Description Raft, an intelligent logistics platform, is revolutionizing the freight and customs industry through automation and advanced technologies. As a fast-scaling, UK-based tech company with global reach, we're pioneering solutions that empower freight forwarders and customs brokers to operate at new levels of efficiency and precision. Fueled by our Series B funding from renowned investors, we're poised for major growth and innovation. As a Senior Engineer with a focus on all things AI at Raft, you'll be instrumental in shaping the architecture and capabilities of our platform to support features at the cutting-edge powered by AI. This is not a traditional engineering role - it's a high-impact opportunity to work with the cutting edge of AI and agents in a real product setting. You will be responsible for designing scalable and innovative AI solutions and making them work at an enterprise scale. This role is also unique since you will get exposure to our current platform and customers alongside being involved in an exciting greenfield project, where you will be able to build an AI native product from scratch. In addition to building advanced software, you'll play a strategic role in driving technical decision-making and mentoring our growing engineering team. This role is for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, ambitious environment and is ready to make an outsized impact on a product used across the globe. What You'll Do: Design and implement AI-powered features using LLMs, MCP and other advanced technologies Create robust, scalable, and maintainable code that adheres to engineering best practices Develop agentic AI systems that can autonomously perform complex tasks and bring humans in the loop at the right time. This will involve thinking about and building systems that balance automation with control. Integrate LLM and AI models into the Raft platform to power new, innovative features at the cutting edge of enterprise-grade AI. Work with our existing tech stack and make improvements across our existing models, code and architecture. Drive the evolution of platform features that require complex engineering solutions powered by AI/ML. Be an evangelist for modern AI and the art of the possible within our teams. Implement rigorous testing methodologies for AI systems, including modern evals. Collaborate with product managers, UX designers, and customers to understand pain points and translate them into effective technical solutions Mentor junior engineers and foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning Stay current with the rapidly evolving AI landscape and recommend strategic technology adoption Requirements Brings 5+ years of hands-on experience in software development with a strong focus on Python, supplemented by experience in other programming languages. Proven experience designing and implementing solutions with LLMs like GPT-4, Claude, or open-source models Experience with prompt engineering and LLM fine-tuning techniques Experience building production-ready AI systems that scale reliably in enterprise environments Has deep expertise in designing and maintaining databases, vector stores, etc. and understands the latest trends in database technology, particularly relevant to LLM and AI applications. Is proficient with FastAPI/Starlette and can demonstrate experience in building scalable APIs with Python for AI/ML applications. Has a solid track record in cloud native environments and understands how to architect and implement software libraries that thrive in distributed, multi-cloud settings. Can design and implement a sophisticated logging, monitoring, and alerting infrastructure to ensure high availability and quick troubleshooting of AI/ML systems. Understands and implements best practices in security and data privacy, with a proven ability to secure complex data flows, particularly for LLM/AI applications. Has extensive experience with containerised tools like Docker, Docker Compose, Kubernetes, Helm, and understands the intricacies of deploying these in production, specifically for LLM/AI workloads. Some experience with agentic AI architectures and multi-agent systems is beneficial. Demonstrated ability to balance technical excellence with business requirements and time constraints Apply Because You Want to... Join a company on the leading edge of logistics technology, competing with industry giants while leveraging cutting-edge AI/ML and backend engineering. Work in a product-driven environment where your contributions shape real-world solutions for a global customer base. Collaborate with stakeholders across industries and continents, gaining unparalleled exposure to the logistics and automation sectors. Thrive in a high-energy, growth-focused environment that pushes you to expand your technical and strategic skill sets. Be part of a diverse, inclusive, and multi-cultural team where innovation and continuous improvement are celebrated. Show more Show less
Description Raft, an intelligent logistics platform, is revolutionizing the freight and customs industry through automation and advanced technologies. As a fast-scaling, UK-based tech company with global reach, we're pioneering solutions that empower freight forwarders and customs brokers to operate at new levels of efficiency and precision. Fueled by Series B funding from world-class investors, we are expanding our team and looking for a talented Forward Deployed Engineer (Backend) to join us in delivering custom engineering solutions to our clients. As a Forward Deployed Engineer (Backend) , you will collaborate directly with customers and customer facing teams to understand their needs and provide technical expertise while delivering tailored solutions. This role combines software engineering with customer-facing responsibilities, where you’ll be working closely with clients to design and implement solutions that align with their business requirements. You’ll be part of a cross-functional team that works directly with customers, ensuring they have the best experience with Raft's platform while solving complex engineering challenges. You’ll need to be comfortable working in a fast-paced, customer-driven environment and ready to deliver high-quality software solutions to diverse clients. What You'll Do: Design and implement scalable solutions for customers using Raft’s platform, ensuring that their unique business needs are met. Work directly with clients to gather requirements, provide technical guidance, and support the integration of our platform into their systems. Develop custom APIs and backend services that enable seamless integration with customer environments. Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues, acting as the technical liaison between customers and the Raft engineering team. Deep collaboration with internal teams (Product, Engineering, Customer Success and Sales) to form a strong partnership, refine features and improve the customer experience. You’ll create clean documentation for projects for smooth handover. Contribute to the continuous improvement of our backend architecture and services based on customer feedback and emerging industry trends. Requirements: Proven experience in Python-based backend development is essential. Exposure to frontend technologies, particularly React, is desirable. Successfully delivered technical solutions and provided expert guidance to clients in professional services or consulting settings, leveraging strong communication skills. Ability to design and build scalable, cloud-based systems and APIs that integrate with client systems. Experience working with database technologies (preferably PostgreSQL) and backend frameworks like FastAPI. Comfortable troubleshooting complex technical issues in production environments, ensuring quick resolution and minimal downtime. Strong communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. A problem-solving mindset, with a passion for customer satisfaction and delivering quality solutions. Experience with containerized tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and deployment practices in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) is a plus. Demonstrated ability to balance technical excellence with business requirements and time constraints Knowledge of modern AI tools like Cursor and experience working directly with LLMs and prompt engineering is desirable. Apply Because You Want to... Join a dynamic, fast-growing company at the forefront of logistics technology, where you’ll be interacting with clients across various industries. Work in a client-centric role where your technical expertise helps solve real-world challenges for global businesses. Collaborate with diverse teams to create customized solutions that have a tangible impact on the efficiency of the logistics and freight industry. Thrive in a customer-facing, dynamic environment where you can grow your technical and communication skills. Be part of a diverse, inclusive, and multi-cultural team that values continuous learning and innovation.
Raft, an intelligent logistics platform, is revolutionizing the freight and customs industry through automation and advanced technologies. As a fast-scaling, UK-based tech company with global reach, were pioneering solutions that empower freight forwarders and customs brokers to operate at new levels of efficiency and precision. Fueled by our Series B funding from renowned investors, were poised for major growth and innovation. As a Senior Engineer with a focus on all things AI at Raft, youll be instrumental in shaping the architecture and capabilities of our platform to support features at the cutting-edge powered by AI. This is not a traditional engineering role - its a high-impact opportunity to work with the cutting edge of AI and agents in a real product setting. You will be responsible for designing scalable and innovative AI solutions and making them work at an enterprise scale. This role is also unique since you will get exposure to our current platform and customers alongside being involved in an exciting greenfield project, where you will be able to build an AI native product from scratch. In addition to building advanced software, youll play a strategic role in driving technical decision-making and mentoring our growing engineering team. This role is for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, ambitious environment and is ready to make an outsized impact on a product used across the globe. What Youll Do: Design and implement AI-powered features using LLMs, MCP and other advanced technologies Create robust, scalable, and maintainable code that adheres to engineering best practices Develop agentic AI systems that can autonomously perform complex tasks and bring humans in the loop at the right time. This will involve thinking about and building systems that balance automation with control. Integrate LLM and AI models into the Raft platform to power new, innovative features at the cutting edge of enterprise-grade AI. Work with our existing tech stack and make improvements across our existing models, code and architecture. Drive the evolution of platform features that require complex engineering solutions powered by AI/ML. Be an evangelist for modern AI and the art of the possible within our teams. Implement rigorous testing methodologies for AI systems, including modern evals. Collaborate with product managers, UX designers, and customers to understand pain points and translate them into effective technical solutions Mentor junior engineers and foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning Stay current with the rapidly evolving AI landscape and recommend strategic technology adoption Brings 5+ years of hands-on experience in software development with a strong focus on Python, supplemented by experience in other programming languages. Proven experience designing and implementing solutions with LLMs like GPT-4, Claude
Raft, an intelligent logistics platform, is revolutionizing the freight and customs industry through automation and advanced technologies. As a fast-scaling, UK-based tech company with global reach, were pioneering solutions that empower freight forwarders and customs brokers to operate at new levels of efficiency and precision. Fueled by Series B funding from world-class investors, we are expanding our team and looking for a talented Forward Deployed Engineer (Backend) to join us in delivering custom engineering solutions to our clients. As a Forward Deployed Engineer (Backend) , you will collaborate directly with customers and customer facing teams to understand their needs and provide technical expertise while delivering tailored solutions. This role combines software engineering with customer-facing responsibilities, where you ll be working closely with clients to design and implement solutions that align with their business requirements. You ll be part of a cross-functional team that works directly with customers, ensuring they have the best experience with Rafts platform while solving complex engineering challenges. You ll need to be comfortable working in a fast-paced, customer-driven environment and ready to deliver high-quality software solutions to diverse clients. What Youll Do: Design and implement scalable solutions for customers using Raft s platform, ensuring that their unique business needs are met. Work directly with clients to gather requirements, provide technical guidance, and support the integration of our platform into their systems. Develop custom APIs and backend services that enable seamless integration with customer environments. Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues, acting as the technical liaison between customers and the Raft engineering team. Deep collaboration with internal teams (Product, Engineering, Customer Success and Sales) to form a strong partnership, refine features and improve the customer experience. You ll create clean documentation for projects for smooth handover. Contribute to the continuous improvement of our backend architecture and services based on customer feedback and emerging industry trends. Requirements: Proven experience in Python-based backend development is essential. Exposure to frontend technologies, particularly React, is desirable. Successfully delivered technical solutions and provided expert guidance to clients in professional services or consulting settings, leveraging strong communication skills. Ability to design and build scalable, cloud-based systems and APIs that integrate with client systems. Experience working with database technologies (preferably PostgreSQL) and backend frameworks like FastAPI. Comfortable troubleshooting complex technical issues in production environments, ensuring quick resolution and minimal downtime. Strong communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. A problem-solving mindset, with a passion for customer satisfaction and delivering quality solutions. Experience with containerized tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and deployment practices in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) is a plus. Demonstrated ability to balance technical excellence with business requirements and time constraints Knowledge of modern AI tools like Cursor and experience working directly with LLMs and prompt engineering is desirable. Apply Because You Want to... Join a dynamic, fast-growing company at the forefront of logistics technology, where you ll be interacting with clients across various industries. Work in a client-centric role where your technical expertise helps solve real-world challenges for global businesses. Collaborate with diverse teams to create customized solutions that have a tangible impact on the efficiency of the logistics and freight industry. Thrive in a customer-facing, dynamic environment where you can grow your technical and communication skills. Be part of a diverse, inclusive, and multi-cultural team that values continuous learning and innovation.
✨ Design something that truly matters At Raft, we're building tools that power the global movement of goods — and we believe design has a critical role to play. Our platform helps those in the logistics industry work more efficiently, and our products are used for hours every single day by the people who keep supply chains running. That means every design decision you make has a direct impact on someone's day-to-day work and quality of life. We're looking for a Senior Product Designer to work on the design system in Raft. This is a rare opportunity to join early on and help shape design principles in Raft and advocate for accessible, consistent, and seamless user experience. You'll be joining a small but mighty team that genuinely loves helping each other grow. We believe deeply in craft, collaboration, and improving the status quo in an industry that's been overlooked for far too long. 🛠️ What You'll Be Doing Lead the evolution of the design system: research and drive change to improve Raft design system. Support the needs of fellow designers and internal FE team Maintain a high standard of craft: create the solutions with care, suitable for the b2b environment, accessible, and stunning visually Work on components and hand-off: not only concentrate on the visuals, but maintain semantic tokens, scalable components, and clear specs for the team to use Drive consistency: oversee global patterns and layouts in the design system, making sure that they are correctly used across our product suite Advocate for the design system inside Raft: educate internal teams on the benefits of using the design system Shape our design culture: collaborate with other designers who care deeply about craft, mentoring, and shipping great work ✅ You should apply if you... Have worked with B2B SaaS platforms, especially with high data density and complex visual hierarchy Created design systems before, know the best-practices and all there is to know about tokens and components Have a good understanding of how design systems are developed and ready to actively collaborate with the engineers Have a strong focus on craft, creating stunning designs and ready to raise the bar around you. Have deep expertise in design systems and visual design, but always stay connected to the bigger picture and how the system supports real product experiences Happy to jump into end-to-end feature design when needed, and you make decisions with context in mind Communicate clearly and confidently, especially when collaborating with engineers or presenting to stakeholders Enjoy working independently, taking initiative, and owning your work Want to join a team that balances high standards with low ego. 🚫 This role might not be for you if... You have never worked on the design systems before You only concentrate on the visuals, not researching usability of the solutions and if they are suitable for the product domain You're early in your career and need lots of hands-on support You've only worked on marketing sites or mobile apps and haven't designed for complex systems You're not comfortable speaking up in cross-functional conversations. 💬 What's it like working here? You'll be part of a Raft product and design team. We operate hybrid, with a mix of in-person collaboration and flexibility, with the majority of the team working from our London and India offices. Even when we are far away, we take collaboration and team spirit seriously and are always ready for a round of online pictionary. Work remotely or from our office in India, closely collaborating with the India-based engineering team Private health insurance (includes vision & dental) & other benefits Flexible working Exploring new AI tools and workflows Supportive and truly diverse team - right now we are 9 people from 7 different countries and have a female to male ratio of 5:4! 📝 What to expect from the interview process We want you to know what's ahead, so here's how our process works: Intro chat with our recruiter - A quick conversation to learn more about you and answer any questions you might have Portfolio presentation - You'll meet with members of our design team to walk through 1-2 case studies and discuss your approach Take-home design challenge + presentation - A chance to show how you think through a real problem. We'll ask you to present your work to the team Leadership interview - A conversation with one of our C-level leaders Meet the team - Connect with your potential teammates and manager. We'll use this time to explore culture fit, motivation, and your career goals. We'll keep you informed every step of the way — and aim to move quickly while being respectful of your time. About Raft Raft is an intelligent logistics platform for freight forwarders and customs brokers. We raised our Series B from top-tier investors like Eight Roads, Bessemer, and Dynamo Ventures. We're using AI to automate and improve how global supply chains operate — and we believe great design plays a huge role in that. If this sounds like something you'd be excited to work on, we'd love to hear from you.
