Engineering Site Lead

📋 Description

• • Perplexity is at the forefront of revolutionizing information discovery and interaction through advanced AI-powered search and knowledge tools. As we aggressively expand our global presence, we are establishing a pivotal strategic hub in London to spearhead innovation and accelerate growth across the European continent.
• • We are actively seeking an exceptional and visionary Engineering Site Lead to establish, build, and scale our new London office. This represents a unique and unparalleled opportunity to define and shape Perplexity's foundational presence within one of the world's most dynamic and influential technology ecosystems. You will be instrumental in building high-performing teams and cultivating a robust engineering culture from the ground up, while simultaneously driving technical excellence in critical infrastructure and sophisticated AI systems.
• • In this pivotal role, you will serve as the primary ambassador and technical leader for Perplexity in London. Your responsibilities will encompass building our technical organization, fostering a world-class engineering culture that resonates with Perplexity's core values, and directly managing one or more key infrastructure teams. You will report directly to senior leadership and collaborate extensively across various global functions and teams.
• • **Site Leadership & Culture:**
• • Spearhead the establishment and ongoing leadership of Perplexity's London office, meticulously setting the cultural foundation, defining operating principles, and ensuring alignment with our global vision.
• • Cultivate a highly collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance engineering culture that not only mirrors Perplexity's core values but also strategically leverages the unique strengths and talent pool of the London tech scene.
• • Act as the central point of contact for all London-based operations, effectively representing the site's interests and contributions in company-wide strategic discussions and decision-making processes.
• • Collaborate closely with People Operations (HR), Finance, and Operations departments to guarantee seamless, efficient, and supportive site operations, ensuring a positive employee experience.
• • Actively drive local community engagement initiatives, forge strategic partnerships within the tech ecosystem, and enhance Perplexity's brand presence throughout London and the broader European technology landscape.
• • **Technical Leadership:**
• • Directly manage, mentor, and develop one or more critical infrastructure or AI infrastructure teams based in London, comprising approximately 5-15 highly skilled engineers.
• • Define and champion the technical direction and strategic roadmap for London-based infrastructure initiatives, ensuring absolute alignment with overarching company-wide technical goals and objectives.
• • Drive architectural decisions, champion technical excellence, and uphold rigorous standards across all managed teams, ensuring the delivery of robust, scalable, and reliable systems.
• • Implement and maintain sophisticated systems for deployment, comprehensive monitoring, dynamic scalability, and unwavering reliability of the core infrastructure that powers our cutting-edge AI and Machine Learning workloads.
• • Collaborate proactively with engineering leaders across all global sites to ensure consistent alignment on technical standards, promote the adoption of best practices, and foster effective cross-site collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• • **Team Building & Talent Development:**
• • Strategically build and scale high-performing infrastructure and AI infrastructure teams in London through meticulous and targeted hiring efforts.
• • Develop and execute a comprehensive talent acquisition strategy for the London site, working in close partnership with our global recruiting team to attract top-tier talent.
• • Create robust career development frameworks, provide clear growth pathways, and foster continuous learning opportunities for all engineers within the London office.
• • Champion technical mentorship, facilitate knowledge sharing sessions, and encourage cross-pollination of ideas and expertise across teams and geographical locations.
• • **Cross-functional Collaboration:**
• • Partner effectively with Product Management, global Engineering teams, and Research departments worldwide to deeply understand evolving infrastructure needs and collaboratively deliver innovative solutions.
• • Coordinate seamlessly with other site leads and engineering leaders to ensure efficient and effective cross-site collaboration, project execution, and resource allocation.
• • Contribute significantly to the formulation of company-wide infrastructure strategy and the ongoing refinement of our technical roadmap.
• • Facilitate the smooth transfer of knowledge, best practices, and technical insights across all global teams, ensuring collective growth and continuous improvement.