Backend & Integrations Engineer (Apps Engineering)

We live in a world that runs on physical industries like energy, logistics, manufacturing. These sectors are essential to our economy and daily lives, yet they are held back by inefficiencies, fragile legacy systems, and decades-old ways of working. This is not just a business problem; it is a societal one. When grids fail, supply chains stall, or factories falter, entire economies are disrupted.

These companies face unique, complex challenges that typical software was never designed to solve. Cogna was founded to change this. Our mission is to give critical industries their own AI-powered Software Factory: a way to build and deploy bespoke digital tools that solve pressing operational challenges.

Since our launch in May 2023, we've seen incredible customer traction and revenue growth. We're backed by leading VCs, including Notion Capital and Hoxton Ventures, and we're building a world-class team to take on one of the most important challenges of our time.

Tackling challenges at this scale takes people who are curious, adaptable, and motivated by impact. If our mission resonates with you, we encourage you to apply, even if your experience doesn't match every requirement. We are committed to building a diverse team that reflects the industries and societies we serve.

Overview

Build and evolve backend services, integrations, and workflow logic for our SaaS apps. You'll work hands-on across Python APIs, data workflows, and external system connectors, often starting from automation-generated code (FE automation and Dagster DSL). Your job is to make that code production-ready - fixing, extending, and integrating it with our broader architecture. You'll also be the team's AI development champion, embedding AI-powered workflows (like Cursor agent mode) into our daily engineering, creating guardrails, and helping others ship high-quality code faster.

What you'll do

• Own backend features and API integrations (Python, FastAPI, gRPC, SQL).
• Adapt and extend auto-generated pipelines and front-end outputs.
• Build connectors for APIs, files, and external systems.
• Integrate LLM-based capabilities with robust evaluation and monitoring.
• Champion AI-assisted dev: set up guardrails, context packs, and mentor others.
• Collaborate with Solution Strategists, Data Platform, Platform and Support teams.

What we're looking for

• Strong Python backend/API experience; SQL and data modelling skills.
• Fluent with agentic AI coding tools (e.g., Cursor/Codex/Claude Code): uses them daily to plan, scaffold, refactor, and test - while retaining ownership of design and quality.
• Proven integrations experience (APIs, SFTP, SharePoint, webhooks).
• Workflow orchestration (Temporal, Dagster) know-how.
• Familiarity with CI/CD, Docker, cloud (Azure/AWS/GCP).
• Interest in AI and raising team AI skills.

What we offer

• Competitive salary and share option plan
• 25 days annual leave, plus public holidays
• Excellent pension scheme, matched to 7.5%
• Private healthcare, including family cover and pre-existing conditions
• Flexible hybrid working with 2 days per fortnight in our Farringdon office
• Regular social events and offsites
• Access to a gym and fitness classes in our office building