Speed&Function

WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS
 

There is a difference between a developer who leads and a leader who develops. This role requires both, but in the right proportion. We need someone who can look at a codebase built by one person under pressure, understand it without judging it, and chart a clear path forward that the whole team can execute.
 

The engagement is a 12-plus month build of a custom internal platform for a US-based IT services company. The platform replaces a third-party PSA system and consolidates billing, ticketing, project management, and service delivery into one product. The company built the foundation themselves because they want a competitive advantage, not a vendor dependency. The existing developer is capable. What the team is missing is someone who can structure the work, raise the quality bar, and translate technical decisions into language that business stakeholders can act on.

We are in the pre-sale stage. The pilot is active. We are building a shortlist now so we are ready to move the moment the engagement confirms.
 

WHAT YOU WILL OWN
 

• Conducting an honest, constructive assessment of the existing codebase and identifying what needs to change and in what order
• Defining the technical roadmap for 2026 and presenting it to business stakeholders in terms of tradeoffs, not just tasks
• Making and documenting architecture decisions that the team can build on with confidence
• Leading a small team of two to three developers, including an existing in-house developer who has been working alone for 18 months
• Mentoring without micromanaging: setting standards, reviewing work, and creating an environment where the team improves over time
• Conducting or co-conducting technical interviews for developers joining the team
• Serving as the technical voice in client calls, translating engineering realities into business impact without oversimplifying or alarming
• Ensuring delivery stays on track against a hard deadline: the platform needs to be fully operational by January 2027
   

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
 

• 6 or more years in software engineering, with at least 2 years in a lead, principal, or equivalent role
• A track record of taking ambiguous or under-structured codebases and creating order without creating conflict
• Genuine experience communicating technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders who are engaged, opinionated, and smart
• Comfort with serverless and edge computing architectures (Cloudflare Workers, AWS Lambda, or similar)
• The ability to work fractionally and manage your own time and availability without being managed
• Availability to lead client calls in the US CT window
• A principled approach to code quality: you set standards because you believe in them, not because someone asked you to
   

TECH STACK
 

• Frontend: React 18, TypeScript, Vite, Shadcn/ui, TanStack Query, Zustand
• Backend: Node.js on Cloudflare Workers (serverless)
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Auth and backend services: Supabase

The tech stack is not exotic. The complexity here is organizational and architectural, not technological. The right person will see that clearly.

HOW WE WORK
 

You will operate at the intersection of two teams: our engineers on one side, and the client's internal team on the other. 

The full-stack developers on the team own execution. You own direction. That distinction matters and we expect everyone to respect it.

WHAT WE OFFER
 

• A technically interesting leadership challenge with real organizational complexity and a clear product vision
• A fractional structure that respects your time and lets you maintain other professional commitments
• A client relationship built on trust and directness, not politics
• The opportunity to shape not just one engagement but the standard for how Speed and Function leads technical work
• Transparent communication at every stage of the process, including honest conversations when circumstances change

ABOUT SPEED AND FUNCTION
 

Speed and Function is a software engineering firm that builds custom products for growth-oriented businesses. We work on engagements where the technical and human challenges are inseparable, and we have built our reputation by treating both with equal seriousness.

This engagement came through the community of founders and operators committed to long-term organizational growth. The client is not running a competitive evaluation. They chose us because of who we are and how we work. We hold that trust carefully.

HOW TO APPLY
 

Send a short message explaining your interest in this specific role and what you believe good technical leadership actually looks like in practice. Attach your CV or share your LinkedIn profile.

We do not need a formal cover letter. We need to understand how you think.

WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS
 

Most job ads describe a seat to fill. This one describes a problem worth solving. We are building a product that an IT services company in the United States depends on to run its entire operation: billing, ticketing, project management, and service delivery, all in one place. The company chose to build it themselves rather than accept a generic off-the-shelf tool, because they believe their operations deserve better. We agree. Now they need a developer who takes the same view of their own craft.
 

We are in the pre-sale stage of what we expect to become a 12-plus month engagement. The pilot is active. We are not posting this role to fill a pipeline spreadsheet. We are building a shortlist of people we would genuinely want on this team, so we are ready to move the moment the engagement confirms.
 

WHAT YOU WILL OWN
 

• Delivering complete product features end-to-end, from data model to interface, without waiting for handoffs
• Building and iterating on core modules: automated billing, ticket management, time tracking, and project coordination
• Writing code that your teammates can read, extend, and trust
• Contributing to the shared codebase alongside an existing in-house developer and a Tech Lead who sets technical direction
• Surfacing problems early and proposing solutions rather than waiting to be told what to do
• Participating actively in planning and estimation so timelines reflect reality, not optimism
   

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
 

• 4+ years of experience shipping production applications with React and Node.js
• Real ownership of features across the full stack, not just comfort on one side
• Experience with PostgreSQL or a comparable relational database in production
• The discipline to write maintainable code even when the deadline feels close
• Clear, direct communication in a distributed team context
• Availability to overlap with US CT for team calls (approximately 12:00 to 14:00 СТ time)
   

TECH STACK

• Frontend: React 18, TypeScript, Vite, Shadcn/ui, TanStack Query, Zustand
• Backend: Node.js deployed on Cloudflare Workers (serverless architecture)
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Auth and backend services: Supabase
   

No Supabase or Cloudflare Workers experience required. If you have worked with Firebase, AWS Lambda, or any serverless Node.js environment, you will find your footing quickly. 
 

HOW WE WORK
 

The team is distributed. The client is based in Dallas, Texas. 

Expect one or two overlap calls per week in the 12:00 to 14:00 CT time window. The rest of your day is yours to structure. We trust people to manage their own time, because we hire people who have earned that trust.

The Tech Lead owns architecture direction and stakeholder communication. Your focus is delivery. The two roles are designed to complement each other without competing.
 

WHAT WE OFFER
 

• A real product with a real deadline and real stakes, not a maintenance backlog
• A Tech Lead who sets clear direction so you can focus on execution
• Full-time engagement for the right person once the pilot confirms
• Transparent communication throughout the process, including honest updates if circumstances change
• A team that treats engineering craft as a professional standard, not a talking point

ABOUT SPEED AND FUNCTION
 

Speed and Function is a software engineering firm that builds custom products for growth-oriented businesses. We work on engagements that require both technical depth and the ability to operate as a trusted partner to business leaders. We are selective about the work we take on, because we believe the quality of what we build reflects who we are.

This engagement came through the community of founders and operators who take organizational development seriously. The client is not talking to other agencies. We are their only option, and we intend to earn that position every week.

HOW TO APPLY
 

Send a short note explaining why this specific role interests you, alongside your CV or LinkedIn profile. We do not need a cover letter that restates your resume. Tell us something about how you think about your work.