Lead Backend Engineer (+ Equity) at LightWork AI

Job Title

Lead Backend Engineer

Salary

Not Disclosed + Equity

Company Description

LightWork AI is a London-based AI startup building the operating system for property management, led by a founding team with experience from Revolut and Entrepreneur First.

Job Description

As the most senior backend hire, you will architect the mission-critical systems powering Felicity, an AI assistant automating 80-90% of property management workflows. You'll lead the design of scalable Node.js/TypeScript services, integrate advanced LLMs, and shape the engineering culture of a fast-growing team currently scaling toward its 2026 revenue goals.

Location

London, UK

Why this role is remarkable

• Join as the first Lead Backend Engineer, working directly with a Head of Engineering who scaled previous teams from zero to 140+ people through a $35M Series B.
• Influence the technical architecture of a platform automating a massive industry where property teams currently waste 75% of their time on repetitive manual administration.
• Earn meaningful early-stage equity in a company backed by industry experts and veteran founders aiming to build the category-defining AI platform for property operations.

What You Will Do

• Architect and build scalable backend systems and APIs using Node.js and TypeScript within a microservice and event-driven architecture.
• Integrate backend services with LLMs and AI models to automate complex real-time operational workflows and communication for property managers.
• Mentor backend engineers and establish high-quality engineering standards, including code reviews, observability frameworks, and modern development practices from the ground up.

The ideal candidate

• 7+ years of professional backend experience with deep expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, and relational databases like PostgreSQL.
• Proven track record of leading technical projects and designing distributed systems, preferably within high-growth startup or early-stage environments.
• Strong architectural mindset with experience in event-driven systems, message queues, and deploying production-grade services on modern cloud infrastructure.