Software Engineer, AI Engineer (Applied​/Software), Backend Developer

The Opportunity We are a well-funded, founder-led sports-tech startup. We’re building new real-time systems for processing and analysing live content with high reliability and modern AI tooling.

Our engineering team works end-to-end on cloud-native infrastructure, low-latency pipelines, and resilient, high-performance applications. If you want to solve complex engineering problems in a small, high-trust environment, we want you building alongside us.

The Role You will own the end-to-end delivery of real-time video, data and AI analysis on our sports content platform. Expect a low-ego culture where technical autonomy and rapid delivery go hand in hand.

Core Day-to-Day Stack:
• Backend:
Java 21, Kafka, Postgres, Docker, Terraform
• Frontend:
SolidJS, Type Script
• Infra: AWS (Serverless & Containers), Confluent
• AI Ops:
Heavy daily use of an AI Coding Assistant (we use Claude Code) + AI Engineering for the product

Who You Are (The AI-Native Mindset) We are looking for someone who doesn't just write code but builds systems. You are the right fit if you:
• Are forward-thinking and keep current with rapid tech advancements.
• Have realised that raw coding is becoming commoditised, and you now find your flow state in high-level architecture, managing agents, enforcing code quality, and doing more with less.
• Dislike manual work that AI can solve and proactively automate your workflows.
• Are driven by impact, thrive in an early-stage environment, and never say "that's not my job."
• Are eager to learn, aware of your technical blind spots, and build great camaraderie with your team.

Must-Haves (Non-Negotiable)
• Polyglot Mindset:
Our core backend is Java 21. You must be able to read, understand and review it, but we welcome experience in other languages like Node, Python or Go. AI will write most of the code, but you know there's much more to being an engineer.
• Frontend:
SolidJS experience (preferred), or expertise in other modern frameworks (React, Vue, Svelte, etc.) with a willingness to switch to SolidJS on Day 1.
• AI Integration:
Proven experience integrating and building products with LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Grok, etc.).
• AI Workflows:
You already use AI tools daily for a massive productivity boost. You have tried MCP, you enjoy using Skills.
• Engineering Rigour:
You write clean, tested, documented code with security and performance in mind.
• Agility:
You are comfortable in a fast-moving, iterative environment where delivery, clarity, and ownership matter.

Strongly Preferred (The Fast-Track)
• Domain experience in sports tech, live event data, or video streaming technology (HLS, etc.).
• Experience in Kafka/Flink/Spark streams.
• Strong background in data architecture and systems design