We’re seeking an experienced full-stack software engineer to lead the role of architecting, planning, and developing our clients' web applications using modern, visual development (low-code) platforms.
You’ll collaborate closely with our founder, our product designer, and other developers to transform business requirements, process diagrams, business logic, and UX/UI designs into modern, purpose-built web applications.
As the Lead Solutions Engineer on our small team, you will be responsible for leading the architecture, system design, database design, and API development, while also engaging in hands-on execution using modern, visual development platforms. You will play a crucial role in improving our problem-solving and development processes and culture.
This role involves taking on the solution engineering work currently handled by our founder, providing you with the opportunity to directly shape the technical future of Rarely Decaf. This is a pivotal role for our company, marking our first senior technical hire. As we expand, you will evolve into a leadership position, mentoring other developers and steering the technical direction of the company.
Your key responsibilities include:
System design and architecture
- System planning: Understand client needs to plan scalable systems that can adapt to future requirements.
- Architecture leadership: Lead the architecture of client projects, including database design and API architecture. Review junior developers' code and logic.
- Planning and whiteboarding: Translate business requirements and process maps into technical designs. Plan and whiteboard solutions, architecture, API logic, and more using Whimsical (digital whiteboard).
Development and implementation
- Platform expertise: Become an expert in our technology stack (WeWeb and Xano), staying updated on releases and updates, and understanding limitations, workarounds, and where we need to inject custom code.
- Back-end implementation: Implement back-end systems in Xano, including configuring business logic, API endpoints, caching, authentication, integrating third-party APIs, incorporating microservices, and occasionally writing JavaScript Lambdas.
- Front-end implementation: Implement front-end systems in WeWeb, integrating high-fidelity UI/UX designs from Figma, developing front-end workflows (visual abstraction of JavaScript), writing “no-code” formulas, writing JavaScript where needed, and integrating third-party APIs and NPM packages.
Collaboration and communication
- Team collaboration: Work with the project manager and designer to provide technical feedback on client solutions.
- Proactive communication: Engage in proactive communication with the team to clarify business logic, data structures, and workflows.
- Client interaction: Participate in discovery meetings to understand business requirements and ask clarifying questions from a technical perspective.
Quality assurance and issue resolution
- Testing and debugging: Test, debug, and ensure the smooth operation of developed applications. Implement unit tests to ensure code quality and reliability.
- Issue resolution: Investigate and resolve any application bugs or issues, occasionally clarifying bug reports and issues with clients.
Technology strategy and best practices
- Development best practices: Share and implement best practices within the team.
- Technology strategy: Contribute to overall technology strategy and decision-making.
- Google Cloud infrastructure: Understand and utilize Google Cloud infrastructure for microservices.
You will have a dedicated budget for AI tools, such as ChatGPT with access to GPT-4, to aid in your technical planning and development tasks.
In your day-to-day work, you will use tools like Whimsical, Figma, Xano, WeWeb, and ClickUp to manage development tasks, communication, and project requirements.
Location
We welcome applicants from Latin America, Europe, and Africa to reflect our dedication to a diverse and geographically dispersed team while still having at least a few hours of overlap when needed.
Technical Skills and Experience
- 4+ years of full-stack web development: Proven experience in both front-end and back-end technologies, including JavaScript, Vue.js, Node.js, and RESTful APIs.
- 2+ years of designing software systems and APIs: Demonstrated ability to plan and design scalable software systems and databases, with experience in creating and maintaining detailed system diagrams using digital white-boarding tools.
- Strong understanding of modern web and cloud infrastructure: You should have a strong conceptual understanding of how components such as Google Cloud, Docker, and Kubernetes are used in the modern web, as well as familiarity with CORS policies and Redis caching strategies.
- Familiarity with visual development platforms: You should be familiar with no-code and low-code platforms like WeWeb, Xano, Airtable, Make.com, Zapier, etc. We don’t expect you to be an expert, but we do expect you to understand how they generally work and how one could configure them.
- Basic understanding of security best practices and compliance standards: Knowledge of security best practices and compliance standards such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR.
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Soft Skills and Attributes
- Proficiency in business English: Comfortable working and communicating in both written and spoken English, with the ability to use tools like ChatGPT or Chrome extensions for assistance when needed.
- Excellent communication skills: Ability to clearly explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders in both written and verbal forms.
- Strong collaboration skills: Experience working closely with project managers, designers, and other developers, demonstrating effective team collaboration.
