Staff Backend Engineer

ZipRecruiter; London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a top-ranked AI SaaS company as a Staff Backend Engineer, where your expertise will be pivotal in scaling an innovative AI-first platform. This role offers the chance to collaborate with founders and engineering leaders, designing high-performance architectures that empower Fortune 500 enterprises. With a focus on building robust backend systems and optimizing cloud infrastructure, you'll thrive in a dynamic environment that values your input. Enjoy a flexible hybrid work model, generous equity options, and a commitment to professional development. This is your opportunity to make a significant impact in an exciting startup atmosphere.

Benefits

Top 15% equity options plan

Private healthcare & pension contribution

30 days holiday + bank holidays

£800 L&D budget + conference sponsorship

Company-wide retreats

Flexible hybrid working

Work from anywhere for 1 month per year

Qualifications

• 5+ years of backend development experience with strong architectural skills.
• Cloud infrastructure expertise with experience at scale.

Responsibilities

• Architect and scale backend systems for multi-tenant AI applications.
• Maintain and expand highly performant APIs for internal and B2B clients.

Skills

Backend Development

Architectural Skills

Functional Programming

Cloud Infrastructure (AWS, Terraform)

Distributed Systems

Observability

Tools

Docker

AWS

Terraform

Job description

Job Description

Staff Backend Engineer | AI-Powered SaaS | London (Hybrid)

We’re partnered with a top-ranked AI SaaS company backed by leading AI pioneers and a $30M+ Series A. Their platform is transforming no-code AI workflows and powering Fortune 500 enterprises worldwide.

The Role

As a Staff Backend Engineer, you'll play a critical role in scaling an AI-first platform, enabling foundation models like Gemini Pro to analyze multimodal data at scale. You'll work closely with the founders and engineering leadership to design robust, high-performance architectures that drive AI adoption at enterprise levels.

Responsibilities

• Architect and scale backend systems for multi-tenant AI applications.
• Maintain and expand highly performant APIs for internal and B2B clients.
• Build and optimize infrastructure using AWS, Terraform, and Docker.
• Ensure observability and efficient queue management.
• Ship to production multiple times a day, solving real-world user challenges.

Your Experience

• 5+ years of backend development experience with strong architectural skills.
• Experience with functional programming (Elixir, Scala, Go, Node.js, Haskell, etc.).
• Cloud infrastructure expertise (AWS, Terraform) with experience at scale.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems, orchestration, and observability.
• Knowledge of GenAI and prompt engineering is a plus.
• Passion for early-stage startups, small-team collaboration, and a customer-centric mindset.

Perks & Benefits

• Top 15% equity options plan
• Private healthcare & pension contribution
• 30 days holiday + bank holidays (plus 1 extra day per year of service)
• £800 L&D budget + conference sponsorship (NeurIPS, CVPR, etc.)
• Company-wide retreats & flexible hybrid working
• Work from anywhere for 1 month per year

If you’re a backend specialist who thrives in high-impact product focused environments, apply today!