Senior Software Engineer (Elixir) - remote job

Sona is hiring a Senior Software Engineer (Elixir) - a senior role, so the employer expects you to make the calls yourself. The role sits in IT and programming and is fully remote. The company hires candidates based in Europe.

The employer did not publish a figure; that is settled at interview. The advert sets no condition on working hours.

This vacancy passed an automated check: the list excludes any advert requiring a foreign work permit, visa sponsorship, a particular citizenship, or residence in a specific country.

Navigating the complexities of frontline business operations is a challenge that most software solutions haven't fully addressed. Fluctuating labor costs by shift, varying compliance rules by region and role, and razor-thin margins that can be jeopardized by poorly crafted schedules—these factors make the task incredibly difficult. Despite the critical nature of frontline sectors, which employ 80% of the global workforce, they have received minimal software investment over the past decade.

We believe this gap exists because the problem requires a combination of AI and software, rather than just better software alone. Frontline organizations are rich in operational data, which, when leveraged effectively, allows agents to contribute more to the business's operations rather than just reporting on them. This is the vision we're pursuing at Sona, and we're in the early stages where the systems you build now will still be fundamental in three years.

We've secured over $100 million in funding from N47, Felicis, Gradient, and Northzone, and we've already signed over 100 enterprise customers across the UK and the US. We've also established offices in London, New York, Austin, and Lisbon. For more information on working at Sona, you can visit our website.

About the Role

We are seeking Senior Software Engineers to join our product teams and help develop the next generation of workforce management tools. At Sona, engineers play a pivotal role in the product development process, collaborating closely with customers to identify pain points and translating those insights into viable solutions.

AI development tools are a core component of our workflow. Coding agents generate the majority of our code, and your role will be to oversee, refine, and architect the system—rather than writing every line yourself. You will use tools like Claude Code, Cursor, or similar as part of your daily routine, and we will assess your proficiency during the interview process. To excel in this role, you should have robust Elixir expertise—enough to discern when an agent's output is incorrect and how to rectify it.

On a day-to-day basis, you will work within cross-functional product teams with considerable autonomy to define features and scope. You will engage in defining features and scope from initial conversations and FAQs, rather than taking on fully specified tasks. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to work across various product domains, such as scheduling, payroll, HR, and staff engagement, offering a broader skill set than typical engineering roles.

This role is remote-first for candidates in a European timezone, with quarterly in-person sessions and client workshops in London. While this is a remote-first position, you will need to be flexible for critical in-person meetings.

Responsibilities

- Own the development of features across Sona's platform, from initial scoping to final delivery, including within the mobile app - Utilize AI development tools as your primary workflow—directing and evaluating agent-produced code, not writing everything from scratch - Engage directly with customers through workshops, feedback sessions, and discovery conversations to ensure your work addresses real-world issues - Collaborate closely with Product Managers and Product Designers to shape solutions from vague requirements and initial outputs - Contribute to multiple product domains throughout the year, building a deep understanding of workforce management challenges - Participate in the product development process—challenging scope, suggesting approaches, and making pragmatic trade-offs between the ideal solution and the practical one

Requirements

- You are a senior engineer capable of owning features from scoping to production—more than just executing against a specification - You have professional Elixir experience—enough to evaluate and correct agent-produced code in a production environment - You are already familiar with AI development tooling—more than just a one-time experiment—and can articulate your workflows under pressure - You are passionate about understanding customer problems as much as solving technical ones, and you are comfortable engaging directly with customers - You communicate clearly and concisely—tailoring your message for both technical and non-technical audiences - You are pragmatic, willing to adjust opinions when necessary, and make conscious trade-offs

Bonus: Full-stack experience including React Native, background at a product-led engineering team or high-growth B2B SaaS company, or familiarity with HR/workforce management domains

Benefits

- Salary: £85-105k - Remote-first (Europe timezone) with quarterly in-person sessions and client workshops in London - Share options - 35 days annual leave (25 days standard plus 10 flexible public holiday days) - An extra day of leave for every year of service - Pension contributions matched up to 5% - Comprehensive health insurance - Enhanced parental leave & pay - Salary sacrifice childcare scheme (Workplace Nursery) - Co-working space stipend for those based outside London - Annual all expenses paid team retreats - The latest Macbook and equipment budget for your home office - Professional development budget - Unlimited free books

Note: This represents a typical salary and benefits package for a UK-based, full-time employee. Exact details may vary based on location and employment type, but we strive to be as fair as possible to all of our team members. Please consult your contact in the Talent team for clarification on the available benefits.