Full Stack Developer

Role Description

Global Canopy (GC) is seeking to contract a full stack developer to start the development of the GC Assessment Platform. This will be a new system to replace two legacy tools currently used by the Corporate Performance programme to conduct and manage the assessments that form the foundation of our Forest 500, Forest IQ and related data products. The platform will be used for the full assessment lifecycle: methodology setup, data entry, internal review, company engagement, and data export.

The contractor will work on the development of the platform as the main developer, but within a small team that is working on related projects. There is a product requirements document (PRD), an Asana project defining the features and user stories that need to be implemented, and a software requirements specification (SRS) providing more technical detail. The developer will work using our preferred tech stack, re-using modules and patterns from existing work wherever possible.

What work do we want the contractor to do?

• Address accumulated technical debt and improve usability and performance by replacing two key tools used by the Corporate Performance programme:
• Original Data Collection Tool: A website for internal users to input assessment data, compare it with past assessments, and perform basic data quality checks.
• Comment Platform: An externally-facing website for assessed entities to view their assessments and comment on findings.
• Amalgamate the functionality of these two tools into a single Assessment Platform as described by our PRD and SRS.

Role

You will be responsible for starting the implementation of the Assessment Platform, covering the whole spectrum of development:

• AWS infrastructure defined and deployed using terraform.
• Python using FastAPI on EC2 and Lambda for backends.
• Next.js with TypeScript on AWS Amplify for the frontend.
• PostgreSQL on RDS for the database.
• Pytest, jest and Playwright for testing.

Key tasks and activities include:

• Setting up infrastructure using terraform
• Configuring authentication and access control
• Building the repository layer over the existing PostgreSQL schema
• Backend API development
• Building the Next.js frontend application
• Writing unit, integration and end to end tests
• Documenting work done

Expected Outputs

• Platform infrastructure provisioned in terraform and deployed via CI/CD pipelines.
• CI/CD pipelines in GitHub Actions for PR validation, deployment, and release management.
• Authentication and authorisation system using Cognito.
• Backend API in FastAPI with a data access layer over the existing database schema.
• Background worker functions for asynchronous tasks.
• Next.js frontend on Amplify with foundational pages for both internal workspace and company portal.
• Monitoring, structured logging, and CloudWatch alarms as defined in the SRS.
• Automated tests covering implemented functionality.
• Developer documentation sufficient for another developer to set up the environment and continue the work.

Skills and experience:

• Strong full-stack web development experience using Python and TypeScript, with at least five years of professional experience.
• Hands-on experience with FastAPI or a similar Python web framework.
• Proficient in React, ideally with strong experience in Next.js.
• Comfortable writing SQL directly against PostgreSQL.
• Extensive practical experience with AWS infrastructure.
• Ability to set up and maintain CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions.
• Experience implementing authentication and role-based access control in web applications.
• A commitment to code quality, including writing automated tests.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

Desirable but not essential:

• Experience working with legacy databases.
• Familiarity with Docker and Docker Compose for local development and deployment.
• Experience working in or with non-profit, research, or data-driven organisations.

Other information

• Our budget allows for a maximum of £500 per day including VAT for 66 days, expected to be worked at 4-5 days per week.
• Applicants must be within 2 hours of UK time.
• We would like this work to start as soon as possible.
• There is the possibility for extension if we are successful with further funding applications.

How to Apply

• Submit your application via Workable:
• A short cover letter outlining your interest and how your expertise maps to our requirements.
• An up-to-date CV.
• Your day rate in GBP.
• Your availability.
• Brief answers to specific questions regarding your experience.