Graduate AI Software Engineer

About the opportunity

Bending Spoons aims to build a truly outstanding company: one that serves a very large customer base, helps team members reach their full potential, operates with exceptional efficiency, creates substantial value for shareholders, and upholds strong ethical standards. The company acquires and improves digital businesses for long-term ownership and operation, rather than selling them. Its changes are often substantial and are intended to accelerate innovation, improve the customer experience, and strengthen business results. Teams are intentionally small, high-caliber, and low on hierarchy, and the company combines the pace and ambition of a startup with mature products and a long-term mindset. AI is deeply embedded in how the company works, with human judgment and machine intelligence complementing one another.

This role is intended for a talented, motivated, and collaborative person who wants to learn quickly, contribute meaningfully, and grow rapidly in their career.

What you will do

• Partner with product teams to spot where AI can make a major difference for users, then turn those ideas into scalable, production-ready product experiences.
• Use leading AI tools throughout the engineering process, including design, implementation, testing, and documentation, while keeping quality, reliability, and maintainability high.
• Work across a broad technical landscape with strong ownership, selecting the most suitable tools and approaches for each problem, from monoliths and microservices to gRPC, REST, Kubernetes, Docker, Python, and Rust.
• Own software end to end, from concept through launch and iteration, building systems that reach and serve millions of users.
• Continuously reduce unnecessary complexity by improving architectures, pipelines, and codebases so they become easier to scale and maintain.

What we are looking for

The ideal candidate thinks clearly, reasons from first principles, and can solve difficult problems when given the right context. They are highly ambitious, self-driven, and willing to put in sustained effort. They take responsibility seriously and hold themselves to an increasingly high standard. Strong team spirit is essential: the role calls for generosity, transparency, reliability, and a willingness to help the team succeed over personal preference. Professional fluency in English is required for reading, writing, and speaking.

What we offer

• Small, highly capable, entrepreneurial teams with a strong focus on results and autonomy.
• Fast career growth for people with strong potential, with opportunities to take meaningful ownership early.
• Competitive compensation plus access to company equity. For candidates with limited experience, the typical annual salary is £85,797 in London and €66,065 elsewhere in Europe. For candidates with substantial relevant experience, compensation is usually £112,189 to £250,512 in London and €107,837 to €188,848 elsewhere in Europe. Exceptional candidates may be offered pay above these ranges. If hired on a permanent contract, part of compensation may be offered as company equity at a discounted price. Relocation to Italy may come with a 50% tax cut.
• A broad benefits package that includes flexible hours, remote work, unlimited learning and training support, premium health insurance, a strong relocation package, generous parental support, and an annual retreat in a high-end location.
• A flexible start date and the option to begin part-time, then move to full-time while finishing your degree.

Commitment and contract

This is a permanent or fixed-term full-time position.

Location

The role can be based in Milan, London, Madrid, or Warsaw, or performed fully remotely from eligible countries.

Selection process

The hiring process focuses on concrete evidence of excellence, regardless of seniority, and every applicant is assessed through the same stages. Candidates are expected to complete one or more challenging tests if they progress, and these may take several hours. Applications are reviewed through the company careers page. The company may keep the role open for an extended period or repost it if the right person has not yet been found.

Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities. If you have applied before and were not selected, the company recommends waiting at least one year before applying again.

Work expectations

The company describes the environment as demanding and extremely ambitious, with high standards and strong expectations of commitment. During the first few months, new hires are expected to spend most days in the Milan office to ramp up quickly and absorb the company culture, with travel and accommodation support provided. After that, work may continue from an office or remotely from approved countries, depending on the offer arrangement.

Additional information

Applicants are encouraged not to self-reject based on limited experience or an imperfect CV if they believe they can succeed over time. The company welcomes applications from people who are excited to do their best.