Senior Python/FastAPI Developer for Real Estate Public Records Platform

We are building an early-stage real estate data platform that collects, cleans, enriches, and serves public-record and legal-notice data for real estate investors and professionals. This is not a greenfield build. We already have an existing backend repo with API routes, database models, migrations, scraping workers, tests, Docker configuration, and cloud deployment pieces. We need a strong backend engineer who can step into the existing system, understand what is working, identify what is risky, and help us get the backend stable enough for launch. The right person is practical, scrappy, and comfortable working in a startup environment where the goal is not perfection. The goal is to find the highest-leverage path to a reliable product. The platform involves: -Public-record and legal-notice data -Property data enrichment -API endpoints used by a frontend application -Data quality, reliability, and launch-readiness Current Backend Stack The backend is built primarily in Python and includes: -FastAPI -SQLAlchemy and Alembic -Postgres / Google Cloud SQL -MongoDB helper/caching layer -Scraping and ETL pipeline for public-record and legal-notice data -Playwright/Patchright-based scraping -reCAPTCHA-aware scraping workflows -LLM-based data extraction / AI-assisted parsing of unstructured notice data -Pydantic models -Google Cloud integrations: Cloud Run, Cloud Scheduler, Pub/Sub, Secret Manager, Cloud Storage, Artifact Registry -Docker -Pulumi infrastructure-as-code -GitHub Actions CI/CD -pytest, Ruff, uv You do not need to be world-class in every tool listed above, but you should be strong enough in Python backend systems, scraping/data pipelines, and cloud deployment to quickly understand the architecture and make sound technical decisions. What We Need Help With We need someone who can: -Review and understand the current backend architecture -Stabilize and improve the scraping / ETL pipeline for public-record and legal-notice data -Make sure public-record and legal-notice data is collected, parsed, stored, and served correctly -Improve backend APIs used by the frontend -Improve data quality checks for incomplete, missing, or inconsistent property records -Build and maintain property enrichment workflows using external data sources -Help design database models for richer property history and event tracking -Improve LLM-assisted parsing of unstructured legal notice data where appropriate -Debug deployment, CI/CD, