Lead Software Engineer - AI Products, London

At hyperexponential, we're building the AI-powered platform that enables the world's most critical decisions in a $7 trillion industry, which risks to take, and how to price them. These are the decisions that shape real-world outcomes: whether rockets successfully launch into space, autonomous vehicles make it to market, or communities recover after major storms. Until now, insurance has been making billion-dollar decisions using outdated tools. We're changing that. Our platform brings together data, AI, and human expertise to give insurers the fastest path from submission to decision - helping them move faster, act smarter, and take on more risk with confidence. Backed by a16z, Highland Europe, and Battery Ventures, we're scaling globally - already trusted by nearly 50 of the world's largest insurers, with zero churn and billions in premiums flowing through hx. What began as a single product in one market has rapidly evolved into a multi-product, multi-territory platform powering every stage of pricing and underwriting. AI is at the core of what we do - from building the world's first domain-specific AI peer programmer for insurance (think GitHub Copilot with a PhD in actuarial science) to shaping agentic workflows that reinvent how this industry operates. What makes hx different is the people who build it. Here, impact isn't tied to title or tenure; it's defined by the challenges you take on and the discipline you bring. Surrounded by peers who stretch you, you'll do the best, hardest work of your life in a company engineered to endure. If that sounds like you, join us in building what comes next. About the hxAI team At hx, AI is not an add-on, it is central to our mission. We are redefining how the insurance industry builds software and makes decisions, powered by generative AI. Our team combines state-of-the-art LLM technology with deep insurance domain expertise to solve problems no one else is tackling. We're currently focused on two flagship products. The first is a powerful ingestion engine that transforms unstructured insurance documents into structured insights. The second is our crown jewel: a domain-specific AI peer-programmer embedded inside a custom IDE, designed to reshape how actuaries and underwriters code, model risk, and make billion-dollar decisions. This is applied AI with teeth. Our team moves fast, experiments often, and ships real value into the hands of customers. As a Staff Engineer, you'll join a small, high-ownership group with the autonomy to drive innovation and directly influence how AI transforms an entire industry. What you'll be doing * Architect and build AI-driven products from scratch, tackling complex problems with no established playbook. * Lead the design and implementation of novel features such as domain-specific coding copilots within hx's proprietary development environment. * Partner with cross-functional peers to shape architectural decisions, ensuring scalability, reliability, and long-term sustainability of our AI systems. * Experiment, prototype, and ship rapidly, seeing innovations move quickly from idea to production in live customer environments. * Contribute to the evolution of hx's AI technical vision, embedding best practices and advancing engineering excellence across the team. * Act as a multiplier: mentoring engineers, raising standards, and building a culture of curiosity, speed, and quality. What you'll need to have done * Built and shipped technically complex production systems in Python (ideally, but we are also open to Rust and Kotlin, with TypeScript as strong plus), including distributed services and cloud-based infrastructure. * Solved messy, real-world engineering problems involving data, scale, performance, or reliability -- not just greenfield CRUD apps. * Taken end-to-end ownership of technical initiatives: identifying opportunities, designing solutions, and delivering impact. * Communicated complex technical ideas clearly to a range of stakeholders, from engineers to product leaders. * Influenced engineering direction and culture, scaling local wins into broader practices. * Delivered AI or ML-powered products from prototype to scale, balancing experimentation with production rigour - nice to have. You're unlikely to thrive here if * You prefer predefined playbooks and predictable projects over ambiguous, exploratory work. * You see your contribution as limited to code, rather than shaping products and systems end-to-end. * You're uncomfortable with rapid iteration and experimentation in live environments. If reading our Culture Document leaves you feeling neutral rather than energised, hx may not be the place where you'll do your best work. We're building something that asks for commitment and conviction, and we want you to feel excited by the opportunity to grow with us. Compensation At hx, we're committed to salary transparency. You'll always have clarity on pay early in the process - our Talent Partner will share details with you during initial conversations - and we're working towards publishing salary information for all roles globally. Because we're building at the intersection of technology/SaaS and insurance, our roles don't always map neatly onto traditional benchmarks. Our approach is to design compensation that's competitive in the market, fair across teams, and aligned with the impact our people make. Equity: We offer equity across all roles at hx, making it a significant component of total compensation. Your talent partner will be able to share more details about this. Benefits * £5,000 training and conference budget for individual and group development. * 25 days of holiday plus 8 bank holidays (33 days total). * Company pension scheme via Penfold. * Mental health support and therapy via Spectrum.life. * Individual wellbeing allowance via Juno. * Private healthcare insurance through AXA. * Income protection and Life Insurance. * Cycle to Work Scheme Additional perks * Top-spec equipment (laptop, screens, adjustable desks, etc.). * Regular remote and in-person hackathons, lunch and learns, socials, and game nights. * Team breakfasts and lunches, snacks, drinks fridge, and a fun office at The Ministry. * Exceptional opportunities for personal development and growth as we build something remarkable together. Interview process * Initial call with Talent team (30 minutes) * Manager Interview (60 minutes) * Technical Assessment (e.g., code review, system design) (120 minutes) * Values Interview with Tech Leadership (60 minutes) * Offer Our commitment to Diversity hxer's are at the centre of everything we build. We know that progress depends on diverse perspectives, and we are committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive, grow, and make an impact. We recognise there is always more to do, and we take responsibility for shaping a workplace that is not only diverse but genuinely inclusive. Diversity is not just the right thing to do, it is key to solving the complex challenges we choose to take on. By welcoming people from all backgrounds and experiences, we strengthen our ability to question assumptions, push boundaries, and design solutions that endure. If you're energised by complexity and motivated to grow, we encourage you to apply and join our global team. Next steps If this opportunity resonates with you, we encourage you to apply or share it with your connections! Our dedicated talent team reviews all applications, and we promise to provide feedback regardless of the outcome. For more information about applying and to view other opportunities, you can visit our careers page. Please note that background checks will be conducted as part of the hiring process to ensure compliance with our governance policies. We handle all background checks sensitively and in full compliance with relevant regulations. All applicant data will be processed in accordance with data protection regulations and our privacy policy.