Engineering Group Lead
Engineering Lead (CTO-Track) | Early-Stage AI Startup | UK - up to £150,000
We're supporting a well-funded early-stage AI startup that's entering its next phase of growth and is now looking for a Engineering Lead to take ownership of the technical function.
This role is ideal for a hands-on engineering leader who wants real influence, enjoys building product, and is ready to step into technical leadership — with a clear path toward a CTO-level role.
What you'll be doing
- Owning technical direction across a small but strong engineering team
- Remaining hands-on in code (this is a player-coach role, not a pure management position)
- Partnering closely with the founder on product decisions and technical strategy
- Helping scale the team post-fundraise while keeping things lean and high-impact
- Representing technical leadership as the company prepares for its next funding round
The profile we're looking for
- Senior / Lead Engineer experience in startup or scale-up environments
- Strong backend background (Elixir experience is ideal, but leadership + product mindset matter more than language purity)
- Comfortable overseeing how frontend and backend work together
- Has seen a team or product scale, even if they weren't the original CTO
- Product-focused — challenges what to build, not just how to build it
- Embraces modern tooling and AI-assisted development
- Low-ego, pragmatic, and enjoys ownership
What's on offer
- Founding-level impact with real ownership and influence
- Competitive salary today with a clear uplift post-fundraise (up to ~£150k)
- Meaningful equity
- Fast, human interview process (no take-home tests or heavy tech exercises)
- One day per week in London (UK-based candidates preferred, flexible location otherwise)
If you're someone who wants genuine ownership over a product, a team, and a technical direction — and enjoys operating at an early-stage level — this is a rare opportunity.
If this sounds like you (or someone you know), feel free to reach out directly.