Lead Backend Developer To Join Startup

Zero Down Lease is a profitable, bootstrapped startup (founded 2022) on a mission to make leasehold homeownership fair for all. We are tackling a genuinely complex feudal problem - the maze of leasehold homeownership. Our initial focus has been on lease extensions which we have transformed from a costly and confusing process into something simple and fair - which is why 100% of our reviews are 5/5. As a small fast-growing team, we are customer-centric, fast-moving, collaborative, and craft-focused - we care deeply about doing things right.

We are looking for our first technical hire - a Lead Backend Developer who can take charge of our backend systems and help shape the next foundations of our product. This role is ideal for someone who loves to solve complex problems. You will have the opportunity to guide our current technology from a scrappy MVP into a robust, scalable platform that can handle our ever-increasing growth. You will work closely with the founders (one of whom is a developer) and the rest of the team, contributing to product strategy and technical decision-making. If you have been craving more impact, and the chance to solve a real problem with people that care, this is it.

Requirements

• Refactor & Scale: Take our initial MVP and distill it into clean, maintainable systems. You will design architecture that scales easily as we grow, improving performance and reliability.
• Applied AI: Pragmatic use of AI/ML where it adds value for our users across both internal tools (i.e. analysis of documents) and development workflows (i.e. Cursor, Replit or ClaudeCode).
• API Architecture: Architect and build robust APIs for our platform and integrations. You will design internal and external endpoints that will be the foundation to our future growth as we move more into Postgres and away from low-code tools like Airtable.
• Reliable Systems: Ensure our systems are reliable and resilient so that the team can rely on things "just working" without worrying as we continue to ship improvements.
• Helping the team: You will work closely with all parts of the business from sales through to the legal team to help come up with technical solutions to their real day-to-day problems.

Who We Are Looking For (Qualifications)

• Strong backend development experience: You have built and scaled backend systems in a production environment with complex business rules. Our backend is currently in Python which you should have experience of writing clean, tested code.
• Applied data modelling experience: Comfortable with relational databases (PostgreSQL). You can make the trade-offs between designing schemas that accurately reflect the world without being overly complex.
• Architecture mindset: You have made architectural decisions for growing applications. Preferably with experience handling migrations between platforms and moving from legacy code bases to more modern systems.
• Problem-solving chops: Ability to navigate ambiguous, complex problems. Our domain (leasehold property law) can be intricate - you are eager to dive into unfamiliar territory and simplify complexity with technology.
• Comfortable with some frontend: 90% of the development work will be focused on backend code, databases and infrastructure, but 10% of it will be the occasional frontend work with basic HTML/CSS/JQuery (no modern JS frameworks).
• Leadership and collaboration: You do not need to have been a "Lead" by title before, but you should be comfortable guiding other developers as we grow, doing code reviews, setting standards, and collaborating closely with a team. You communicate well, especially when explaining technical trade-offs, and you enjoy mentoring others.
• Product mindset: You care about the why behind the code. You think about the end-user's experience and contribute ideas to make the product better, not just the code. Being customer-centric is part of our culture.

Note: If you do not meet every single requirement but are excited by this role and the mission, please get in touch. We value potential and passion.

Benefits

• Salary: £80,000-£140,000 (depending on experience)
• Holiday: 25 days annual leave + UK bank holidays (we believe in work-life balance and taking time off to recharge).
• Pension: Company pension plan provided.
• Hybrid Work: We have an office in London and value in-person collaboration, especially as you are getting to grips with the problem space. But this is a hybrid role and with time could shift to be primarily remote. Typically, team members spend part of the week on-site (e.g. 1-3 days) and the rest working remotely.
• Equipment & Tools: Top-notch laptop/monitor/mechanical keyboard of your choice. We will equip you with what you need to do your best work.
• Learning & Development: We will support your growth - whether that is books, courses, or attending conferences. We are all always learning, especially given the novel problems we are solving.
• Small-Team Environment: You will be joining a tight-knit team where your voice matters and your work directly influences the direction of the product. No corporate red tape, just real ownership.