Staff Full Stack Engineer

Careem; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tech company in the Middle East is seeking an exceptional Full-Stack Engineer to join their new division focused on AI transformation. The role involves architecting the WorkOS platform, working on AI workflows, and ensuring systems scale effectively. Candidates should have extensive experience with modern frontend and backend technologies, as well as an AI integration mindset. This position offers significant autonomy and the chance to directly influence the company's technological direction while working full-time on-site in the UAE.

Benefits

Competitive compensation including equity

Opportunity to build impactful products

Direct collaboration with leadership

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of professional full-stack engineering experience.
• Deep expertise in frontend frameworks and strong backend experience.
• Hands-on experience integrating LLMs and managing streaming data.
• Ability to design modular platform-first systems.
• Experience in a startup environment with a focus on autonomy.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build the WorkOS Engine for AI workflows.
• Define AI-human interaction and create intuitive interfaces.
• Own the lifecycle of the platform from prototyping to production.
• Experiment with AI-assisted development and high agency.
• Lead first-of-their-kind deployments for strategic partners.

Skills

Full-Stack Engineering

Frontend Frameworks (React/TypeScript)

Backend Languages (Node.js, Python, Go)

AI Integration

End-to-End Architecture

Real-time Data Streaming

Job description

Careem is building the Everything App for the greater Middle East — making it easy to move around, order food and groceries, manage payments, and more. Our purpose is simple: to simplify and improve people’s lives and build an awesome organisation that inspires. Since 2012, Careem has enabled earnings for over 2.5 million Captains, simplified the lives of more than 70 million customers, and built a platform where the region’s best talent and entrepreneurs thrive. We operate in 70+ cities across 10 countries, from Morocco to Pakistan.

We’re now entering our next chapter — one powered by AI. We’re looking for AI talent: curious problem-solvers who know how to apply AI to build tools, automate workflows, and create real impact. Whether it’s streamlining operations, enhancing customer experience, or reimagining internal systems — we want people who can make Careem work smarter and move faster.

The Mission

We believe the transformative potential of AI is significantly under‑realised in our region. To bridge this gap, we are incubating a new division within Careem dedicated to Enterprise AI Transformation. We are reimagining and building the future of work to simplify and improve how businesses function in the era of GenAI with WorkOS: a next‑generation ‘operating system’ designed to deploy, orchestrate, and improve AI agents across every customer and operational journey (and increasingly autonomously). This isn’t just automation; it’s about creating a hybrid workforce where self‑learning AI agents handle the heavy lifting, empowering our people to focus on the highest‑value, most creative work.

The Team

This group operates as a startup within Careem with a distinct mandate: move fast, build boldly, and deliver production‑grade AI systems that fundamentally change how the region leverages technology.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an exceptional founding Full‑Stack Engineer to build the WorkOS platform. This is a role for a systems‑thinker who wants to work at the intersection of high‑scale distributed systems and AI orchestration. You will be responsible for building the ‘brain’ of WorkOS, the engine that deploys and manages autonomous agents across the region’s most complex operational journeys at massive scale. As one of the first engineers in WorkOS, you will have a disproportionate impact on our technical foundation, culture, and the speed at which we move from 0 to 1.

What You’ll Do

• Architect and Build the WorkOS Engine: Design and build the scalable backend services and frontend architectures required to orchestrate complex AI workflows and real‑time data streaming.
• Define AI-Human Interaction: Partner with Design and Customers to create intuitive interfaces for ‘agentic’ work, moving beyond static forms into dynamic, canvas‑based, or generative UI powered by robust APIs.
• Full‑Cycle Ownership: Own the lifecycle of the platform, from rapid prototyping of new agent capabilities to maintaining production‑grade systems at enterprise scale.
• Drive AI‑Accelerated Engineering: Constantly experiment with AI‑assisted development to move faster than traditional teams, while maintaining a bar for superb technical quality and craft.
• Lead Pioneer Deployments: While building the core platform, you will occasionally lead the charge on first‑of‑their‑kind implementations for strategic partners, ensuring our tech solves real‑world operational complexity.
• Operate with High Agency: In this lean, startup‑style environment, you will be responsible for outcomes over inputs, rolling your sleeves up to code and balancing investments in the long‑term technical roadmap with the need to ship value quickly.

What You’ll Need

• 8–12+ years of professional full‑stack engineering experience: with a track record of acting as a technical lead or founding engineer in high‑growth environments.
• Mastery of the modern stack: Deep expertise in frontend frameworks (React/TypeScript) paired with strong experience in backend languages (Node.js, Python, or Go) and distributed systems.
• AI‑Native engineering mindset: Hands‑on experience integrating LLMs, managing real‑time streaming data, and building/consuming agentic frameworks and RAG architectures.
• End‑to‑End Architecture Skills: The ability to design modular, ‘platform‑first’ systems, from database schema and API design to reusable UI components.
• Obsession with Craft and Performance: A specialist’s eye for creating fluid, ‘instant’ user experiences and the backend efficiency required to support them.
• Startup-level Autonomy: Comfortable navigating a ‘0-to-1’ environment where you define the technical roadmap and ship high‑quality code without a playbook.
• Willingness to work on‑site full time in UAE, to foster the high‑intensity collaboration required for this incubation phase.
• Experience with enterprise software transformation or legacy system integration is a significant plus.

What You’ll Receive

• A Blank Canvas and Live Ammunition: The rare opportunity to build a ‘0-to-1’ product while immediately deploying it into the real‑world operations of a regional giant. No ‘sandbox’ projects here, you’ll be shipping code that moves people and goods on day one. This is a huge opportunity to create impact in our region.
• Architecting the Engine: We’re a lean, impact‑obsessed team operating with total autonomy. You’ll be free from corporate bureaucracy and legacy baggage, focused entirely on building the core orchestration layer and agentic frameworks that will serve as the ‘brain’ of the region’s enterprises.
• Direct Collaboration with Leadership: Direct engagement with Careem and enterprise client leadership, in addition to working side‑by‑side with the WorkOS founding team including Magnus Olsson (Careem’s original Co‑founder).
• Competitive Compensation: Including direct equity in this new division. Our philosophy is meritocratic: we want you to own a meaningful stake in the value you create.