Staff Backend Engineer (AI)
ABOUT TIDE
At Tide we help SMEs save time (and money) in the running of their businesses by not only offering business accounts and related banking services, but also a comprehensive set of highly usable and connected administrative solutions from invoicing to accounting.
Tide is transforming the small business banking market with over 1.8 million members globally across the UK, India, Germany and France.
Using advanced technology, all solutions are designed with SMEs in mind. With quick onboarding, low fees and innovative features, we thrive on making data-driven decisions to serve our mission: to help SMEs save both time (and money) so they can get back to doing what they love.
Tide facts:
- Tide is available for UK, Indian, German and French SMEs
- Over 1.8 million members: 800,000 UK and 1,000,000 in India and growing rapidly
- Over $300 million raised in funding
- Over 2,500 Tideans globally - we’re diversity champions!
- We have offices in Central London, with a member support and technology centre in Sofia, Bulgaria, technology centres in Serbia, Romania, Lithuania and Hyderabad and offices in Gurugram and New Delhi, and in Berlin, Paris and Luxembourg.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Be at the forefront of the AI revolution, working on cutting-edge projects that shape the future of financial services. You’ll join a passionate team focused on building high-quality, scalable products with real-world impact.
We’re looking for a Staff-level Backend Engineer (AI) to bridge robust backend systems with Generative AI. You’ll design the frameworks, standards, and platforms that allow AI capabilities to scale securely, reliably, and efficiently across the enterprise, going beyond feature delivery to influence long-term technical direction.
As a Staff Engineer you’ll be:
Technical Leadership & Strategy
- System Architect: You have a proven track record of designing, building, and operating enterprise-scale distributed systems. You think in terms of long-term scalability, maintainability, and subsequent operations.
- Strategic Execution: You excel at managing multiple high-priority initiatives, balancing "building it right" with "building it fast." You can translate vague business goals into concrete technical roadmaps.
- Cross-Functional Influence: You act as a technical partner to product, design, and non-engineering stakeholders, ensuring that our AI capabilities drive genuine business value.
Generative AI & Machine Learning Excellence
- Production-Grade GenAI: You have experience deploying Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and Agentic workflows (e.g. LangGraph) in production environments.
- Evaluation, Monitoring and Optimization: You understand that GenAI is only as good as its evaluation. You are familiar with ways to quantify and track the quality of outputs (e.g. via RAGAS) and optimizing for latency and cost.
- End-to-End Lifecycle: You possess a deep understanding of the AI/ML lifecycle—from data curation and vector database indexing to model monitoring and guardrail implementation.
Backend Engineering Mastery
- Python Expert: You are a seasoned Python developer with a deep understanding of its ecosystem, asynchronous programming, and performance tuning.
- Infrastructure as Code: You are comfortable in cloud-native environments (AWS/GCP), leveraging Docker, Kubernetes, and GitHub Actions to create seamless CI/CD pipelines.
- Data Architecture: You have a solid foundation in both relational databases and modern data warehouses like BigQuery, specifically how they interface with AI/ML workloads.
Mindset & Mentorship
- Force Multiplier: You enjoy mentoring senior and mid-level engineers, conducting high-impact code reviews, and raising the bar for engineering excellence across the team.
- Pragmatic Innovator: You are passionate about the latest AI trends but remain grounded in solving real-world problems with the most effective (and sometimes simplest) tool.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
- 10+ years of experience building and operating scalable backend systems in production
- Strong hands-on experience with Python in cloud-native environments
- Proven experience designing distributed systems, microservices, and REST APIs
- Experience building production-grade Generative AI systems, including RAG and agentic workflows
- Solid understanding of AI evaluation, monitoring, and optimisation (quality, latency, cost)
- Experience working across the end-to-end AI lifecycle, including data pipelines and vector databases
- Strong knowledge of cloud infrastructure, Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD practices
- Experience with relational databases and data platforms supporting AI workloads
- A hands-on technical leader who influences architecture and stays close to the code
- Ability to translate business problems into clear technical solutions and communicate effectively with non-technical stakeholders
WHAT YOU’LL GET IN RETURN
- Competitive Compensation - competitive salary and share options
- Time Off – Generous annual leave on top of bank holidays.
- Parental Leave – Paid maternity, paternity, and adoption leave to support your family journey.
- Sabbatical – Extended unpaid and paid leave options after completing milestone years with Tide.
- Health Insurance – Private family insurance with additional OPD coverage and top-up options.
- Life & Accident Cover – Comprehensive accidental and life insurance protection.
- Mental Wellbeing – Access to therapy sessions, courses, meditations, and workshops.
- Volunteering & Development Days – Paid days annually for volunteering or personal growth.
- Learning & Development – Annual budget for books, courses, coaching, and more.
- WOO (Work Outside the Office) – Work from abroad for up to 90 days annually.
- Home Office Setup – Contribution towards setting up your home office
- Laptop Ownership – Keep your old laptop and get a new one when it’s time for a replacement.
- Snacks & Meals – Office perks with snacks, coffee, tea, and lunch (location dependent).
TIDEAN WAYS OF WORKING
At Tide, we champion a flexible workplace model thatsupports both in-person and remote work to cater to the specific needs of our different teams.
While remote work is supported, we believe in the power of face-to-face interactions to foster team spirit and collaboration. Our offices are designed as hubs for innovation and team-building, where we encourage regular in-person gatherings to foster a strong sense of community.
TIDE IS A PLACE FOR EVERYONE
At Tide, we believe that we can only succeed if we let our differences enrich our culture. Our Tideans come from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. We consider everyone irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, veteran, neurodiversity or differently-abled status. We celebrate diversity in our workforce as a cornerstone of our success. Our commitment to a broad spectrum of ideas and backgrounds is what enables us to build products that resonate with our members’ diverse needs and lives.
We are One Team and foster a transparent and inclusive environment, where everyone’s voice is heard.
At Tide, we thrive on diversity, embracing various backgrounds and experiences. We welcome all individuals regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. Our inclusive culture is key to our success, helping us build products that meet our members' diverse needs. We are One Team, committed to transparency and ensuring everyone’s voice is heard.
Disclaimer
It has come to our attention that individuals or agencies are falsely claiming to represent Tide and are reaching out to candidates regarding job opportunities. Please be aware that:
- Tide does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.
- All official Tide job opportunities are listed exclusively on our Careers Page and applications should be submitted through this channel.
- Communication from Tide will only come from an official @tide.co email address.
- Tide does not work with agencies or recruiters without prior formal engagement, and we do not authorize third parties to make job offers on our behalf.
If you are contacted by anyone misrepresenting Tide or requesting payment, please treat it as fraudulent and report it to us immediately at talent@tide.co
Your safety and trust are important to us, and we are committed to ensuring a fair and transparent recruitment process.
Tide leverages AI to enhance our hiring experience. You can read more about how we use AI in our recruitment process in our AI Policy.
Your personal data will be processed by Tide for recruitment purposes and in accordance with Tide's Recruitment Privacy Notice.