Founding Engineer (Python)

American It Systems; Greater London; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

American It Systems is seeking a founding engineer for a backend-first role in London. You will architect APIs and handle large-scale data, owning end-to-end backend systems from zero to one. The role emphasizes LLM/data engineering/scaling, with a lean team, and on-site work five days a week in London.

We value problem-solving, healthcare domain awareness, and rigorous software engineering. Ideal candidates have 2–6 years of experience, a CS/engineering/math degree, and a proven track record at

Qualifications

• Experience operating production systems at scale.
• Strong background in CS, engineering, or mathematics.
• Experience building products from zero to one.

Responsibilities

• Architect APIs and endpoints; manage large-scale data.
• Own end-to-end backend systems, from design to deployment.

Skills

Python

API design

LLM experience

Data engineering

Scaling systems

Low-latency

C

Rust

Education

Degree in computer science, engineering, or mathematics

Job description

Role Details

• Title: Founding Engineer, primarily backend-focused.


• Responsibilities include architecting API endpoints and handling large-scale data.

Candidate Requirements

• Looking for experience with LLM, data engineering, and scaling systems.


• Ideal candidates have 2-5 years of experience, with a preference for those who can work from 0 to 1.

Technical and Nice-to-Have Skills

• Proficiency in Python; experience in C or Rust is a plus.


• Experience with AI in production is beneficial but not necessary.

Team and Culture

• Lean, smart team with a focus on end-to-end ownership and experimentation.


• Values flexibility and a product-user mindset.

Compensation and Logistics

• Salary range originally 120K - 160K, considering raising to 150K - 200K.


• Role is based in London, requiring five days a week onsite; visa transfers possible but not new visas.

Timeline and Urgency

• Role open for a week and a half with a four-stage interview process.


• Looking to hire two engineers due to increased workload from new partnerships.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Stubborn, problem-solving mindset, understanding of healthcare complexities.


• Background in computer science, engineering, or mathematics from reputable institutions.

Dealbreaker

• Work experience


• Experience operating production systems at scale.

Hard skills

• Python development experience

Seniority

• 2 - 6 years of experience as a senior software engineer (backend- leaning), full- stack engineer, or founding engineer at a Series A- D startup

Work experience

• Experience building products from zero to one


• Experience at reputable trading firms, big tech, healthcare/health- tech, or a successful startup (Jane Street, Citadel, Wayve, Palantir, Stripe, Abridge)

Education

• Degree in computer science, engineering, or mathematics

Hard skills

• Ability to architect APIs or MCP endpoints


• Experience with low- latency performance systems at scale