Lead Software Engineer - Node, Typescript

Harvey Nash; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

London office access

Job summary

Harvey Nash is partnering with an ambitious AI-led technology business in London to hire a hands-on Lead Software Engineer/Founding Engineer. You will drive architecture, guide delivery, and shape AI-powered products while mentoring engineers and establishing engineering standards.

The role focuses on owning end-to-end technical delivery, building scalable backends, and leading architecture decisions in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of commercial software engineering experience.
• Expert-level Node.js and TypeScript development experience.
• Strong knowledge of NestJS and modern backend architecture.
• Experience designing and building microservices and distributed systems.
• Exposure to AI products, LLMs or agentic workflows.
• Previous experience leading projects or small engineering teams.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced startup or scale-up environment.
• Experience with Next.js, Kubernetes, GCP and cloud-native technologies would be beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Designing and building scalable backend systems and APIs.
• Leading the development of microservice and event-driven architectures.
• Taking ownership of technical delivery across key product areas.
• Mentoring engineers and setting engineering standards.
• Working with AI-driven products, LLM integrations and agentic workflows.
• Influencing architecture decisions and long-term technical direction.
• Building secure, scalable and maintainable systems capable of supporting rapid growth.

Skills

Node.js

TypeScript

NestJS

Microservices

Distributed systems

AI/LLMs

Leadership

Cloud-Native

Tools

Next.js

Kubernetes

GCP

Job description

Lead Software Engineer/Founding Engineer- Node.js and TypeScript, NestJS

We're partnering with an ambitious AI-led technology business that's using agentic AI to automate complex operational processes at scale.

As the company continues to grow, they're looking for a hands-on Lead Software Engineer to work closely with senior engineering leadership, driving architecture, leading delivery, and helping shape the next generation of AI-powered products.

This is a role for someone who enjoys solving difficult technical challenges, taking ownership, and remaining deeply involved in engineering rather than moving into pure people management.

What you'll be doing

• Designing and building scalable backend systems and APIs
• Leading the development of microservice and event-driven architectures
• Taking ownership of technical delivery across key product areas
• Mentoring engineers and setting engineering standards
• Working with AI-driven products, LLM integrations and agentic workflows
• Influencing architecture decisions and long-term technical direction
• Building secure, scalable and maintainable systems capable of supporting rapid growth

What we're looking for

• Strong commercial software engineering experience, ideally 5+ years
• Expert-level Node.js and TypeScript development experience
• Strong knowledge of NestJS and modern backend architecture
• Experience designing and building microservices and distributed systems
• Exposure to AI products, LLMs or agentic workflows
• Previous experience leading projects or small engineering teams
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced startup or scale-up environment
• Experience with Next.js, Kubernetes, GCP and cloud-native technologies would be beneficial

This probably isn't for you if...

• You're looking for a large corporate environment with established processes and multiple layers of approval
• You enjoy specialising in a narrow area rather than owning problems end-to-end
• You see AI tooling as optional rather than a core part of modern software development
• You need extensive onboarding before becoming productive
• You're uncomfortable making decisions, taking ownership and being accountable for outcomes

Technology Stack (Not all required but to give you a flavour)

• Node.js
• TypeScript
• Next.js
• MongoDB
• AI Agents & LLMs
• Genuine technical ownership from day one
• Opportunity to shape architecture and engineering standards
• Equity alongside a highly competitive salary
• Work closely with experienced founders and engineering leaders
• Build products at the forefront of AI adoption
• Flexibility with access to a London office

This is a high-autonomy environment where strong engineers can have a significant impact on both the product and the wider business. If you enjoy building, leading and solving complex problems, we'd love to hear from you.