Technical Lead & Software Architect (part-time)

The company

Rarely Decaf is a strategic technology partner that helps businesses craft purpose-built software without the time, cost, and headaches of traditional software implementations.

We’re not a software implementation agency that builds on rigid, outdated systems that require multi-year contracts, nor are we a traditional dev shop where custom software projects start with a six-figure price tag.

Instead, leveraging our experiences as business operators and our passion for modern development frameworks, we design, build, and iterate bespoke enterprise applications on timelines measured in weeks, not months—empowering our partners to drive their next chapter of growth.

You can read a case study of our work here.

Our small, yet ambitious global team is remote-first, asynchronous by default, and firmly believes in the power of great communication.

The role

We are seeking an experienced software engineer to join us as our part-time Technical Lead and Software Architect, spearheading the architecture, planning, management, and oversight of the development of our clients' web applications using modern visual development platforms.

In this pivotal role, you will act as a systems architect, technical advisor, and planner, collaborating closely with our founder, product manager, product designer, and developers to transform business requirements, process diagrams, and UX/UI designs into scalable and secure enterprise applications.

As our first senior technical hire, you will assume key responsibilities previously held by our founder, becoming the cornerstone of our engineering efforts. Your primary focus will be on system architecture, database design, and technical planning and management, ensuring our applications adhere to best practices in security, scalability, and performance.

You will provide crucial guidance, mentorship, and support to our developers, who are experts in visual development platforms and will handle the majority of the hands-on execution. You'll lead the week-to-week technological planning and architecting, collaborating closely with the development team to plan work, review implementations, address technical challenges, and foster their growth. This role involves ensuring alignment with architectural principles and technical strategies through regular interaction with the team.

You will play a crucial role in improving our problem-solving approaches, engineering practices, development processes, and team culture. By taking on the lead solution engineering work currently shared between our founder and developers, you will have the opportunity to directly shape the technical future of Rarely Decaf, steering the technical direction and development processes of the company.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect and design technical solutions: Lead the design of scalable, secure, and performant web applications in the context of our unique technology stack. Focus on system architecture, database design, and high-level technical planning. Translate business requirements into technical solutions, utilizing digital white boarding tools for planning and system design.

• Collaborate with and manage the development team across multiple client projects: Work closely with developers who specialize in visual development platforms. Supervise and coordinate the work of several developers simultaneously across different client projects. Provide guidance and support to ensure that implementation aligns with architectural plans and best practices. Foster a collaborative environment where technical challenges are addressed collectively. Note: the part-time engagement will start with collaborating on 1 client project with 1 developer.

• Mentor and support developer growth while managing workloads according to quarterly goals: Act as a mentor and technical advisor to developers. Plan and manage team workloads, aligning tasks with quarterly goals and project deadlines. Support their professional growth by sharing knowledge, providing constructive feedback, and encouraging continuous learning. Conduct “code reviews” and offer guidance on technical designs and problem-solving approaches.

• Plan and oversee development execution, including sprint planning: Guide the development team in planning and executing projects within our technology stack. Run sprint planning sessions, backlog grooming, and utilize agile methodologies to deliver projects effectively. Break down complex projects into manageable tasks, follow modular programming principles, and ensure effective execution. Oversee development timelines and ensure that projects stay on track.

• Enhance the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and development management systems: Refine our SDLC processes by integrating best practices tailored to our platform-as-a-service technology. Leverage your experience from previous roles in small companies or dev shops where you've built or improved management systems. Implement strategies to improve development workflows, such as using different data environments and branching, while balancing the need for rapid iteration. Document processes and ensure team adherence.

• Influence technical strategy and innovation: Collaborate with the founder to advance our Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) approach. Make strategic decisions on system integrations, custom code usage, third-party packages, and microservices. Stay updated on emerging technologies and guide the team in leveraging them effectively.

• Ensure quality, performance, and reliability with a 'get things done' attitude: Implement best practices to enhance our application quality, security, and performance. Monitor applications, set up alerts, and proactively address errors or performance issues. While your primary focus is management and oversight, be prepared to jump in and assist with hands-on development when necessary, whether it's fixing a critical bug or helping a team member with a complex problem. We're a small team, and we value leaders who aren't afraid to roll up their sleeves to ensure project success.

