Founding Engineer
Founding Engineer
London | £75k–£95k + meaningful equity
Gale & Co. is partnering with a venture-backed early-stage AI company hiring a Founding Engineer in London.
They are building a live, AI-enabled product in a category that is moving quickly and still very much up for grabs. The business has already raised seed funding, has early customer traction, and is now at the point where a small number of key hires will have an outsized impact on what the company becomes.
This is a role for an engineer who wants to build properly, think commercially, and work close to the founders while the shape of the product is still being defined.
The opportunity
This is not a role for someone who wants clean tickets, long planning cycles, or a heavily layered engineering structure.
It is a role for someone who likes solving real problems in real time, can move from rough idea to practical implementation quickly, and enjoys being in the room when product and technical decisions are being made.
You will be joining a small, high-context team and working directly with a technical founder. The environment is fast-moving, collaborative, and high ownership. The product is live, the infrastructure foundations are in place, and the focus now is on iterating quickly, learning from customers, and building with conviction.
For the right person, this is the kind of role that can compress a huge amount of learning and exposure into a short space of time.
What they need
They are looking for a product-minded engineer who can operate with range.
Someone who is:
- Strong across React and the wider JS / TS stack
- Comfortable building in ambiguity
- Able to work independently without needing everything fully defined
- Naturally curious and proactive
- Thoughtful enough to challenge, not just execute
- AI-native in how they work
What the role will involve:
- Building product across the frontend and backend
- Working directly with the technical founder on technical and product decisions
- Turning customer feedback into experiments and shipped features
- Helping shape how engineering works as one of the earliest hires
- Moving quickly where needed, while still keeping a high bar for quality
- Using AI tools as part of the day-to-day engineering workflow
- Contributing ideas, options and technical judgment, not just delivery
Likely fit:
This is likely to suit someone who has:
- Around 3+ years of engineering experience
- Strong React and full-stack JavaScript / TypeScript capability
- Worked in a startup, small team, or similarly fluid environment
- Built things independently
- Genuine comfort with pace, ambiguity and ownership
Particularly relevant backgrounds could include:
- Early-stage startups
- AI-native product businesses
- Engineers who have built side projects or founded something before
- People who may want to start a company themselves in future
They do not need a pure ML engineer.
The priority is someone who can build quickly and intelligently in an AI-native environment.
Why this role stands out:
The attraction here is not just the market or the funding.
It is the combination of:
- Real product proximity
- Direct founder access
- Meaningful ownership
- Early-stage influence
- Strong learning curve
- A genuine chance to shape the company early
Working model:
The role is based in London, five days a week in the office.
We understand that this won't work for everyone and will naturally narrow the market, but it is a deliberate choice at this stage. The company is moving quickly, product direction is still evolving, and they want someone in the room while the pace and shape of the business still demand close collaboration.
The ambition is that as they scale, more flexibility will be introduced. But likely not until circa 12 months down the line.
Comp:
- £85,000–£95,000 base salary
- Meaningful equity (Details available on request)
- Early-stage exposure with real upside if the business continues on its current path