Raft is the intelligent logistics platform that's rewriting the technology playbook for freight forwarders and customs brokers in the automation era. A dynamic UK-based technology company with a global impact across logistics, we're searching for a Data Annotator who is excited by the prospect of working in a rapidly growing international scale-up. We have significant runway thanks to our most recent Series B funding, which we raised from some of the best investors in the space: Eight Roads (Alibaba, Spendesk, Toast), Bessemer Venture Partners (LinkedIn, Twilio, Shopify), Episode 1 (Zoopla, Betfair, Shazam) and Dynamo Ventures (Sennder, Stord, Gatik). This role is part of the Machine Learning team which aims to automate logistics operations and allow freight forwarders to work more efficiently and their operators to focus on anomalies and escalations. As a Data Annotator, you will support the ML Engineers by generating data sets for model training as well as evaluating and testing their models before they go to production. Additionally, you will be involved in generating quantitative and qualitative insights into the current behaviour of the Raft application in production. You will be involved in monitoring the accuracy of our ML product in an environment of ever-changing data inputs and give recommendations on focus areas to ML Engineers. Responsibilities Generating data that is used as training data for ML models through manual labelling or validation of customer data Testing the effectiveness and accuracy of new ML models by setting up and executing test routines, ideally automating those Creating reports with quantitative and qualitative insights gained from data, including aggregating and visualising the data Collaborating with several squads within the ML team to support them in achieving their goals Working on multiple projects in parallel will require you to be adaptable across multiple functions Requirements Up to 2 years of work experience Diligence and attention to detail Working knowledge of Google Sheets and/or Microsoft Excel Ability to handle high levels of ambiguity, change, and a fast-paced work tempo Ability to understand complex instructions from the team and communicate gained insights from the data back to the team Openness to acquiring a domain knowledge of logistics processes, in particular, the documents involved in them Nice to have Experience working in a fast-paced environment, e.g. start-up, strategy consulting, investment banking Experience working with data labelling tools, e.g. Label Studio, Doccano, INCEpTION Domain knowledge about the logistics industry Basic knowledge of command line tools Experience in Quality Assurance, especially automated QA with cypress A STEM or another quantitative degree from a globally recognized university
Raft is the intelligent logistics platform that s rewriting the technology playbook for freight forwarders and customs brokers in the automation era. A dynamic UK-based technology company with a global impact across logistics, we re searching for a Data Annotator who is excited by the prospect of working in a rapidly growing international scale-up. We have significant runway thanks to our most recent Series B funding, which we raised from some of the best investors in the space: Eight Roads (Alibaba, Spendesk, Toast), Bessemer Venture Partners (LinkedIn, Twilio, Shopify), Episode 1 (Zoopla, Betfair, Shazam) and Dynamo Ventures (Sennder, Stord, Gatik). This role is part of the Machine Learning team which aims to automate logistics operations and allow freight forwarders to work more efficiently and their operators to focus on anomalies and escalations. As a Data Annotator, you will support the ML Engineers by generating data sets for model training as well as evaluating and testing their models before they go to production. Additionally, you will be involved in generating quantitative and qualitative insights into the current behaviour of the Raft application in production. You will be involved in monitoring the accuracy of our ML product in an environment of ever-changing data inputs and give recommendations on focus areas to ML Engineers. Responsibilities Generating data that is used as training data for ML models through manual labelling or validation of customer data. Testing the effectiveness and accuracy of new ML models by setting up and executing test routines, ideally automating those. Creating reports with quantitative and qualitative insights gained from data, including aggregating and visualising the data. Collaborating with several squads within the ML team to support them in achieving their goals. Working on multiple projects in parallel will require you to be adaptable across multiple functions. Up to 2 years of work experience Diligence and attention to detail Working knowledge of Google Sheets and/or Microsoft Excel Ability to handle high levels of ambiguity, change, and a fast-paced work
Raft is the intelligent logistics platform that s rewriting the technology playbook for freight forwarders and customs brokers in the automation era. A dynamic UK-based technology company with a global impact across logistics, we re searching for a Backend Engineer who is excited by the prospect of working in a rapidly growing international scale-up. We have significant runway thanks to our most recent Series B funding, which we raised from some of the best investors in the space: Eight Roads (Alibaba, Spendesk, Toast), Bessemer Venture Partners (LinkedIn, Twilio, Shopify), Episode 1 (Zoopla, Betfair, Shazam) and Dynamo Ventures (Sennder, Stord, Gatik). As a Backend Engineer at Raft your role will focus on architectural work on our cloud infrastructure, APIs, data pipelines, databases and more. You will be heavily involved in the enhancements of the platform to enable