AI Software Engineer

About Meetup and Bending Spoons

Meetup is a community-building platform used by millions to discover events and connect with others. Now part of Bending Spoons, a portfolio of innovative digital businesses, you'll contribute to a high-performing, collaborative environment focused on innovation and operational excellence. You may work directly on Meetup or other leading products within Bending Spoons.

About Bending Spoons' Mission

Bending Spoons aims to be one of the all-time great companies, serving a vast customer base, fostering team member growth, operating with exceptional effectiveness and efficiency, and generating extraordinary value for shareowners ethically. We acquire and operate digital businesses for the long term, transforming them to accelerate innovation and improve customer experience and business performance. Our structure features minimal hierarchy and small, talent-dense teams, blending the ambition of a startup with the stability of established products. We deeply integrate AI into our workflows, merging human judgment with machine intelligence.

Role Overview: AI Software Engineer in Madrid

As an AI Software Engineer in our new Madrid office, you will be among the first hires, playing a crucial role in shaping the office's culture and energy. You will be part of an integrated global team, collaborating across European hubs and contributing to Madrid's ambitious standards. You will work with product teams to identify and build AI-powered product experiences that transform user experiences for millions, driving projects from concept to production with robust, scalable code.

Key Responsibilities

• Build AI-powered product experiences by identifying high-impact opportunities for AI transformation.
• Drive AI solutions from concept to production, delivering robust and scalable code.
• Integrate AI tools into the development workflow (design, implementation, testing, documentation) to enhance speed and maintain high standards.
• Work across diverse technology stacks with end-to-end ownership, selecting appropriate technologies for each challenge (e.g., monoliths, microservices, gRPC, REST, Kubernetes, Docker, Python, Rust).
• Take ownership of software from idea to production, creating and evolving systems used by millions.
• Continuously simplify architectures, pipelines, and codebases for improved scalability and maintainability.

What We Look For

• Reasoning Ability: Solve complex problems using first principles, structure ideas sharply, resist bias, and identify critical details.
• Drive: Exhibit extreme ambition, initiative, effort, and tenacity, with a deep sense of responsibility and a consistently rising bar for performance.
• Team Spirit: Be generous, support the best ideas, readily help the team, and maintain honesty and transparency.
• English Proficiency: Read, write, and speak English proficiently.

What We Offer

• Talented Teams: Work in small, autonomous, result-oriented teams with exceptionally bright individuals.
• Growth Opportunity: Benefit from an environment designed for rapid learning and career progression, with opportunities to lead significant projects early on.
• Competitive Compensation: Receive competitive pay and equity, with typical starting salaries around €66,065 elsewhere in Europe. Salaries range significantly based on experience and impact, with potential for exceptional compensation for high performers. Participate in company value creation through discounted equity.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Enjoy flexible hours, remote working options, unlimited learning and training support, top-tier health insurance, relocation assistance, generous parental support, and an annual retreat.
• Flexible Start: Options for flexible start dates and part-time work, allowing you to join before graduation and transition to full-time as you complete your studies.

Commitment & Contract

Permanent or fixed-term. Full-time.

Location

Madrid, Spain.

The Selection Process

We value verifiable signals of excellence. Do not self-reject if you feel you lack experience; apply if you believe you can excel. The process includes challenging tests that may take several hours. Offers are extended only to candidates who meet our high standards. Roles may remain open or be reposted if the right candidate isn't found.

Important Information Before Applying

If you've applied before without an offer, wait at least one year before reapplying. Bending Spoons is a demanding, high-standard environment focused on extraordinary growth and achievement, requiring significant commitment.

Onboarding Recommendation

We recommend spending your first few months in our Milan office for rapid culture absorption and team integration, with support for travel and accommodation. Post-onboarding, you can work from Milan, London, or remotely from approved countries.

Key skills/competency

• AI Software Engineering
• Python
• Rust
• Machine Learning
• Software Development
• Product Development
• Scalability
• Problem-Solving
• Agile Methodologies
• Cloud Technologies