Founding Engineer

Explore Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Significant equity

Onsite collaboration with founding team

Job summary

An early-stage deep tech startup is seeking a Founding Engineer to develop a transformative platform in London. This is a unique chance to build systems from scratch and make impactful technical decisions while fostering an innovative engineering culture. Ideal candidates will have experience in fast-paced environments with a strong computer science background. The position offers significant equity and is full-time with onsite collaboration with a dynamic founding team.

Qualifications

• Experience in a startup or high-growth tech environment.
• Strong foundational knowledge in computer science.
• Ability to thrive in fast-moving, ambiguous settings.

Responsibilities

• Build and own core systems and architecture from the ground up.
• Collaborate with the founding team on product direction.
• Make key decisions across all technology layers.
• Help shape engineering culture and processes.

Skills

Building complex systems

Computer science fundamentals

Operating in ambiguous environments

Familiarity with compilers

Knowledge of distributed systems

Understanding of systems design

Programming languages theory

Job description

Founding Engineer – Early-Stage Deep Tech Startup

Full-time | Onsite in London

An early-stage, stealth-mode startup is looking for a Founding Engineer to join the team in central London. This is a unique opportunity to help build a transformative new platform at the intersection of software systems, automation, and intelligent infrastructure.

Founded by leading academics and proven entrepreneurs, the business is backed by top-tier investors and is solving complex technical problems that demand creativity, rigour, and ambition.

The Role

• Build and own core systems and architecture from the ground up
• Work closely with the founding team on product direction and technical strategy
• Make key decisions across the full stack — from infrastructure to user-facing elements
• Contribute to the early engineering culture, processes, and hiring

Ideal Background

• Experience building complex systems in a startup or high-growth tech environment
• Strong computer science fundamentals; comfortable working across multiple layers of the stack
• Demonstrated ability to operate in fast-moving, ambiguous environments
• Bonus: familiarity with compilers, distributed systems, systems design, or programming languages theory

Offer

• Significant equity in a high-potential startup
• London-based, full-time — onsite collaboration with a world-class founding team