Founding Full Stack Engineer

About TimberTimber Platforms Inc. (“Timber” or the “Company”) is building a marketplace where founders can list businesses, and where operators, packagers, and capital partners can option, package, and launch them as structured deals — adapting the model of Hollywood's decades-old “packaged deal” structure for the business world. Under Timber's model, a listed business can be optioned under an exclusive 6-, 12-, or 18-month window, packaged with audits, operators, capital, and talent, and then launched, licensed, or resold. All work attached to a deal is timestamped and hashed to the Deal Log, so it stays with the listing. Timber's guiding principle is that opportunity should be built by the people — not the gatekeepers. Core platform components include the Marketplace, Talent Hub, Packaging Workspace, Founder HQ, TimberU™ (the platform's educational library), and the Deal & Legal Glossary.Role OverviewThe Founding Full Stack Engineer (FFSE) exists to turn Timber's marketplace concept into a working, reliable, and functional platform. At this stage, that means making fast, pragmatic technical decisions, choosing tools and architecture that let a small team ship an MVP quickly without accumulating debt that blocks Timber later. This role owns the line between what Timber is supposed to do and what the platform actually does.Position / TitleFounding Full Stack EngineerRole ClassificationFounding Team Member — “Someone joining extremely early and owning a critical function, but not necessarily receiving co-founder-level ownership.”Reporting RelationshipReports to the Founder & CEO (Allan Meade)Start DateTo be confirmed in writing between the parties via Offer Letter.ResponsibilitiesThe FFSE leads Timber's technology strategy and development. The FFSE owns the technical architecture, engineering, infrastructure, security, integrations, and technical roadmap. Specific responsibilities include:Defining and owning Timber's overall technical architecture and engineering roadmapLeading development of the Timber platform, including the Marketplace, Packaging Workspace, Founder HQ, Talent Hub, and Deal Log, alongside the Product & Platform Lead. Making build-vs-buy decisions on infrastructure, tooling, and third-party integrations (i.e. Escrow.com)Establishing engineering practices, code quality standards, and technical documentationOwning platform security, data protection, and system reliabilityRecruiting, hiring, and leading the engineering team as the Company growsPartnering with the CEO and Product & Platform Lead to translate product and business requirements into technical executionEvaluating and integrating third-party services required for escrow, e-signature, payments, and diligence workflowsSetting technical priorities for each development cycle in partnership with the Product & Platform LeadEstablishing a lightweight incident-response process for platform issuesDocumenting technical decisions so the team, and future hires, can build on themQualificationsThese are meant to be realistic for an early-stage startup — strong relevant experience matters more than a specific pedigree.Hands on software engineering experience, with strong full stack or backend capabilities, and the ability to personally build and ship platform/product at the MVP stage.Pragmatic technical judgment, with the ability to make smart tradeoffs and choose practical solutions over overly complex or “ideal” ones when time and resources are limited.Strong understanding of web application security and data practices, including familiarity with secure development, user data protection, authentication, authorization, and common security principles.Marketplace experience, ideally with experience building products that connect buyers and sellers, manage transactions, listings, accounts, or other marketplace dynamics.Leadership potential, with an interest in eventually hiring, managing, mentoring, and developing an engineering team as the company grows.Startup or small team experience is a plus, particularly experience working in an environment where engineers are expected to take significant ownership and move quickly with limited resources.Core Software Engineering Skills1. Full Stack Web Development • Strong frontend and backend development experience • Ability to build and ship complete web applications • Experience with modern JavaScript or TypeScript frameworks • Familiarity with React, Next.js, or similar technologies2. Backend Development & APIs • Building reliable backend services and RESTful APIs • Database design and management • Authentication, authorization, and user management • Experience handling complex business logic and workflows3. Cloud Infrastructure & Architecture • Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud • Understanding of scalable application architecture • Deployment pipelines, hosting, and server management • Ability to make practical build versus buy decisions4. Database & Data Management • Strong SQL and relational database knowledge • Experience with PostgreSQL or similar databases • Data modeling for users, businesses, listings, transactions, and deal records • Understanding of data integrity and secure storage5. Security & Reliability • Secure software development practices • Data protection and privacy • Authentication and authorization systems • Familiarity with common web security vulnerabilities • Error handling, monitoring, and incident responseWhat “Wins” Look Like for this roleConcrete markers that this role is succeeding at Timber's current stage:Marketplace, Packaging Workspace, Founder HQ, and Talent Hub live and functioning for real users at MVP stageA technical architecture that supports Timber's early growth without requiring a near-term rebuildEscrow, e-signature, option agreements, and NDA workflows integrated and working reliably for locking optionsA real security and data-protection posture in placeEngineering practices (documentation, code review, deployment process) that let the team move fast without breaking thingsExpected Time CommitmentHours as needed, reflecting Timber's current early development stage. There is no fixed weekly hour requirement; the FFSE is expected to commit whatever time is reasonably needed to meet the responsibilities above. This commitment is expected to increase — potentially to full-time — as Timber reaches key funding or traction milestones.Remote / Work ArrangementRemote-first, with core collaboration hours coordinated with the CEO and founding team.Communication ExpectationsWeekly 1:1 with the CEO, participation in the founding-team leadership sync, and prompt (same-business-day) responsiveness on the Company's primary communication channel during agreed working hours. Material technical risks, security incidents, or roadmap changes should be escalated to the CEO promptly.Outside ActivitiesBecause this is an hours-as-needed engagement, the FFSE may hold other employment, consulting engagements, or business activities, provided they do not directly compete with Timber, do not create a conflict of interest, and do not interfere with the availability and responsiveness this role requires. Any potential conflict should be disclosed to, and approved in advance by, the CEO.At-Will RelationshipThis role is engaged on an at-will basis. Either the FFSE or the Company may terminate the relationship at any time, with or without cause and with or without notice. Nothing in this document guarantees continued engagement for any specific period, notwithstanding the vesting schedule described above.Confidentiality & IP AssignmentAs a condition of this role, the CTO is required to execute Timber's Confidential Information and Invention Assignment Agreement (“CIIAA”) prior to or concurrent with starting work. Under the CIIAA, all inventions, work product, and intellectual property created in connection with Timber are assigned to the Company, and the Company's confidential information (including marketplace, listing, and deal data) is protected during and after the engagement.