PART-TIME - Lead Engineer

Lead Engineer, Part-Time 8–10 hrs/week • Manhattan / Hybrid • $125 to $175 / hour • Path to Full-Time ABOUT THE COMPANY NYC-based messaging company building a unified messaging platform that aggregates multiple apps. Uses custom infrastructure to bridge messaging systems via backend services and brokers. Pre-Series A startup with a large and growing user base. THE ROLE Part-time (8–10 hours/week) with a path to full-time. Focus is hands-on coding with future leadership opportunities. Work closely with founder and engineering team. YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS 30 days: Understand system architecture and message flow. 60 days: Contribute code and ship PRs. 90 days: Contribute to backend messaging systems. WHAT YOU WILL DO Build Android features (Kotlin, Jetpack Compose). Work with distributed messaging architecture. Develop backend services using Node.js, TypeScript, Postgres. Contribute to AI-driven features. Use AI-assisted development tools. Participate in code reviews and technical discussions. WHAT IS NOT EXPECTED Sprint ownership or roadmap management. Vendor/contractor management. Fundraising participation. REQUIREMENTS 3+ years production coding experience. Android (Kotlin/Jetpack Compose) + Node.js/TypeScript. Experience with AI-assisted coding tools. Strong communication skills. Based near Manhattan (hybrid). Portfolio or GitHub required. Genuinely interested in growing into the full-time Lead Engineer role over time. You are interested in a c aree r, not a job. NICE TO HAVE Messaging or mobile platform experience. Android ML experience. MQTT or event-driven architecture. Kubernetes/DevOps exposure. Startup background. COMPENSATION $125–$175/hour (part-time). $120K–$160K + equity (full-time). Paid sick time per NYC law. NOT A FIT IF Cannot commit 8+ hours/week. Not interested in full-time growth. Cannot meet hybrid requirement.