Desktop Engineer – AI

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

Job summary

A tech-driven AI startup in the United Kingdom is seeking a founding Desktop Engineer to design and build a high-performance desktop application with deep AI features and real-time collaboration. The ideal candidate will have 4+ years of experience, strong skills in JavaScript and Electron, and a passion for solving complex problems at the intersection of OS and AI. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence engineering standards and contribute to impactful projects in a dynamic team environment.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of software engineering experience.
• Hands-on experience building production Electron applications.
• Strong debugging and performance profiling skills.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain cross-platform desktop apps using Electron.
• Design responsive, scalable UI for real-time collaboration.
• Integrate AI-powered features via backend APIs.

Skills

JavaScript / TypeScript

Electron applications

React or similar UI frameworks

Debugging skills

Performance profiling

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 desktop engineering role. You will design and build a high‑performance desktop application with deep AI features, tight OS integration, and real‑time collaboration - operating under real‑world constraints like memory pressure, startup time, large local state, and continuous updates.

Why This Role Matters

• You define how users experience AI‑powered collaboration on desktop
• Your work directly impacts speed, reliability, and trust at scale
• You solve hard problems at the intersection of OS, frontend, real‑time systems, and AI
• You build production systems used daily — not prototypes
• You help set desktop engineering standards from day one

What You’ll Do

• Build and maintain cross‑platform desktop apps using Electron
• Design responsive, scalable UI for real‑time collaboration
• Implement desktop‑specific capabilities:
  • File system access
  • Native notifications
  • Auto‑updates
  • Deep linking
• Integrate AI‑powered features (chat, agents, AI assistance) via backend APIs
• Optimize memory usage, startup time, and runtime performance
• Profile and reduce Electron overhead
• Handle large local state and message history efficiently
• Ensure smooth real‑time updates (messages, typing indicators, presence)
• Maintain stability across macOS and Windows environments

Requirements

• 4+ years of software engineering experience
• Hands‑on experience building production Electron applications
• Strong knowledge of:
  • JavaScript / TypeScript
  • React or similar UI frameworks
  • Desktop application lifecycle
• Experience with:
  • IPC communication
  • Local storage (SQLite, IndexedDB, filesystem)
  • WebSockets or other real‑time transport
• Strong debugging and performance profiling skills

Nice to Have

• Experience integrating AI features in production:
  • LLM‑based chat
  • AI agents
  • Streaming AI responses
• Understanding of AI constraints:
  • Latency vs UX tradeoffs
  • Cost considerations
  • Non‑deterministic outputs
• Experience handling large local datasets or long‑lived app sessions
• Familiarity with native OS behaviors on macOS or Windows

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.