Lead Edge Engineer

At Gigaton, we’re on a mission to cut gigatonnes of carbon emissions from the world’s biggest emitting industries, like cement, steel, and glass, by applying cutting-edge AI where it matters most. We’re a small and growing team of scientists, engineers, and strategic thinkers who care deeply about impact and believe in getting there with good humour and urgency. Our SaaS products help heavy industry optimise operations in real time, cutting costs and carbon today while building the foundation for the next industrial revolution.

We’re looking for a Lead Engineer (Edge) to join our platform team and help us push the boundaries of what AI can do for the planet.

We don’t draw a specific line between engineering and research teams. We operate as one cohesive unit, sharing tech stack, knowledge, and objectives. Our focus spans fundamental ML research to commercial-grade software development, offering diverse learning and impact opportunities.

Your main responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of software that runs at the edge for data acquisition and control.

• Help customers and cement plant operators to integrate our systems, so that we can reduce their costs and carbon impact.

• Mentor other engineers to improve the understanding of industrial automation across the team.

• Improve the maturity of our DevSecOps practices as they extend to the edge.

What a great fit looks like

• You’re fluent in Python.

• You’ve worked with plant automation, and have a good understanding of PLC, SCADA, and Advanced Plant Control systems.

• You’ve previously worked with industrial communications protocols (OPC-UA, MQTT, Modbus etc).

• You’ve worked with the cloud, and have an understanding of how to build hybrid edge/cloud industry 4.0 software.

• You’re comfortable with Linux.

• You’ve been involved with machine learning teams, and have experience running models at the edge.

• You’re a senior+ engineer, love to collaborate with others, and are familiar with agile technical practices, including pair programming and TDD.

• You have worked in regulated environments, and have an understanding of common security certifications including ISO27001 and IEC62443

You’ll excel if

• You are seeking a role in climate tech, or tech for good.

• You have a background in engineering or physical sciences.

• You’re fluent in one or more compiled systems languages (C, C++, Rust)

• You have previously contributed to open source systems in the MLOps or Process Automation domains.

• You can read a P&ID and speak credibly to process and automation engineers.

You are not expected to check every box, and we’d love to hear from you even if your experience isn’t an exact match.

We’re building a team that reflects the world we want to change. Our people come from all walks of life - different countries, cultures and experiences - and we think that’s one of our biggest strengths. We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels safe, respected and celebrated. No matter your background, if you’re excited by what we do, we want to hear from you.

In return for your hard work, we’ll give you

• 💸 A competitive salary

  90,000-125,000 GBP

  To see these in full go to Gigaton’s Operating Principles Notion page.

The interview process

We run a 3 stage process for senior engineers:

1. Pair programming - you’ll meet with one of our other engineers, to work on a toy problem together. You can use Google, or LLMs, you can ask your pair for help. We want to know what you’re like to work with, how you approach solving problems in an unfamiliar space, and how you communicate about code.

2. Whiteboard session - you’ll meet with two of our engineers. We’ll ask you to draw a diagram of a system that you’re familiar with, and walk us through the major architectural components. We’ll ask questions about the decisions you made, and the things you like and dislike. We want to know how well you understand the technologies you use, and how you communicate about complex technical matters.

3. Operating principles - you’ll meet with some people from elsewhere in the business. We’ll ask you questions to understand how you would work in a culture that’s governed by our operating principles.

We believe hiring is a two-way process. Just as we’ll reference-check candidates before making a final offer, we encourage you to reference-check us by chatting to team members you haven’t yet met. Ask anything. We’ll answer with Concrete Honestly.

Once interviews are done, we’ll move quickly to a decision, and we’re always happy to give feedback at any stage.

In return for your hard work, we’ll give you

📈 Equity in the company: When we win, you win. You’ll get share options, so you’re part of our journey from the inside.

🕰️ Flexible working We trust you to know how and when you work best and to work that out with your team.

🌴 30 days of holiday (plus bank holidays). Rest is productive. Take the time you need to recharge

🪙 A generous pension scheme. We’re planning for the future in more ways than one.

Our Operating Principles

↗️ Go Gig or Go Home: High Bar, All In. What we do matters to humanity, to our customers and to each other. We hold ourselves to an extraordinarily high bar and bring the urgency this mission requires.

🏭 Concrete Honesty: Be honest. As concrete forms the foundation of our world, genuine honesty and transparency are the bedrock of our culture.

🦾 Autonomous Ownership: High agency, high ownership. We build systems that take control and make things better. We do the same: see it, own it, drive it.

😄 Cement it with Kindness & Fun: Have fun, be kind. We're here to extend Earth's life, but ours is still limited. We want to enjoy the ride. To see these in full, go to Gigaton’s Operating Principles Notion page.