• Collaborate in shaping technical requirements: Engage early in the feature and product conception process. Work with the product manager and founder to evaluate and provide technical input on user activities, stories, and scenarios. Help shape requirements and designs from a technical perspective to develop optimal solutions and reduce late-stage changes.

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

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• 6+ years of software engineering experience focusing on system architecture and backend development: Demonstrated expertise in designing and architecting scalable, secure, and performant web applications. Strong foundation in computer science principles, including data structures and algorithms.

• Excellent communication and language skills: Proficient command of English, both written and spoken. Ability to clearly explain complex information and choose the most effective communication medium. Demonstrated proficiency in leveraging various tools to ensure clear and concise communication. Capable of leading and facilitating development team calls, catching and addressing details in both written and verbal interactions.

• Strong knowledge of database design and management: Proficiency with relational databases, particularly PostgreSQL. Expertise in schema design, indexing, query optimization, and handling complex data structures. Ability to design and implement efficient queries for data processing and retrieval.

• Deep understanding of cloud infrastructure, DevOps, and security practices: Familiarity with cloud platforms like Google Cloud Platform or similar. Experience with containerization (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes), serverless architectures, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, monitoring, and alerting systems. Knowledge of web security principles, authentication protocols (e.g., OAuth, JWT), encryption, and experience working within compliance frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2.

• Proficiency in API design, state management, and performant system design: Extensive experience designing RESTful APIs and understanding of GraphQL concepts. Strong understanding of when to send API calls, how to manage state on the frontend for optimal performance, and the ability to orchestrate complex integrations between systems to ensure efficient and performant applications.

• Strong understanding of frontend technologies: Knowledge of modern frontend frameworks such as Vue.js. Experience building responsive, user-friendly interfaces, with an emphasis on state management, component-based architecture, and performance optimization on the client side.

• Proven leadership and team management experience in a multi-project environment: Demonstrated ability to supervise, guide, and mentor developers across multiple client projects, fostering growth, technical excellence, and cohesive teams. Experienced in planning and managing workloads according to quarterly goals and project deadlines. Proficient in running sprint planning sessions, backlog grooming, and utilizing agile methodologies to deliver projects effectively. Ability to align team efforts with client needs and company objectives.

• Excellent problem-solving skills and systems thinking: Ability to deconstruct complex problems, design innovative solutions, and anticipate potential challenges in system design. You're a systems thinker who considers how all parts of a system interact to optimize the whole.

• Adaptability and eagerness to learn: Open to embracing modern development approaches, including visual development platforms (Xano and WeWeb). Interest in AI-assisted programming and staying at the forefront of technological advancements.

• Comfortable with modern remote work environments: Proficiency with tools like Slack, Figma, ClickUp, Notion, Airtable, Zapier, and digital whiteboards (e.g., Whimsical). Ability to communicate proactively, work both asynchronously and synchronously, and thrive in a remote-first setting.

Nice to have

• Experience with Xano and WeWeb platforms: Direct experience with our core development platforms or similar platforms-as-a-service or visual frameworks.

• Experience in small companies or dev shops: Ideally, you've worked at a small company or development shop where you've built or improved management systems. You're familiar with the unique challenges of managing teams in a fast-paced, startup environment and are adept at implementing processes that enhance productivity and collaboration.

Compensation & perks

We are initially seeking someone part-time to assist particularly with one client project, with strong potential for this role to become a more permanent, full-time position.

The initial budget is $2,000 to $2,500 USD per month. Based on an hourly rate range of $50 to $80 USD per hour, we expect the ideal candidate to commit approximately 6 to 12.5 hours per week, depending on your experience and the agreed-upon rate.

As we grow together, there's strong potential for this role to become full-time, with increased responsibilities and compensation.

If you were to come aboard full-time, these are our perks—

• 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 how we deliver our services.

Click Apply Now to learn more and submit your application.