Senior Full Stack Developer

Senior Full Stack Developer — AI Product Engineering

The Watch | Remote (U.S.-Based) | 1099 Independent Contractor | Hourly Contract

Tampa Bay, Florida, candidates preferred; U.S.-based candidates outside the area are also welcome. All work must be performed within the United States.

About The Watch

The Watch is building applied AI software for structured analysis, research workflows, and decision-support products. We are seeking a Senior Full Stack Developer to provide services as a 1099 independent contractor, owning significant product features, contributing to technical design, and strengthening the reliability of our production application.

This is a hands-on senior individual contributor role. You will work across frontend, backend, database, and AI integrations, partner with product and technical leadership, and support other developers through code review and mentorship. The ideal candidate can independently take complex work from requirements through release and production support.

What You Will Work On

You will help design, build, and maintain a modern AI-enabled web application that includes:

• A full-stack web application built with modern JavaScript and TypeScript technologies.
• Interactive user interfaces and workflow-driven product features.
• Type-safe backend APIs and server-side application logic.
• Relational database models, queries, and migrations.
• Authentication, permissions, and secure user workflows.
• AI-assisted product features using major commercial language model providers.
• File handling, document generation, email workflows, payments, and cloud-hosted services.
• Internal tooling, bug fixes, performance improvements, and developer-experience upgrades.

We value production experience, sound technical judgment, and the ability to learn unfamiliar systems quickly.

Responsibilities

• Own features from requirements and technical design through implementation, testing, release, and production support.
• Build and maintain reliable frontend and backend components, with readable code and clear interfaces.
• Partner with product and technical leadership to shape solutions, estimate work, and surface delivery risks early.
• Make and document architecture and API decisions that balance maintainability, security, performance, and delivery needs.
• Design relational data models, improve queries, and plan safe schema migrations.
• Develop accessible, responsive interfaces and reusable components using modern frontend patterns.
• Diagnose production issues, identify root causes, and implement durable fixes and monitoring.
• Integrate AI and other external services with validation, error handling, and attention to latency and cost.
• Review code, mentor other developers, and improve shared engineering practices.
• Build automated tests and improve release workflows, observability, application security, and reliability.

What We Are Looking For

Technical Requirements

• Eight (8) or more years of professional full-stack development experience, or equivalent demonstrated experience delivering and maintaining production applications.
• Strong JavaScript and TypeScript skills, with substantial experience building React applications or comparable component-based interfaces.
• Strong experience with backend APIs, relational databases, data modeling, authentication, authorization, and secure application development.
• Hands-on experience with AWS and working knowledge of other cloud platforms, including deployment, identity and access management, networking, storage, and monitoring.
• Demonstrated ability to make practical design decisions, work effectively in an existing codebase, and independently deliver complex features.
• Experience writing automated tests, debugging production issues, and using Git, pull requests, code review, and deployment workflows.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including explaining technical tradeoffs, collaborating remotely, and mentoring other developers.
• Production work examples you can discuss in depth, including your contribution, design choices, and results. Public code is welcome but not required.

Nice to Have

• Experience with modern full-stack React frameworks and cloud-hosted SaaS applications.
• Experience integrating commercial LLM APIs, structured outputs, and AI-assisted product workflows.
• Experience using multiple AI coding agents for tasks such as implementation, debugging, testing, and code review, with independent validation of generated code.
• Experience with ORM tools, database performance tuning, and safe production migrations.
• Experience with API validation, server-state management, and type-safe API patterns.
• Experience with component libraries, utility-first CSS, and accessible frontend design.
• Experience with background jobs, queues, and reliable execution of multi-step workflows.
• Experience improving CI/CD, production monitoring, and cloud deployment practices.
• Experience building, deploying, and maintaining containerized applications in disconnected or air-gapped environments that operate without internet access.
• Defense-related work history, including support to defense organizations or contractors; experience with other government customers or regulated environments is also valuable.
• An active U.S. security clearance, or an interest in obtaining one and willingness to complete the required vetting process.

Who Will Succeed in This Role

You may be a strong fit if you:

• Take ownership of production outcomes and work independently while keeping teammates informed.
• Turn ambiguous product needs into clear technical decisions and manageable implementation steps.
• Balance delivery speed with maintainability, security, and operational reliability.
• Prefer simple, well-tested solutions and improve existing systems without unnecessary complexity.
• Give constructive feedback, share knowledge, and help other developers grow.
• Want a hands-on role on an early-stage team with direct influence on product, AI, infrastructure, and customer-facing software decisions.

Contract Rate and Engagement Terms

• Engagement type: 1099 independent contractor. This is a contract engagement, not a W-2 employee position.
• Anticipated service hours: Approximately 1,860 hours during the first 12 months. The consulting agreement will define the scope of services and scheduling arrangements.
• Contract rate: $81.00–$96.00 per hour, depending on experience and technical fit. Payment is hourly; no annual salary is offered.
• Employee benefits: This 1099 engagement does not include employee benefits, paid time off, or paid holidays.
• Contractor taxes: The contractor is responsible for applicable taxes on contract income.

Payment is based on hours worked under the consulting agreement. Project timelines and coordination arrangements will be agreed with The Watch and must meet applicable customer requirements.

Work Location

Remote, U.S.-based only. Tampa Bay, Florida, is the preferred location, but local residency is not required. Candidates outside the Tampa Bay area are welcome to apply, provided they are based in and perform all work from within the United States. There is no in-office requirement.

Required Conditions of Engagement

This role supports work subject to federal contract requirements. Candidates must be able to meet the following conditions:

• U.S. citizenship is required; dual citizenship is not permitted under the terms of this engagement.
• Must hold a Social Security number issued and approved by the Social Security Administration, and be authorized to work in the United States.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain, at minimum, a DHS Public Trust/Suitability determination. Eligibility for a TS/SCI clearance may be required for continued or full performance, depending on final role scope.
• Must obtain a favorable Entrance-on-Duty (EOD)/Suitability determination prior to any unescorted access to DHS systems or facilities; this is a condition of continued engagement.
• All work must be performed, and all data stored and transmitted, within the United States.
• Disclosure of any actual or potential organizational or personal conflicts of interest (OCI) related to prior, current, or anticipated similar work.
• Execution of The Watch's Consulting Agreement and Non-Disclosure Agreement is required prior to engagement, including assignment of intellectual property rights in all work products to The Watch.

How to Apply

Please submit a resume, a GitHub or portfolio link if available, and a brief summary of a production feature or system you helped deliver, including your contribution, to [email protected].

Start Date

ASAP

Equal Opportunity

The Watch evaluates all qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Pay: $81.00 - $96.00 per hour

Work Location: Remote