Principal Staff Engineer
Principal Staff Engineer (Python) – AI Insurtech
Location: UK (Remote-first, 1 day per month in London)
Hands-On Principal Role – Build & Scale from the Ground Up
We’re working with a fast-growing, AI-driven Insurtech start-up backed by major investors, with Series A secured and scaling rapidly. Their mission is to rebuild insurance from first principles—replacing legacy systems with modern engineering and AI-powered platforms.
This is a newly created Principal Staff Engineer role, offering the opportunity to stay deeply hands-on while operating at staff/principal level influence. You’ll help design and scale core systems while shaping engineering culture in a high-growth, venture-backed environment.
The Role
- Architect and build scalable backend systems in Python
- Own system design, performance, and reliability across core products
- Stay hands-on with coding and implementation (not a pure leadership role)
- Work closely with AI/ML and product teams to deliver intelligent systems
- Design for highly regulated environments (insurance/finance/healthcare)
- Influence technical roadmap, standards, and engineering culture
What They’re Looking For
- 7–10+ years Python engineering experience
- Experience operating at Staff / Lead / Principal level
- Strong background in backend systems, distributed systems, and architecture
- Proven product engineering experience (not consultancy/agency-led)
- Experience in start-ups or scale-ups (preferred)
- Ability to own systems end-to-end (build → scale → operate)
Nice to have:
- Experience in regulated industries (insurance, finance, defence, healthcare)
- Contributions to open-source / blogs / GitHub / technical content
- Strong academic background in Computer Science or Engineering
Why Join
- Founding-level technical influence in a high-growth AI business
- Work alongside top-tier engineers and AI specialists
- Competitive salary with meaningful equity (Series A, strong growth trajectory)
- Product-first, hands-on environment
- Remote-first setup with minimal office requirement (1 day/month in London)
- Full benefits package including health, dental, vision, pension, and flexible PTO
Who This Suits
- A Senior Staff or Principal Engineer looking for real ownership in a scale-up
- A strong product engineer ready to step into principal-level impact
- Someone motivated by equity and long-term growth
- A hands-on builder who thrives in fast-paced environments
The Offer
- Competitive base salary plus high-upside equity
- Opportunity to build AI-powered systems in a large global market
- Collaborative, product-focused engineering culture
- Remote-first with occasional London presence
- Comprehensive benefits package