Software Engineer (Backend and AI Systems)

Who we are
We're Rocketeer Orbit, business growth specialists. We build bespoke software for clients, alongside our own platform, Orbit. The platform gives businesses a digital workforce: automated workflows that take the heavy admin off business owners so they can get back to growing the company. It's live and running that work for clients today. Demand across both sides is growing fast, and we need you to help build them out to meet it.
About the role
You'll be one of the engineers behind our client builds, the Orbit platform, and our own internal tools. You'll build features and systems and take them through to delivery, in a team that reviews and supports each other's work. You'll help decide how builds are put together, with room to take on bigger technical decisions as you grow.
The work changes from one project to the next. We want someone who likes that range, chooses the right tool for each job, and can say why.
What you will do
* Build backend systems for bespoke client work, taking features from brief to delivery against an agreed design.
* Help design and develop the Orbit platform, the core product the business runs on.
* Build internal tools that make the delivery team faster and the builds more consistent.
* Build production systems on top of large language models. This means wiring APIs like Claude and OpenAI into production workflows, with retries, rate limits, structured outputs, and human review built in.
* Take AI-assisted prototypes and harden them for production, with the testing and review discipline that makes client-ready software.
* Design secure walled garden AI environments using Claude for Platforms, and use Claude Code for fast AI-assisted development.
* Build and connect agent workflows that link AI agents to client tools like email, CRM, and Slack.
* Integrate and manage Stripe payments, and monitor transactions through the Stripe dashboard.
* Run infrastructure on Cloudflare (DNS, security, Turnstile, R2, domains, SSL, and TLS) and AWS (Lightsail servers, SES for transactional mail), with Twilio for messaging.
* Keep client data secure by design, with sound encryption and protocols, and keep all builds compliant with UK GDPR.
* Maintain codebase integrity and manage deployments with Git, hosted on GitHub.
What we need from you
We're looking for someone who can turn a business problem into working code, with the judgement to pick the right way to do it.
Depth. You've shipped backend systems in production and can work independently within a defined scope. You're fluent in at least one modern backend stack and the fundamentals that carry across all of them, including databases, APIs, queues, testing, and deployment.
AI engineering. You've built with LLMs in production, or you've come close and want to go deeper. You understand prompt design, vector databases and retrieval, and the failure modes of putting a model in front of a paying client.
Breadth and judgement. You move between languages and reach for the one that fits the project. You can defend that choice on its merits, and you say so when an approach looks wrong, with your reasons.
Translation. You can explain an automated workflow to a business owner who only wants their admin problem solved.
Team mindset. You want to be part of a small team building things people rely on, and you care how they turn out.
The stack
Strong applicants will be fluent in some of this and pick up the rest fast.
Core languages: PHP and MySQL, JavaScript and TypeScript, Python.
AI and LLMs: Claude for Platforms, Claude Code, OpenAI API, ElevenLabs, vector databases and retrieval.
Infrastructure: AWS (Lightsail, SES), Cloudflare (DNS, security, Turnstile, R2, domains, SSL and TLS), Twilio (messaging).
Payments: Stripe.
Security and compliance: Encryption, data protection, UK GDPR.
Tooling: Git (we use GitHub).
Desirables (bonus points)
* React Native (TypeScript) for cross-platform mobile.
* Workflow automation platforms (n8n, Make, or Zapier).
* Custom WordPress theme and plugin development for enterprise deployments.
* WooCommerce for ecommerce builds.
* Sentry.io for error tracking.
* Deploying and running custom PHP servers.
* A working grasp of SEO.
Why join
* Impact. Your work runs the day-to-day operations of companies we're excited to work with.
* Equity. EMI share options, so you share in what we build.
* Balance. Stafford HQ 1 to 2 days a week, then build from wherever you work best.
How to apply
Please don't send a generic CV. Show us you build things. In your cover letter, give specific examples of projects, automations, or architectural problems you've solved, and tell us how you chose the approach. Submit your CV and cover letter through our website.
How we review applications
Rocketeer Orbit is an equal opportunities employer. We care about what you can build, not where you came from.
Given what we do for a living, it would be odd if we did not use AI ourselves. We use AI tools to help us organise and review applications, and every shortlisting and hiring decision is made by a person on our team.
If you'd prefer your application reviewed without AI assistance, tell us when you apply and we'll handle it manually