Backend Engineer – AI

Methodfi; Remote; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A self-funded AI group is looking for a founding backend engineer to design and build systems that power AI interactions. The role involves integrating various AI models and constructing backend services for AI applications. Ideal candidates should have over 4 years of backend engineering experience, strong proficiency in Python or Node.js, and hands-on experience with AI models. This position offers the opportunity to shape impactful products within a high-performance team focused on excellence and innovation.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of backend engineering experience.
• Hands-on AI model integration experience.
• Strong proficiency in Python, Node.js, or Go.
• Experience designing REST/gRPC APIs.
• Understanding of AI latency and cost tradeoffs.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement backend services for AI-powered applications.
• Integrate LLMs, vision, speech, and other models.
• Build orchestration pipelines for AI.
• Implement prompt management and versioning.
• Build evaluation, logging, and feedback systems.
• Design scalable APIs for mobile and web clients.

Skills

Backend engineering experience

AI model integration

Proficiency in Python

Proficiency in Node.js

Proficiency in Go

Designing REST APIs

Understanding AI latency

Job description

A1 is a self-funded AI group, operating in full stealth. We’re building a new global consumer AI application where backend systems are not glue - they are the control plane that connects models, data, users, and product experiences.

This is a founding backend role. You will design and build the systems that orchestrate models, manage prompts and evaluation, and power every AI interaction users experience - under real-world constraints like latency, cost, failures, and scale.

Why This Role Matters

• You power every AI interaction users experience
• You shape how models are orchestrated, evaluated, and improved
• You directly affect cost, latency, and reliability
• You build real production AI infrastructure

What You’ll Do

• Design and implement backend services for AI-powered apps
• Integrate LLMs, vision, speech, and other models
• Build orchestration pipelines (agents, tools, workflows)
• Implement prompt management and versioning
• Build evaluation, logging, and feedback systems
• Design scalable APIs for mobile and web clients
• Handle retries, caching, rate limits, and fallbacks
• Ensure security, privacy, and cost control

Requirements

• 4+ years backend engineering experience
• Hands-on AI model integration experience
• Strong proficiency in Python, Node.js, or Go
• Experience designing REST/gRPC APIs
• Understanding of AI latency and cost tradeoffs

Nice to Have

• Built AI systems used in production
• Experience with RAG, vector DBs, or agent frameworks
• Designed evaluation or monitoring systems

Our Team & Culture

We operate as a dense, senior, high-performance team. We value clarity, speed, craftsmanship, and relentless ownership. We behave like founders — we build, ship, iterate, and hold ourselves to a high technical bar.

If you value excellence, enjoy building real systems, and want to be part of a small team creating something globally impactful, you’ll thrive here.

About A1

A1 is a self-funded, independent AI group, focused on building a new consumer AI product with global impact. We’re assembling a small, elite team of ML and engineering builders who want to work on meaningful, high-impact problems.