Senior Full-Stack Engineer (US-Based, AI-Native) with Long-Term, Full-Time Potential

We're a US-based software consulting firm looking for a skilled full-stack engineer to join us long-term. This starts as an hourly engagement with a paid trial project, and converts to full-time for the right person. We have consistent client work and need someone reliable who ships fast and communicates well. This is not a vibe-coding role. We want a real engineer — strong fundamentals, solid architecture instincts, clean production code — who uses AI tools (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) to move 5–10x faster. AI is your force multiplier, not your crutch. If you lean on AI to paper over gaps in your actual engineering ability, this isn't the fit. If you're a genuinely strong developer who has mastered AI-augmented workflows to ship more and better, keep reading. What you'll do: Build and ship full-stack web apps, APIs, integrations, and backend systems for our clients Own projects end-to-end: architecture, implementation, testing, deployment Juggle multiple client projects at once (AI leverage makes this realistic) Communicate clearly and proactively — updates, blockers, timelines Requirements: US-based. This is a hard requirement — please do not apply if you're not based in the United States. Native or fluent English, excellent written and verbal communication 4+ years professional software engineering experience Strong across a modern stack (examples: TypeScript/React/Next.js, Node, Python, Postgres, cloud — AWS/GCP) Genuine architecture and system-design skills, not just feature-wiring Fluent with AI-assisted development (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) and able to speak to how you use it to ship faster without sacrificing quality Self-directed, reliable, and able to own work without hand-holding Nice to have: Experience across multiple client projects or agency/consulting background AI/ML integration experience (LLM APIs, RAG, agentic workflows) DevOps / secure cloud deployment experience How we work: Start: paid hourly trial on a real project so we can both evaluate fit Then: ongoing hourly, scaling toward full-time (40 hrs/week) Long-term, stable relationship — we're building a team, not filling a one-off gig To apply, include: A short note on your engineering background and your strongest projects How you specifically use AI tools in your workflow — be concrete, tell us your setup and where it makes you faster Links to work (GitHub, portfolio, shipped products) Your hourly rate Please start your application with the word "SHIPPED" so we know you read this in full. Applications without it will be ignored.