[Hiring] UK Part-Time Application Engineer
Source: reddit-r-forhire
I run a growing portfolio of business web apps and I am genuinely looking to hire someone part-time to help me look after and improve them. This is an active vacancy, not a speculative post or a way of collecting CVs.
About the Role
The work is a mixture of full-stack development and application operations. I need someone who can help turn bugs and ideas into a realistic priority list, write useful GitHub issues, improve branch/review/release workflows, establish a proper staging environment, diagnose and fix problems, add sensible tests, and keep the documentation good enough that we are not rediscovering everything each time.
The main application is a substantial workforce-management PWA built with React, TypeScript, Postgres, and Supabase. It handles operational and personal data and integrates with several external services, so judgement around access, migrations, secrets, testing, and production releases matters. There are also other broadly similar applications in the portfolio.
AI-Assisted Engineering
Agentic coding tools are part of the normal workflow. You should be comfortable using Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, or equivalent tools to investigate and implement work. You must also be able to review the diff, test the behaviour, protect sensitive data, and explain the resulting code yourself. I am looking for effective AI-assisted engineering, not unverified “vibe coding”.
Requirements
I care more about proof of work, problem-solving, judgement, and reliability than degrees or certifications. Capable university students and early-career developers are welcome to apply, as are experienced people who want consistent part-time work.
Useful experience includes:
- GitHub
- JavaScript/TypeScript
- React
- SQL/Postgres
- Supabase
- Testing and CI/CD
- API integrations
- Separating staging safely from production
Note: I do not expect one person to know every tool on day one.
Terms of Employment
- Location: Remote, but you must be based in the UK.
- Status: Part-time, contractor basis.
- Compensation: Paid at a fixed day rate agreed before starting.
- Flexibility: Flexible around study or other clients, with a dependable working cadence.
- Growth: Potential to grow into more regular work and potentially a full-time position.
On-Call Opportunity
There is potential for a separate 24/7 on-call arrangement for major live incidents:
- Every on-call activation earns a fixed call fee simply for responding.
- Any time spent investigating, containing, or fixing the issue is paid at an agreed additional hourly rate.
- The rota, availability, and response expectations would be agreed in advance.
How to Apply
If you are genuinely interested, message me directly with:
- A short introduction and your UK location.
- Two or three examples of work and what you personally contributed.
- A real example of using an agentic coding tool and checking its output.
- Your usual availability.
Note: No long cover letter is required. Shortlisted applicants will have an informal conversation followed by a small, paid practical exercise using a security-sanitised task.