Lead Platform Engineer

Trust in SODA; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Job summary

Trust in SODA, a London-based AI company, is seeking a Lead Platform Engineer to own the build across the stack and lead a small team, setting technical standards and driving delivery of AI-powered workflows.

You’ll work on scalable backends, microservices and real-time data pipelines using Node.js, NestJS, LLMs, Claude Code, and cloud tech, with equity on offer for the right candidate. This is a hands-on leadership role in a fast-growing startup.

Qualifications

• 5-8+ years of hands-on software engineering, ideally in AI, SaaS or automation platforms.
• Already a lead engineer, or very close to it, with ownership of technical direction and delivery on real projects.
• Deep expertise in Node.js and NestJS, with strong REST API and microservice experience.
• Real experience building with LLMs and agents, and an understanding of what breaks in agentic pipelines at scale.
• Daily use of Claude Code and agentic workflows as standard practice.
• Startup background, or standout performance at a top firm, with the ability to make the right call without a committee.
• Ability to lead engineers while still being the strongest builder in the room.
• A strong degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Maths or a related field.
• Next.js and frontend experience is a plus.
• Right to work in the UK

Responsibilities

• Architect, design and build scalable backend systems and APIs, from architecture through to production
• Design and maintain microservice and event-driven architectures supporting real-time operational workflows
• Lead a small team of engineers: drive delivery, review work and be accountable for what ships
• Set the standard for building with agentic AI, from Claude Code workflows to team-wide patterns
• Shape technical strategy with the Head of Engineering, including what not to build yet
• Keep systems and data pipelines secure, performant and reliable as the product scales
• Get close to the product and the workflows being automated

Skills

Node.js

NestJS

REST APIs

Microservices

Leadership

Agentic AI

LLMs

Frontend basics

Education

Computer Science or related degree

Tools

Google Cloud

Kubernetes

Postgres

MongoDB

Qdrant

Claude Code

Job description

Location:

London (4 days in office, 1 day working from home)

About the Company

A fast-growing AI company is building an AI system of action for the UK property sector. The platform sits on top of existing CRM systems and runs the operational work: prospecting, viewings, maintenance, compliance and arrears. Much of this runs through an AI voice agent that answers the phone when a branch can’t.

The Role

We are looking for a Lead Platform Engineer to own the build across the stack, reporting to the Head of Engineering. You’ll be a great engineer first: the person who builds the hardest things and sets the technical standard, while leading a small team and raising the bar on how the company builds with AI.

What You’ll Do

• Architect, design and build scalable backend systems and APIs, from architecture through to production
• Design and maintain microservice and event-driven architectures supporting real-time operational workflows
• Lead a small team of engineers: drive delivery, review work and be accountable for what ships
• Set the standard for building with agentic AI, from Claude Code workflows to team-wide patterns
• Shape technical strategy with the Head of Engineering, including what not to build yet
• Keep systems and data pipelines secure, performant and reliable as the product scales
• Get close to the product and the workflows being automated

What We’re Looking For

• 5-8+ years of hands-on software engineering, ideally in AI, SaaS or automation platforms
• Already a lead engineer, or very close to it, with ownership of technical direction and delivery on real projects
• Deep expertise in Node.js and NestJS, with strong REST API and microservice experience
• Real experience building with LLMs and agents, and an understanding of what breaks in agentic pipelines at scale
• Daily use of Claude Code and agentic workflows as standard practice
• Startup background, or standout performance at a top firm, with the ability to make the right call without a committee
• Ability to lead engineers while still being the strongest builder in the room
• A strong degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Maths or a related field
• Next.js and frontend experience is a plus
• Right to work in the UK

NestJS | Node.js | Next.js | Microservices | Google Cloud | Kubernetes | Postgres | MongoDB | Qdrant | Claude Code | Agentic AI

Why Join?

You’ll have real technical ownership from day one, direct access to the founders, and the chance to build an agent-first platform from the ground up. Equity is available and discussed during the process. Within 12 months, you’ll have helped scale the systems, and the team, across the UK market.

This is a from-scratch environment where the standard is set by who shows up. It isn’t for those who want a 9-5 in a large firm, a pure management track, or who treat AI tools as optional.