Job type
PermanentLocation
United KingdomWorking Pattern
Full-timeSpecialism
Software DevelopmentIndustry
Scientific and R&DPay
£77k – £92k
Staff Software Engineer (AI / Backend / Distributed Systems)
Staff Software Engineer – AI-Enabled Backend Platforms
Location: UK (Remote)
Salary: £77,000 – £92,000
The Opportunity
We’re partnering with an innovative organisation building scalable, data-driven platforms at the forefront of modern engineering.
They’re looking for a hands-on Staff Software Engineer—someone who combines strong system design and architecture expertise with active involvement in production development.
This role focusses on building high-performance distributed systems, with a growing emphasis on AI-enabled engineering workflows.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Designing and developing scalable backend systems using Java/Kotlin
- Building and optimising event-driven architectures (Kafka or similar)
- Working hands-on to improve performance, reliability, and scalability
- Contributing to system design and technical direction at Staff level
- Using AI tools (e.g. LLMs, Copilot) to enhance coding and delivery
- Collaborating across teams to deliver robust, production-grade platforms
What We’re Looking For
Core Experience
- Operating at Staff Engineer level (or equivalent)
- Strong system design and distributed systems experience
- Hands-on expertise in:
- Java / Kotlin
- Microservices
- Event-driven systems (Kafka, messaging platforms)
- Experience building high-scale, data-heavy systems
- A proactive, ownership-driven mindset
Key Requirement: AI in Engineering
- Active use of AI tools in day-to-day development
- Experience using AI to:
- accelerate delivery
- improve productivity
- enhance engineering workflows
This is a core requirement, not a “nice to have”
Nice to Have
- Experience with data platforms or analytics systems
- Exposure to large-scale or columnar databases
- Cloud-native experience (AWS, Kubernetes, Docker)
Why This Role?
- True hands-on Staff position (not management-heavy)
- Work on high-impact, scalable systems
- Join a team embracing AI-enhanced engineering
- Strong ownership and influence over architecture and delivery
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.
If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.