critical features such as multi-user access, real time updates, etc. Overall your role will have an incredible impact on the continued success of our teams and product and your contributions will be greatly valued. Day to day you will engage in: Building and maintaining scalable cloud infrastructure Designing, building and maintaining databases, APIs and data pipelines, along with managing the underlying infrastructure on which they run (some DevOps) Enhancing the platform to enable critical features (multi-user access, real time updates, etc.) We specifically want someone who: Has really strong experience with Python and other programming languages and has extensive experience with designing, building and maintaining databases, including PostgreSQL. Architects and implements software libraries in a multi-cloud environment Can design and build a flexible logging, monitoring and alerting infrastructure Has built scalable APIs using Python and is familiar with the latest developments in the language Has knowledge of security / data privacy best practices Have worked commercially with containerised tools like Docker, Docker compose, Kubernetes, Helm, etc. Apply because you want to... Have the opportunity to work in a global market and compete with best in class companies who are on the front line of Machine Learning and Engineering developments Work in a modern Product-led company where your contributions are valued and have real-world impact Get exposure to working with stakeholders on a global level across different industries Work in a tech, fast-paced and challenging environment that provides opportunities for professional and personal growth Work in a diverse and multicultural environment
Raft is an intelligent logistics platform transforming the freight and customs industry through automation and advanced technologies. As a fast-scaling, UK-based tech company with global reach, we're pioneering solutions that empower freight forwarders and customs brokers to operate at new levels of efficiency and precision. Fuelled by our Series B funding from renowned investors like Eight Roads, Bessemer Venture Partners, Episode 1, and Dynamo Ventures, we're poised for major growth and innovation. The Role: As a Staff Engineer at Raft, you'll be pivotal in shaping the architecture and capabilities of our platform to support mission-critical features. This is not a traditional engineering role—it's a high-impact opportunity where you'll work on impactful front-end features, design robust cloud infrastructure, develop scalable APIs, and enhance our data pipeline ecosystem. You will be instrumental in creating highly resilient systems, enabling features such as multi-user access and real-time updates, and setting new standards for data integrity, security, and performance. In addition to building advanced software, you'll play a strategic role in driving technical decision-making and mentoring our growing engineering team. This role is for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, ambitious environment and is ready to make an outsized impact on a product used across the globe. What You'll Do: Build performant front end applications using React and Typescript Architect, build, and maintain scalable, cloud-based infrastructure Design, implement, and maintain sophisticated databases, APIs, and data pipelines, with responsibility for the underlying infrastructure Drive the evolution of platform features that require complex engineering solutions, including multi-user access and real-time updates Collaborate across functions to ensure our platform is secure, reliable, and optimized for performance Collaborate with product managers, UX designers, and customers to understand pain points and translate them into effective technical solutions Act as technical lead when required and mentor junior engineers to foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning. Set the technical direction for the team and be involved in higher level architecture decisions We Specifically Want Someone Who: Brings 7+ years of hands-on experience in software development with a strong focus on Python, React, Typescript and supplemented by experience in other programming languages Has deep expertise in designing and maintaining scalable databases and understands the latest trends in database technology Is proficient with FastAPI/Starlette and can demonstrate experience in building scalable APIs with Python Is a builder and loves to create new and innovative products, pushing the limits of technology and innovation Has a solid track record in multi-cloud environments and understands how to architect and implement software libraries that thrive in distributed, multi-cloud settings Can design and implement a sophisticated logging, monitoring, and alerting infrastructure to ensure high availability and quick troubleshooting Has extensive experience with containerized tools like Docker, Docker Compose, Kubernetes, Helm, and understands the intricacies of deploying these in production Is commercially aware and has a keen product sense so that technical decisions can be married with the real world Some experience managing teams and people would be good, but is not essential Demonstrated curiosity for new technology trends, with a specific interest in how AI is shaping the future of web and application development Apply Because You Want to... Join a company on the leading edge of logistics technology, competing with industry giants while leveraging cutting-edge Machine Learning and backend engineering Work in a product-driven environment where your contributions shape real-world solutions for a global customer base Collaborate with stakeholders across industries and continents, gaining unparalleled exposure to the logistics and automation sectors Thrive in a high-energy, growth-focused environment that pushes you to expand your technical and strategic skill sets Be part of a diverse, inclusive, and multi-cultural team where innovation and continuous improvement are celebrated
