Lead Full-stack Engineer (Laravel/React)
findersPhoenix (AZ)
$160,000 - $220,000 per year
Apply (opens in a new tab)Lead Full-stack Engineer (Laravel/React)
Posted today
findersPhoenix (AZ)
SENIORITY
Lead
SALARY
$160,000 - $220,000 per year
About the role
In this hands-on leadership role you’ll help design, build, and scale a core platform for an AI-powered business management product. You’ll work across both frontend and backend of applications and mobile experiences, playing a direct role in shaping both the product and the tech stack. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a startup environment: fast-paced, high ownership, and focused on turning ideas into production-quality software.
Why This Role High ownership and direct product impact Real users, real scale, and meaningful problems Modern stack with AI-assisted development workflows Opportunity to help shape both product and engineering direction Competitive Salary depending on experience, equity, monthly stipend for benefits Location: Must be in the Greater-Phoenix area Work will be Hybrid ( no office yet... possible plans for collaborative space to be located in Scottsdale or Tempe next year ) Compensation:160K-220K plus equity (depending on experience)
What You’ll Do:
Own the technical roadmap and deliver against product and revenue goals
Write production code across backend and frontend
Review React Native work from mobile contractors and step in when needed
Mentor our developer and direct contract developers
Help hire and onboard the permanent team as we grow
Run two-week sprints and give the CEO clear status updates
Lead code reviews, set engineering standards, and write tests and documentation
Balance new features against technical debt and explain the trade-offs
Design secure, scalable architectures and integrate third-party services
Deploy and troubleshoot on AWS, including Laravel Vapor and serverless
Partner with designers to deliver polished, usable experiences
Use AI tools (Cursor, Claude, GitHub Copilot) to ship faster while reviewing output for security, correctness, and maintainability
Turn customer insights and feature requests into practical solutions with the CEO
Build a positive, accountable engineering culture
Technical Requirements 6+ years of software engineering with substantial full-stack ownership (equivalent experience considered)
Strong production experience with PHP/Laravel, MySQL, and Vue.js
Background in API design, database performance, secure architecture, and testing
AWS and serverless experience (AWS DevOps and Laravel Vapor a plus)
Working knowledge of React Native and Expo, enough to review code and unblock contractors
Responsible use of AI-assisted development tools
Agile/Scrum and source control experience
Leadership RequirementsExperience leading and mentoring engineers, including early-career developers
Experience guiding a product through growth in a start-up or fast-paced environment
Ability to build a technical roadmap and explain it to non-technical leaders
Experience with contracted or distributed teams
Comfort balancing speed, quality, and technical debt
Prior experience at a company of similar stage
Strong communication and collaboration skills
Must be a US Citizen or Green Card holder to be considered as no sponsorship is available for this role.
Before you apply
Applying takes about a minute. These four things decide how fast it moves after that.
Your profile is current
It's what we read first. Occupations, seniority and locations matter more than a long history.
Two examples you can talk through
Not a portfolio — just two pieces of work where you can explain the decisions and what you'd change.
A number in mind
What you're on now and what would make you move. We negotiate better when we know both.
Your notice period
Employers plan around it, and it's the question that stalls offers most often.
Once you apply, someone reads it and calls you before anything reaches the employer — usually within two working days.