Confidential company, Engineering
Head of Engineering at VC-backed legal tech startup
- Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Compensation
- Not Disclosed + Equity
Take the lead as the first permanent engineering head at a well-funded legal tech startup as they transition from an external agency to an in-house powerhouse. You'll build a team from zero, own the architecture of an AI-first platform, and work directly with founders to ship products to early customers this autumn.
This is a rare opportunity to shape a high-performance culture and intelligence layer from the ground up in a London-based, remote-friendly environment. If you are an AI-native leader who loves building from scratch, this is the perfect challenge.
Role overview
Lead the engineering function from the ground up for an AI-first legal tech platform. You will transition ownership from an external agency, hire a multi-disciplinary team, and define the engineering culture. This hands-on leadership role involves shaping technical architecture and ensuring high-quality delivery as the company scales its intelligence layer.
About the company
VC-backed legal tech startup
What you will do
- Manage the strategic drawdown of the external agency by pairing incoming hires with counterparts and establishing strict code handover criteria.
- Recruit and lead a diverse team across web, mobile, data, and AI, organizing them into outcome-oriented squads rather than layers.
- Work closely with founders and product leadership to triage backlogs, manage technical risk, and oversee security and compliance for launch.
Who this is a fit for
- Proven experience leading engineering teams through significant transitions or early-stage growth, ideally taking over systems they did not originally build.
- Strong technical credibility with the ability to navigate architectural trade-offs and contribute hands-on to the codebase when necessary.
- Deep familiarity with AI tools and workflows, prioritizing data provenance and reliability to build trustworthy enterprise-grade products for the legal market.
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Why this role is remarkable
- Take complete ownership of a working AI platform, transitioning it from an external agency to your own high-performing in-house team.
- Join a well-funded startup at the pre-launch stage, shipping products to initial customers this autumn with a high degree of autonomy.
- Build an engineering culture from scratch, influencing everything from hiring standards to CI/CD practices in a modern AI-native environment.
How Jack & Jill work together
What happens next?
Jack’s an AI agent for job searching and career coaching. He works for you.
Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack’s network.
If your profile’s a match and Confidential company wants to meet, Jill will make the intro. In the meantime, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.