Lead Software Engineer (AI & Agentic Systems)

Lead Software EngineerLondon (Hybrid) | Permanent | £120,000 - £150,000 + EquityWe'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.This probably isn't for you if...You're looking for a large corporate environment with established processes and multiple layers of approvalYou prefer people management over hands-on engineeringYou enjoy specialising in a narrow area rather than owning problems end-to-endYou see AI tooling as optional rather than a core part of modern software developmentYou need extensive onboarding before becoming productiveYou're uncomfortable making decisions, taking ownership and being accountable for outcomesWhat you'll be doingDesigning and building scalable backend systems and APIsLeading the development of microservice and event-driven architecturesTaking ownership of technical delivery across key product areasMentoring engineers and setting engineering standardsWorking with AI-driven products, LLM integrations and agentic workflowsInfluencing architecture decisions and long-term technical directionBuilding secure, scalable and maintainable systems capable of supporting rapid growthWhat we're looking forStrong commercial software engineering experience, ideally 5+ yearsExpert-level Node.js and TypeScript development experienceStrong knowledge of NestJS and modern backend architectureExperience designing and building microservices and distributed systemsExposure to AI products, LLMs or agentic workflowsPrevious experience leading projects or small engineering teamsComfortable operating in a fast-paced startup or scale-up environmentExperience with Next.js, Kubernetes, GCP and cloud-native technologies would be beneficialTechnology Stack (Not all required but to give you a flavour) Node.jsTypeScriptNestJSNext.jsGoogle Cloud PlatformKubernetesPostgreSQLMongoDBVector databasesAI Agents & LLMsWhy join?Genuine technical ownership from day oneOpportunity to shape architecture and engineering standardsEquity alongside a highly competitive salaryWork closely with experienced founders and engineering leadersBuild products at the forefront of AI adoptionFlexibility with access to a London officeThis 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.