Freight forwarding is a $200B+ industry you might not know about, but it's the backbone of the global economy, ensuring goods move seamlessly around the world. Freight forwarders—like DHL, FedEx, and UPS—act as "travel agents" for goods, managing the complex operations that keep supply chains running. Surprisingly, this critical industry remains largely untouched by modern software, with many processes still managed manually or through outdated systems. The eco-system is so fragile that one missed email can disrupt an entire shipment, leading to delays, poor service, and financial losses. At Raft, we're building an AI platform to automate freight operations. From auditing invoices and preparing customs filings to syncing information across systems, we empower operators to work more efficiently and accurately. The impact? Faster service, fewer errors, and more time for businesses to focus on growth and customer service. We're fortunate to have the support of top investors who are just as passionate as we do about transforming the industry, including Eight Roads (Alibaba, Spendesk, Toast), Bessemer Venture Partners (LinkedIn, Twilio, Shopify), Episode 1 (Zoopla, Betfair, Shazam), and Dynamo Ventures (Sennder, Stord, Gatik). The Role This isn't a pure SRE role, nor is it a purely backend development role—it's both. You'll dive into every layer of our architecture: investigating gnarly performance bottlenecks, building tooling to make our systems observable and reliable, and working hand-in-hand with product engineers to improve scalability and stability. You'll be joining a small but highly skilled engineering team where your decisions will have a huge impact on our platform and the company's trajectory. What You'll Do Own and improve the stability, scalability, performance, and observability of our core platform Collaborate with product teams to design and implement robust, fault-tolerant services Hunt down and eliminate performance bottlenecks across our Python services, databases, queues, and search systems Evolve our infrastructure and deployment processes to reduce downtime, increase resilience, and enable rapid iteration Enhance and standardize monitoring, logging, and alerting across the stack for faster incident detection and resolution. Work with our SREs and backend engineers to implement capacity planning, disaster recovery strategies, and performance testing Lead technical investigations and contribute architectural improvements that future-proof the platform. Our Tech Stack Languages: Python Cloud: Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Data & Messaging: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, RabbitMQ, Elasticsearch Infrastructure & Observability: Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Prometheus, Grafana What We're Looking For Proven experience in a senior engineering role that spans backend development and platform/infrastructure work Strong skills in Python and experience with distributed systems Deep knowledge of cloud infrastructure (GCP preferred, AWS/Azure acceptable) Expertise in databases, messaging systems, and search technologies—especially Postgres, MongoDB, RabbitMQ, Elasticsearch Solid understanding of observability best practices: metrics, logging, tracing, and alerting Experience improving application performance and scalability in high-traffic environments Familiarity with container orchestration (Kubernetes) and infrastructure as code (Terraform). Strong communication skills—able to collaborate with both engineers and non-technical stakeholders Why You'll Love Working Here High impact—your work directly influences the stability and scalability of our entire platform Complex, rewarding problems—our architecture isn't simple, and that's the fun of it A collaborative, ego-free engineering culture where learning and teaching are valued. Competitive compensation, meaningful equity, and benefits designed to support your well-being
Raft is an intelligent logistics platform transforming the freight and customs industry through automation and advanced technologies. As a fast-scaling, UK-based tech company with global reach, we're pioneering solutions that empower freight forwarders and customs brokers to operate at new levels of efficiency and precision. Fuelled by our Series B funding from renowned investors like Eight Roads, Bessemer Venture Partners, Episode 1, and Dynamo Ventures, we're poised for major growth and innovation. The Role: As a Staff Engineer at Raft, you'll be pivotal in shaping the architecture and capabilities of our platform to support mission-critical features. This is not a traditional engineering role—it's a high-impact opportunity where you'll work on impactful front-end features, design robust cloud infrastructure, develop scalable APIs, and enhance our data pipeline ecosystem. You will be instrumental in creating highly resilient systems, enabling features such as multi-user access and real-time updates, and setting new standards for data integrity, security, and performance. In addition to building advanced software, you'll play a strategic role in driving technical decision-making and mentoring our growing engineering team. This role is for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, ambitious environment and is ready to make an outsized impact on a product used across the globe. What You'll Do: Build performant front end applications using React and Typescript Architect, build, and maintain scalable, cloud-based infrastructure Design, implement, and maintain sophisticated databases, APIs, and data pipelines, with responsibility