Founding Engineering Lead - Hybrid

lottie.org; City of London; Hybrid; GBP 87,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A fast-growing HealthTech start-up is seeking a Founding Engineering Lead to create a new product line focused on AI voice and chat agents. In this hybrid role, you will lead a small team of engineers, drive innovation, and ensure quality outputs. The ideal candidate has over 7 years of software engineering experience and a proven ability to build successful AI systems. You'll enjoy a competitive salary and a mission-driven culture.

Benefits

26 days holiday + bank holidays

Generous stock options

Early-hire benefits

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in software engineering and leading technical decisions.
• Hands-on experience with AI development and LLMs.
• Self-starter thriving in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a team of engineers to develop AI voice and chat agents.
• Own the technical roadmap and product development.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on project delivery.

Skills

Software engineering

Leadership

AI systems

Product management

Team building

Tools

LLM observability

Voice APIs

Job description

Founding Engineering Lead – Hybrid

Join Lottie as a hands‑on Engineering Lead to build a new product line from the ground up and lead a small team of product engineers working on AI voice & chat agents.

Base Pay Range

Title: Engineering Manager
Department: Engineering – reporting to the CPTO
Salary: £87,500 – £125,000 (depending on experience and seniority)
Benefits & Culture: Lottie’s careers page
Holiday: 26 days + bank holidays
Mission: Elevate later life for everybody and build the care sector of the future
Office Policy: Hybrid with two core office days
Office Location: London Bridge, London, UK

Responsibilities

• Prototyping and building the foundation for the product and owning the technical roadmap.
• Code alongside the team while also sharing the product hat with the GM, supported by VP Product and CPTO.
• Build and manage a team of 3 product engineers; help them grow and deliver more impact.
• Ensure a high bar in speed and quality, oscillating between the two depending on context.
• Facilitate effective delivery by breaking problems into simpler parts for fast impact.
• Wear any other hats necessary for team success.

What Problems Will You Be Solving?

• Build AI voice and chat agents to help care homes provide a 5‑star service.
• Ensure agents provide high‑quality responses and accurate information, with robust eval frameworks.
• Integrate deeply into Found, our SaaS operating system, leveraging CRM to enable booking and booking flow.
• Fine‑tune voice quality, tone, and emotional intelligence for warm, empathetic interactions.
• Build systems that balance LLM economics: manage token costs, latency trade‑offs, and decide when to fine‑tune vs prompt engineer.

Ideal Candidate

• Self‑starter who thrives in a fast‑paced, uncertain environment and makes things happen.
• 7+ years of hands‑on software engineering, leading technical decisions, mentoring across the stack.
• Hands‑on experience building with LLMs – fine‑tuning models, voice APIs, eval frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of LLM observability, prompt engineering, and building reliable AI systems.
• Product‑mindful, impact‑centric, and focused on decreasing cost of change.
• Comfortable shipping MVPs first, then iterating based on real usage.
• Utilizes AI tools (Cursor, Claude, CodeX, etc.) for productivity while recognizing limits.
• Built 0‑to‑1 products and worked in cross‑functional teams.
• Values diversity and inclusion and fosters inclusive culture.
• Brings joy and builds meaningful relationships.

Not for You

• You are not aligned with our mission to elevate later‑life care.
• You seek very clear lanes and avoid fast‑paced, loosely defined work.
• You no longer enjoy being hands‑on as a leader.
• You do not feel scrappy.

Interview Process

• Screening interview with Talent Acquisition Lead.
• First round interview with Hiring Manager.Technical assessment: a) AI‑enabled coding pairing with two engineers; b) System design interview.Behavioural interview with Hiring Manager.Final interview with Will Donnelly (Co‑Founder & CEO).

  Candidate Experience

  • Majority of feedback via email, specific and constructive.
  • Pre‑screen & first interview – no feedback yet.
  • Hiring Manager interview – constructive email if unsuccessful.
  • Case Study – email feedback and debrief call.
  • Final interview – live phone call feedback for non‑offered candidates.

  About Lottie

  Founded in London in July 2021, Lottie is a fast‑growth HealthTech start‑up creating a SaaS marketplace for care, enabling families to book care online similar to Airbnb or Expedia. It has raised over £25 m from leading VCs and is an award‑winning, rapidly scaling company.

  Why Lottie?

  • Career‑defining opportunity to lead and shape flagship product and tackle complex challenges.
  • Early‑hire benefits, fast career progression, generous stock options.
  • Mission: Tech for good, improving millions of lives in care.
  • Series‑A backed, with top VC investors.
  • Global impact and scalability.
  • Mission‑driven, kind team that loves coming to work.
  • Hybrid office policy & exceptional company culture.
  • Award‑winning status and strong employee review score.

  Inclusive Hiring Commitment

  We celebrate diversity and are committed to equitable hiring. All candidates considered without regard to ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, family status, national origin, veteran or disability status. Request accommodations at [e-mail].

  Compensation

  £87,500 – £125,000.