Full Stack Developer — Codebase Takeover + Stabilization

We are BetterCity Energy — a 30-year-old NYC energy efficiency company managing 3,000+ projects across LED lighting, EV charging, solar, HVAC, and LL97 compliance.

We are building BetterCity One (BC1), a unified internal platform that handles the full lifecycle of our projects.

Our previous development firm has been terminated. There is no handoff. No documentation package. No transition call. You will inherit the codebase as-is and orient yourself independently.

DO NOT APPLY IF:

You need hand-holding, require complete documentation before getting started, or have never taken ownership of an unfamiliar codebase cold.

This is not a guided engagement.

The Stack

Frontend: 14 (App Router), TypeScript 5.x, React, Node 20.x

Backend:

Python FastAPI, .NET Core microservices

Database:

PostgreSQL 15, Prisma/Drizzle (frontend), SQLAlchemy (Python)

Infrastructure:

AWS — EC2, ECS Fargate, Docker, S3, CloudFront, Secrets Manager, SSM Parameter Store

CI/CD:

GitHub Actions

Monitoring:

pino, structlog, CloudWatch, Sentry

API Docs:

Swagger / OpenAPI

Testing:

Jest/Vitest (frontend), pytest (backend)

Planned:

ClickUp, SharePoint integrations + Android/iOS mobile app

What You'll Do

Phase 1 — Audit & Stabilize

• Independently review the full codebase — frontend, backend, infrastructure
• Identify technical debt, security issues, broken dependencies, architectural risks

Deliver a written audit report:

what's solid, what needs immediate attention, what can wait

• Verify lint, type checking, test coverage, and secrets management are clean

Phase 2 — Documentation

• Document the architecture, key flows, and data models
• Create onboarding docs so a new dev is productive in days, not weeks
• Ensure all APIs are Swagger/OpenAPI-documented and ready for mobile consumption
• Collaborate with a mobile developer on API contracts

Phase 3 — Forward Progress (Ongoing)

• Continue active development on platform features as directed
• Maintain CI/CD pipeline health
• Work alongside an expanding engineering team as we scale — a Colombia-based development team will be joining to support and accelerate the build

Requirements

• 5+ years production full stack — not tutorials or personal projects
• Strong 14 (App Router), TypeScript, React in production
• Strong Python 3.x + FastAPI backend experience
• PostgreSQL + Prisma, Drizzle, or SQLAlchemy

AWS in production:

EC2, ECS/Fargate, Docker, S3, CloudFront, Secrets Manager, CloudWatch

• GitHub Actions CI/CD
• Proven ability to enter an unfamiliar codebase without external guidance
• Strong written communication — you will produce audit reports and documentation
• Freelancer or contractor profile with references from production-grade work

Nice to Have

• .NET Core experience
• React Native / native mobile experience
• Terraform or AWS CDK
• Prior experience in energy, utilities, or building performance
• Prior experience in a post-vendor-termination situation specifically

Engagement Details

Start:

Immediate — within 7 days

Hours:

Full capacity — 30–40 hrs/week

Remote:

Yes — must have EST overlap for async check-ins

Rate:

Open — state your hourly rate in your proposal

Paid Test Task

Shortlisted candidates complete a mandatory paid test task before any offer. This is not optional.

• Access to a real section of the BC1 codebase

Produce a written technical audit:

architecture, risks, issues, recommendations

Time: 3–5 hours

• Paid at your stated hourly rate
• Candidates who decline will not move forward

How to Apply — READ THIS CAREFULLY

Proposals that do not follow this format will not be reviewed.

# Required in Your Proposal

1 Start your proposal with the word STRONGHOLD — this confirms you read the full posting.

2 Describe a specific time you inherited a codebase from another team or vendor with no handoff. What did you find and how did you handle it?

3 We use ECS Fargate, Secrets Manager, SSM Parameter Store, CloudWatch, and S3.

Describe your production experience with at least 3 of these — be specific about what you built and what problems you ran into.

4 You find hardcoded production credentials in a codebase you just inherited. Walk me through exactly what you do.

5 Share a link to at least one live production project you built or significantly contributed to. Describe your role.

6 You get repo access with no README, no documentation, and no one to ask. What are the first 5 things you do and why?

Do NOT Apply If:

You cannot show a live production project. You have never worked cold on an unfamiliar codebase. You need detailed specs before starting. You cannot start within 7 days.

Contract duration of more than 6 months. with 40 hours per week.

Mandatory skills:

JavaScript, Python, PHP, API, , FastAPI, AWS Application, NodeJS Framework, REST API, React, .NET Core, CI/CD, , TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Docker, Full-Stack Development