for the underlying infrastructure Drive the evolution of platform features that require complex engineering solutions, including multi-user access and real-time updates Collaborate across functions to ensure our platform is secure, reliable, and optimized for performance Collaborate with product managers, UX designers, and customers to understand pain points and translate them into effective technical solutions Act as technical lead when required and mentor junior engineers to foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning. Set the technical direction for the team and be involved in higher level architecture decisions We Specifically Want Someone Who: Brings 7+ years of hands-on experience in software development with a strong focus on Python, React, Typescript and supplemented by experience in other programming languages Has deep expertise in designing and maintaining scalable databases and understands the latest trends in database technology Is proficient with FastAPI/Starlette and can demonstrate experience in building scalable APIs with Python Is a builder and loves to create new and innovative products, pushing the limits of technology and innovation Has a solid track record in multi-cloud environments and understands how to architect and implement software libraries that thrive in distributed, multi-cloud settings Can design and implement a sophisticated logging, monitoring, and alerting infrastructure to ensure high availability and quick troubleshooting Has extensive experience with containerized tools like Docker, Docker Compose, Kubernetes, Helm, and understands the intricacies of deploying these in production Is commercially aware and has a keen product sense so that technical decisions can be married with the real world Some experience managing teams and people would be good, but is not essential Demonstrated curiosity for new technology trends, with a specific interest in how AI is shaping the future of web and application development Apply Because You Want to... Join a company on the leading edge of logistics technology, competing with industry giants while leveraging cutting-edge Machine Learning and backend engineering Work in a product-driven environment where your contributions shape real-world solutions for a global customer base Collaborate with stakeholders across industries and continents, gaining unparalleled exposure to the logistics and automation sectors Thrive in a high-energy, growth-focused environment that pushes you to expand your technical and strategic skill sets Be part of a diverse, inclusive, and multi-cultural team where innovation and continuous improvement are celebrated
Raft is an intelligent logistics platform transforming the freight and customs industry through automation and advanced technologies. As a fast-scaling, UK-based tech company with global reach, we're pioneering solutions that empower freight forwarders and customs brokers to operate at new levels of efficiency and precision. Fuelled by our Series B funding from renowned investors like Eight Roads, Bessemer Venture Partners, Episode 1, and Dynamo Ventures, we're poised for major growth and innovation. The Role: As a Staff Engineer at Raft, you'll be pivotal in shaping the architecture and capabilities of our platform to support mission-critical features. This is not a traditional engineering role—it's a high-impact opportunity where you'll work on impactful front-end features, design robust cloud infrastructure, develop scalable APIs, and enhance our data pipeline ecosystem. You will be instrumental in creating highly resilient systems, enabling features such as multi-user access and real-time updates, and setting new standards for data integrity, security, and performance. In addition to building advanced software, you'll play a strategic role in driving technical decision-making and mentoring our growing engineering team. This role is for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, ambitious environment and is ready to make an outsized impact on a product used across the globe. What You'll Do: Build performant front end applications using React and Typescript Architect, build, and maintain scalable, cloud-based infrastructure Design, implement, and maintain sophisticated databases, APIs, and data pipelines, with responsibility for the underlying infrastructure Drive the evolution of platform features that require complex engineering solutions, including multi-user access and real-time updates Collaborate across functions to ensure our platform is secure, reliable, and optimized for performance Collaborate with product managers, UX designers, and customers to understand pain points and translate them into effective technical solutions Act as technical lead when required and mentor junior engineers to foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning. Set the technical direction for the team and be involved in higher level architecture decisions We Specifically Want Someone Who: Brings 7+ years of hands-on experience in software development with a strong focus on Python, React, Typescript and supplemented by experience in other programming languages Has deep expertise in designing and maintaining scalable databases and understands the latest trends in database technology Is proficient with FastAPI/Starlette and can demonstrate experience in building scalable APIs with Python Is a builder and loves to create new and innovative products, pushing the limits of technology and innovation Has a solid track record in multi-cloud environments and understands how to architect and implement software libraries that thrive in distributed, multi-cloud settings Can design and implement a sophisticated logging, monitoring, and alerting infrastructure to ensure high availability and quick troubleshooting