- Exceptional problem-solving skills: Proactive approach to identifying and resolving issues, with a strong analytical mindset.
- Initiative and curiosity: Demonstrated initiative, curiosity, and resourcefulness in exploring and adapting to new technologies.
- Adaptability: Comfortable thriving in a remote-first, asynchronous work environment, utilizing tools like ClickUp, Loom, and digital whiteboards like Whimsical. Self-directed work and effective time management are crucial.
- Leadership experience: Demonstrated ability to mentor junior developers and lead technical projects, showcasing strong leadership capabilities.
Nice-to-Haves
- Portfolio: A portfolio showcasing previous projects, particularly those involving full-stack development and system architecture.
- Agency or consulting experience: Background in working within a software development agency or technical consulting role or similar environment.
- Certifications: Relevant certifications in cloud computing, software development, or project management.
- Industry knowledge: Familiarity with designing solutions in industries such as legal, finance, healthcare.
- Proficiency in remote communication tools: Experience with tools like Whimsical, Figma, ClickUp, Slack, and AI tools such as ChatGPT for technical planning and development tasks.
- Compensation: $4,750 USD to $6,250 USD per month*, depending on your fit and experience.
- Utilizing Deel for payroll allows us adaptability in selecting the employment structure that best suits you in your country.
- Work Hours: Embrace a flexible, 35-hour work week that emphasizes a healthy work-life balance.
- Vacation: Enjoy 30 days of paid vacation, accumulating 2.5 days per month. This includes local holidays.
- Company Holidays: Benefit from a handful of company-wide holidays each year.
- Work Environment: Experience an asynchronous-first, calm, and deep work environment inspired by successful remote companies like Doist, Buffer, and GitLab. Learn more about the async-first philosophy here.
- Stipend: Receive a learning and productivity stipend of $1,500 a year to enhance your work and personal life. This includes funding for AI tools like ChatGPT and membership to professional learning communities.
- Growth Opportunity: Opportunity to get in at the ground-level of a growing company, with the potential to shape the future of our technical direction.
- You love applying technology to solve real business problems: You're not just passionate about tech;you enjoy seeing how it can transform the way people work and make a tangible impact.
- You think in systems and the bigger picture: You have a knack for seeing how all the pieces fit together and enjoy planning accordingly.
- You get excited about leveraging new technologies: Our use of no-code and low-code platforms intrigues you. You're open to exploring these paradigms, understanding their limitations, and leveraging their strengths to enhance solutions. You’re always seeking the best tools for the job.
- You’re organized and detail-oriented: Whether it’s configuring pixel-perfect designs, clarifying requirements, or ensuring naming conventions make sense, you thrive on precision and clarity. On that note, to see if you’re paying attention here, please include the word “banana” at the start of your response to “Do you have any questions for us”.
- You're constantly seeking to improve: You love self-improvement, actively seek feedback, and are always looking to enhance your skills.
- You enjoy client interaction: You see interacting with clients and fixing bugs as opportunities to engage with and understand the needs of the people impacted by your work.
- You thrive in clear, concise communication: You excel at explaining complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and value organized, effective communication.
- You work well autonomously and in small teams: You like working in small teams, managing yourself, and taking initiative without constant oversight.
- You embrace asynchronous communication: You appreciate the calm and focus that comes from working asynchronously, allowing for deep, uninterrupted work.
- You’re turned off by the idea of programming with “no-code” and “low-code”: We strongly believe in these technologies and development frameworks. If you prefer sticking to specific languages and are not interested in learning others, this isn't the role for you.
- You're not interested in systems, architecture, or planning: This role requires designing and planning complex systems. If you prefer to be handed a specific spec without understanding the larger system or how it fits into the client’s business, this isn't the right fit for you.
- You do not want to spend the majority of your time programming: If you only want to focus on the bigger picture/planning and not programming, this isn’t the role for you. This role requires you to both plan and lead the development as an individual contributor.
- You dislike writing, planning, or documenting: In an asynchronous environment, clear writing is crucial. Documenting decisions, logic, and understanding system design are essential. If you’re not inclined to write and maintain detailed documentation, this isn’t the role for you.
- You need constant guidance: You struggle with making decisions on your own and are not comfortable working autonomously.
- You don’t want to ever talk to clients: You’d rather not work with clients or discuss their business logic. You prefer to be handed a spec and code from there.
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