Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
URL: http://bit.ly/3kLhMdk
Who we are and what we do
Contra is building the world’s first professional network for independent creatives and the companies that hire them. We are commission-free, global, and focused on enabling the future of flexible work.
We’ve raised over $51M from leading investors like NEA, Unusual Ventures, and Cowboy Ventures—and we’re just getting started.
What you’ll do:
- Architect and build end-to-end features in Node.js, React, TypeScript, GraphQL, & PostgreSQL
- Participate in all parts of cross-functional product development, from ideation sessions to design critiques to user interviews, and everything in-between.
- Collaborate with other engineers via RFCs, code reviews, pair programming, and any other way that keeps the team moving smoothly.
- Proactively maintain and improve code quality and reliability, improve developer experience, eliminate technical debt, improve site performance, etc.; you will be empowered to find and address gaps that make the whole product better.
What you need:
- Experience building performant, scalable systems with Node.js, React, TypeScript, GraphQL, & PostgreSQL
- Excellence in independent problem-solving
- An eye for craft, polish, and attention-to-detail
- Obsession for responding quickly to user needs and delivering an excellent user experience
- Ability to thrive in fast-paced, remote environment with strong communication skills
- Ability to be energized by a highly-synchronous environment — we’re remote, but we’re not async.
Our Engineering Team:
- We have a high bar for technical excellence at Contra, and that comes from one simple belief: a high density of capable and collaborative people creates maximum velocity, which is how we win. If you are looking for career-defining challenges and an environment that fosters personal growth and high agency ownership over your work, you will feel right at home at Contra.
- We care just as much about character — being positive, low-ego, and collaborative — as we do technical excellence. Your skillset is only half of the equation. We want teammates who elevate others, not just the codebase. We see Contra as a long-term journey, and we want to work and grow alongside other good, grounded folks who take pride in building great things together.
- Everyone on our team has an “untraditional background” in some way. We celebrate this! While years of experience and educational background can be interesting discussion topics, we care most about technical fit and personal character over the typical resumé.
Our Stack:
- Backend: TypeScript, PostgreSQL, GraphQL, Node, Redis, Temporal
- Frontend: React, Relay, PandaCSS
- DevOps: Docker, GitHub, Google Cloud Platform, Kubernetes
- Testing: Playwright, Vitest
- Tools: Linear, Mergify, PostHog, Slack
Total Comp:
- Salary: $180,000 – $210,000 CAD
- Health + dental benefits
- Home Office Budget
- We will provide you with a company laptop on your start date
Interview Process
- Intro Call with Recruiting Team (15-20 minutes)
- Interview with CTO & Co-Founder (25 minutes)
- Technical Interview with Engineering Manager (60 minutes)
- Culture & Cross-Functional Interview (30 minutes)
- Interview with CEO & Co-Founder (30 minutes)
Should You Interview?
We don’t want to waste your time. Here’s a quick self-check to see if you’re likely to make it through the interview process — and enjoy being part of the team:
- Technical depth: Can you comfortably answer low-level questions about Node.js, React, and PostgreSQL? These are core competencies we don’t compromise on. If questions like “How do you interpret a flamegraph?” or “How do you read an
EXPLAIN ANALYZEoutput?” leave you puzzled, this isn’t the right role. - You thrive on steep learning curves. Our systems are large and complex — it can feel like a lot at first. People who are high-agency, proactive in communication, and have a strong sense of team play tend to thrive here. If you prefer highly structured environments or need constant direction, you probably won’t enjoy it.
- You take ownership. When you hit a wall, your instinct is to debug, research, or ask the right person — not wait for someone to tell you what to do. We value momentum, curiosity, and bias toward action.
Note: Contra communicates with applicants through @contra.com domains only. We never ask for money from potential employees. For the latest job postings, visit Contra Careers.
