Lead Full-Stack Engineer (React/AI/GIS) — Scale EdTech SaaS to Production

The DP Geography Suite is an all-in-one, AI-augmented educational platform designed specifically for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme Geography curriculum. The suite includes specialized tools for syllabus-aligned AI news curation, GIS spatial analysis & interactive mapping, automated essay structuring, report repositories, and real-time teacher cohort management. The platform has been developed in its currently based in Google Antigravity with Git and has a proof of concept working is currently operating as a fully functional proof of concept (built with React, TypeScript, Vite, Firebase, and LLM APIs). We have validated the product in hypothetical classrooms with active cohorts, and we are now looking to hire an experienced full-stack engineer to refactor, harden, and scale this into a production-grade, multi-tenant SaaS ready for licensing to international schools globally. You will be the primary technical partner taking a fully functional, classroom-validated prototype and hardening it into a scalable, commercial EdTech SaaS. Key focus areas include: 1. Multi-Tenancy & School-Level RBAC a) Build clean multi-tenant isolation: Organization (School) → Departments → Classes/Cohorts → Teachers → Students. b) Implement strict database security rules to guarantee complete data isolation between accounts and schools. c) Integrate subscription and seat licensing (Stripe). 2. Unified Database & State Persistence a) Refactor the hybrid Firestore / local cache architecture to ensure reliable cross-device and cross-browser persistence. b) Standardize user-scoped schemas for all generated reports, essays, and scaffolds across the suite. 3. Interactive GIS & Mapping (DP Geo MyMap) a) Optimize Leaflet / Mapbox vector drawing and spatial data serialization (GeoJSON). b) Ensure persistence for custom layers, pins, lines, and polygons, including linking map features to document reports. 4. Real-Time Teacher Monitoring & Presence a) Implement a reliable presence heartbeat system to accurately track active students and current sub-app locations. b) Build a lightweight live workspace inspector for teachers to observe student drafting and mapping in real time. 5. AI Pipeline & Production Hardening a) Optimize LLM API streaming, structured outputs, token usage, and rate limiting. b) Ensure document exports (PDF, DOCX) render reliably. c) Set up centralized error tracking (e.g., Sentry) and apply final UI/UX layout refinements. Tech Stack - Frontend: React (Vite / Next.js), TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Modern State Management. - Backend / Database: Firebase (Auth, Firestore, Cloud Functions, Storage) — open to Supabase / Node.js / PostgreSQL where advantageous. - GIS / Mapping: Leaflet / Mapbox / Turf.js. - AI / APIs: Gemini API / OpenAI API, structured output parsing, RSS aggregation. - Tooling & Deployments: Git, CI/CD, Cloudflare / Render / Vercel. Who We Are Looking For - Proven SaaS Experience: You have built or scaled B2B/B2C SaaS platforms with multi-tenancy, authentication, and role-based permissions. - Frontend & UX Polish: You take pride in clean typography, responsive design, smooth UI animations, and intuitive dashboard layouts. - GIS / Canvas Familiarity: Experience working with web-mapping libraries (Leaflet, Mapbox GL JS, GeoJSON handling) is a huge plus. - Pragmatic Problem Solver: You can take an existing working prototype, identify bottlenecks, refactor messy state, and establish clean, maintainable patterns without over-engineering. - Great Communicator: Transparent with progress, comfortable working asynchronously, and proactive in suggesting architectural improvements. Engagement Details - Type: Contract / Freelance (Project-based milestones with potential transition to ongoing retainer / lead technical role). - Location: Fully Remote. - Budget / Rate: Competitive milestone-based rate. How to Apply - Please submit a brief introduction with: - A link to your GitHub / portfolio. - Examples of 1–2 full-stack SaaS apps or interactive web tools you have built (especially anything involving mapping, AI integrations, or real-time dashboards). - Your typical tech stack preference and availability over the next 2–3 months.