Has extensive experience with containerized tools like Docker, Docker Compose, Kubernetes, Helm, and understands the intricacies of deploying these in production Is commercially aware and has a keen product sense so that technical decisions can be married with the real world Some experience managing teams and people would be good, but is not essential Demonstrated curiosity for new technology trends, with a specific interest in how AI is shaping the future of web and application development Apply Because You Want to... Join a company on the leading edge of logistics technology, competing with industry giants while leveraging cutting-edge Machine Learning and backend engineering Work in a product-driven environment where your contributions shape real-world solutions for a global customer base Collaborate with stakeholders across industries and continents, gaining unparalleled exposure to the logistics and automation sectors Thrive in a high-energy, growth-focused environment that pushes you to expand your technical and strategic skill sets Be part of a diverse, inclusive, and multi-cultural team where innovation and continuous improvement are celebrated
Freight forwarding is a $200B+ industry you might not know about, but it's the backbone of the global economy, ensuring goods move seamlessly around the world. Freight forwarders—like DHL, FedEx, and UPS—act as "travel agents" for goods, managing the complex operations that keep supply chains running. Surprisingly, this critical industry remains largely untouched by modern software, with many processes still managed manually or through outdated systems. The ecosystem is so fragile that one missed email can disrupt an entire shipment, leading to delays, poor service, and financial losses. At Raft , we're building an AI platform to automate freight operations. From auditing invoices and preparing customs filings to syncing information across systems, we empower operators to work more efficiently and accurately. The impact? Faster service, fewer errors, and more time for businesses to focus on growth and customer service. We're fortunate to have the support of top investors who are just as passionate as we are about transforming the industry, including Eight Roads (Alibaba, Spendesk, Toast), Bessemer Venture Partners (LinkedIn, Twilio, Shopify), Episode 1 (Zoopla, Betfair, Shazam), and Dynamo Ventures (Sennder, Stord, Gatik). What You'll Do Support Solutions Engineers (SEs) and Implementation Managers (IMs) in setting up and configuring customer organizations within the platform, ensuring precision and alignment with requirements. Complete configuration and setup tasks assigned for customer onboarding and implementation. Collaborate closely with Customer Success teams to ensure seamless setup and customer satisfaction. Assist SEs and IMs in designing and configuring tailored solutions that maximize the platform's capabilities. Confirm, document, and execute customer requests for configuration changes. Provide hands-on technical support for configurations, troubleshooting, and integration-related tasks. Analyze Customer Success tickets related to configuration issues and resolve them promptly using in-app tools such as Global Admin. Check and validate database values (particularly CW references) for customers or organizations as needed. Use GCP logs to support internal and customer queries effectively. Manage urgent escalations to unblock users and ensure business continuity. Identify, communicate, and escalate issues during configuration while partnering with SEs, IMs, and CSMs for resolution. Act as a technical resource for internal teams—answering configuration-related questions and providing best practices guidance. Participate in internal meetings to understand requirements, gather context, and ensure deliverables are aligned. Stay up to date with platform updates, new features, and configuration standards, sharing insights with the team. Maintain accurate documentation of configurations, setup processes, and configuration best practices. Continuously seek opportunities to optimize and streamline configuration processes for efficiency and scalability. Who You'll Be A technically-minded problem solver who enjoys understanding how systems work and applying logical thinking to solve challenges. Experienced with REST APIs (experience with Postman is a plus). Familiar with structured data and integrations — understanding of EDIs (XML, JSON) preferred. Comfortable with relational databases and SQL fundamentals. Detail-oriented and methodical, ensuring accuracy in all configurations and setups. Able to work independently in ambiguous environments and take ownership of deliverables. A clear communicator who collaborates effectively across teams to deliver reliable customer solutions. Passionate about continuous learning and eager to contribute to process improvement and scalability. This Role Might Not Be for You If... You prefer purely customer-facing or non-technical roles without hands-on system work. You're not comfortable navigating ambiguity or working with complex B2B SaaS platforms. You're not interested in exploring how technical systems integrate and operate under the hood. You prefer executing tasks over problem-solving or improving processes. Apply Because You Want to... Join a fast-growing, AI-driven company at the forefront of logistics and automation technology. Work in a dynamic environment that blends customer interaction with deep technical problem-solving. Collaborate with Solutions, Implementation, and Engineering teams to deliver impactful enterprise configurations. Gain exposure to enterprise-grade SaaS systems, APIs, and cloud-based tools. Be part of a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative culture that values learning, ownership, and innovation.