Hiring: Freelance Java coder for Feature Upvote (Remote, part-time)

Hey all, I’m looking for a Java dev for 1 day/week.

I offer flexibility and low-stress work.

This would suit someone easing back into work after an extended parental leave break.

Or perhaps you are bootstrapping your own product and would like to have some extra income.

The job ad is here, but I’ll copy and paste below.

Position: Freelance Java coder

Feature Upvote helps product managers track feature requests. It is a SaaS, built as a traditional multi-page web application.

We’re self-funded, profitable, and sustainable. When you work with us, you get a stable and predictable long-running engagement, in a low-stress environment.

About the engagement:

  • Initially 1 day/week (32-40 hours/month), with occasional additional days according to our needs
  • 6 month engagement, moving to an ongoing commitment if both sides are happy with the initial engagement
  • Fully remote

There is a chance of increasing the monthly hours in the future, but this is not something we can promise.

The current Java code was written by the founder over the last four years. There’s some technical debt.

Things you’ll do:

  • Regularly update dependencies
  • Fix bugs
  • Code new features and improve existing features
  • Clean up the dozens of “TODO”s in the current code base. I did say there was some technical debt!

Our tech stack:

  • Java 8 - although perhaps with your help we’ll move to Java 11 soon
  • MySQL
  • Redis
  • Spark - a lightweight Java web framework
  • Freemarker
  • Jdbi
  • A light scattering of JavaScript
  • AWS - for hosting
  • Maven - for building and dependency management

The two skills you need expertise in are Java and MySQL . Everything else is a nice-to-have, and can be picked up on the job.

Tools we use:

  • GitHub - for version control
  • Jira - issue tracking and product management
  • Slack - because sometimes synchronous communication is necessary
  • Email - the preferred way to communicate
  • Notion - for internal docs

About us:

We’re a tiny, fully remote team, mostly in Europe. Our company is based in Barcelona.

The founder of Feature Upvote hosts the Bootstrapped podcast.

Feature Upvote’s first line of code was written in November 2016, and we launched in May 2017.

Our attitude:

  • keep things simple: this goes for our product, our processes, and our code base
  • work in a low-stress environment: our ambition is modest, so we don’t sacrifice our health, life, or relationships for our work. We get our work done, but without unrealistic, strict deadlines and without undue pressure.

About you:

  • You are smart and get things done.
  • You speak excellent English.
  • You have solid experience in Java and MySQL.
  • You are able to demonstrate past work.
  • The time zone where you live is within +/- two hours of Central European Standard Time.

The hiring process:

  • Applications close 31st March, 2021
  • If you meet our shortlist, we’ll write to you by 7th April, 2021 with some basic technical questions. You’ll have a week to answer. It should take you an hour max to complete these questions.
  • If the answers are good, we’ll schedule a Zoom meeting.
  • We’ll make a decision shortly after the meeting and let you know one way or another.
  • Once we have an agreement, we’ll be ready for you to start immediately.

How to apply:

  • Apply via email to steve@featureupvote.com
  • The email subject line should read: “Application for freelance Java coder position”
  • Include your CV. It should show significant experience in Java and MySQL
  • State your expected hourly rate and availability.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

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