinventing how an entire industry operates . We’re looking for a London-based Lead Engineer to own both technical direction and team leadership as the business scales. This is a founding-level role, ideal for someone who’s already taken a startup from 0→1 , thrives in ambiguity, and wants to shape the architecture, product, and team from day one. What You’ll Do Lead and grow a talented cross-functional engineering team in London (initially 2–3 days/week in-office, with greater flexibility later). Set technical direction and make foundational decisions as the product scales from early MVP to platform maturity. Stay hands-on: ship code, build tools, review PRs , and set the engineering bar high. Drive the architecture and delivery of AI-enabled workflows that power real-world operations at scale. Partner closely with founders to define the technical roadmap and deliver mission-critical projects end to end. Act as a people manager , inspiring a high-performing team and shaping engineering culture. What We’re Looking For London-based or willing to relocate (relocation £ support provided). Proven experience taking a startup from 0→1 — ideally in stealth or early-stage mode. People leadership experience — able to grow, mentor, and lead small, sharp teams. Track record of shipping real software , not just managing from a distance. Strong software engineering background (Python experience a plus) with the ability to move fast and make pragmatic decisions. AI-native mindset — must be able to demonstrate how you’ve taken AI/LLM capabilities and built actual tools, systems, or features that increased code output, efficiency, or product capability. Experience in project delivery : taking ideas from concept to production under tight timelines. Comfort with ambiguity and speed — this is an early-stage, high-autonomy environment. Tech Snapshot Python 3.11+, FastAPI, SQLAlchemy, Alembic, PostgreSQL AWS (IAM, SES, Bedrock) Event-driven architecture, API-first development AI/ML pipelines integrated into core workflows Why This Role Take over a Lead position and make it your own, this isn’t building a feature, it’s building the company’s core product and engineering culture . Join at the ground floor of a stealth AI-enabled business tackling a massive industry problem. Work closely with experienced founders on a bold, technically ambitious roadmap. London-based leadership role with meaningful equity upside and real autonomy. Relocation support available for exceptional talent. If you’ve led teams , shipped real AI-enabled products , and thrived in early-stage environments , this is a rare opportunity to build something meaningful, fast!