About LendingWise:
LendingWise is a fast-growing B2B SaaS platform — a CRM and Loan Origination System (LOS) purpose-built for private lenders, mortgage brokers, and community banks. With approximately 275 tenants and $2.5M ARR, we power loan pipelines across bridge, fix & flip, construction, DSCR rental, CRE, and SBA verticals.
We operate on a PHP/MySQL core (AWS EC2), with a Node.js microservices layer, and are aggressively expanding our AI-native capabilities — including an MCP server platform, AI agent workflows, vector search, and LLM-powered automation across our entire product stack.
This is not a maintenance role. You will be building the infrastructure that takes us from $2.5M to $10M ARR.
The Role:
We are hiring a Senior Full-Stack & DevOps Engineer to own the intersection of backend systems, cloud infrastructure, and AI integration at LendingWise. You will work directly with our VP of Engineering and Sr. Dev team to ship real features, maintain DevOps pipelines, and build the AI-native plumbing that defines our next generation platform.
We are open to starting with a freelance trial project or part-time engagement for the right candidate, with a clear and committed path to full-time. We would rather build the relationship right than rush it — and the best candidates actually prefer it.
Our Tech Stack:
- PHP (Core Monolith).
- MySQL (750+ tables).
- Python / FastAPI.
- Node.js / Express.
- AWS EC2 / S3 / SES.
- Docker / Docker Compose.
- Vector DB (pgvector / Pinecone).
- Claude API / OpenAI.
- Playwright (E2E Testing).
- BugSnag / CloudWatch.
- GitHub + CI/CD Pipelines.
- ClickUp / HubSpot / Chargebee.
What You'll Do:
DevOps & Infrastructure:
- Own and evolve our AWS infrastructure (EC2, RDS, S3, SES, CloudFront, Route53).
- Maintain and improve CI/CD pipelines, branch-level staging environments, and deploy scripts.
- Manage Docker-based local dev environments and per-branch DB architecture.
- Administer schema versioning (Atlas), database migrations, and SchemaSpy documentation.
- Monitor system health, performance, and security posture (BugSnag, CloudWatch, Semgrep).
- Support Claude-powered AI code review pipeline and GitHub Actions workflows.
Full-Stack Engineering:
- Build and maintain PHP/MySQL backend features across the LendingWise monolith.
- Develop FastAPI/Python microservices for AI agent integrations and data pipelines.
- Contribute to Node.js microservices (e-sign, file upload, Google Docs integration).
- Build and maintain RESTful APIs, webhooks, and third-party vendor integrations.
- Participate in code reviews, architecture discussions, and technical planning.
AI & Agent Engineering:
- Build and extend our LendingWise MCP (Model Context Protocol) server — a Node.js/Express platform with 27+ tools powering AI agents across our product.
- Design and implement vector database infrastructure for loan document search, embedding pipelines, and semantic retrieval.
- Integrate LLM APIs (Claude, OpenAI) into product workflows — AI-assisted underwriting, document parsing, compliance checks.
- Contribute to our agentic development framework: prompt libraries, Claude Code context files, and AI skills documentation.
- Help productionize AI features — rate limiting, error handling, cost controls, and observability.
What We're Looking For:
Must-Have:
- 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
- Strong PHP (procedural + OOP) and MySQL — you can read a 750-table schema and not flinch.
- Python proficiency — FastAPI or Flask, async patterns, data processing.
- AWS fluency — EC2, S3, RDS, SES, IAM, CloudFront (not just "I've used it").
- Docker — building images, Compose, local dev environments, staging environments.
- CI/CD — GitHub Actions or equivalent, branch-based deploy workflows.
- Node.js working knowledge — enough to maintain and extend existing microservices.
- Strong English communication — async-first team, clear written communication is essential.
Strong Differentiators:
- Experience integrating LLM APIs (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini) into production applications.
- Vector database experience — pgvector, Pinecone, Weaviate, or Qdrant.
- MCP server development or LangChain/LlamaIndex agent frameworks.
- Experience with multi-tenant SaaS architecture.
- Fintech, lending, or financial services domain experience.
- Playwright or Selenium for automated testing.
- Chargebee, Stripe, or subscription billing integrations.
What We'll Train:
- LendingWise-specific business domain (private lending, loan origination workflows).
- Our specific MCP server architecture and tool patterns.
- Vector DB and embedding pipelines — if you are Python-strong and curious, we will get you there.
What Great Looks Like:
The ideal candidate will exhibit several of these traits in the interview process:
- You already use Claude Code, Cursor, or Copilot daily — AI-assisted development is your default, not your experiment.
- You have shipped a production feature that calls an LLM API, not just a hackathon demo.
- You own outcomes, not just tickets — you flag problems before they become incidents.
- You read documentation before asking questions, and you write documentation after shipping features.
- You are in a US-aligned timezone (EST -3 to EST) and available for overlap hours (10am–4pm EST).
- You have worked at a startup or bootstrapped company — you understand that urgency is real, not manufactured.
Engagement Model & Compensation:
We believe in building the relationship before making long-term commitments — on both sides. Here is our structured path:
Phase:
- 1 — Trial.
- 2 — Part-Time.
- 3 — Full-Time.
Duration:
- 4–8 weeks.
- 2–3 months.
- Month 5+.
Commitment:
- Freelance / Project-based.
- 20 hrs/week retainer.
- 40 hrs/week, primary client.
Compensation (USD):
- $40–$60/hr.
- $2,500–$3,500/mo.
- $5,500–$8,500/mo.
We are transparent about this because we think it is the right way to build a working relationship. The best candidates actually prefer it — it gives both sides a low-risk runway to validate fit before making a long-term commitment.
Full-time benefits include:
- Paid in USD via Deel or equivalent.
- EST 10am–4pm overlap required.
- Equipment stipend available if needed.
- Flexible PTO — output-focused, not hours-logged.
- Growth path: Staff Engineer / AI Platform Lead as we scale.
Interview Process:
We respect your time. Our process is direct and moves fast (typically 7–10 business days):
Step 1 — Application Review:
- Submit your resume + a brief note on your AI integration experience (what you built, what stack, what it did).
Step 2 — Async Technical Screen (30–45 min):
- A short take-home involving PHP/MySQL, a Python API pattern, and one AI integration question. No tricks — just signal.
Step 3 — Technical Interview (60 min):
- Live call with VP of Engineering. System design, DevOps walk-through, and AI architecture discussion.
Step 4 — Founder Call (30 min):
- Quick call with Chris (CEO / Founder) — culture fit, vision alignment, and any final questions.
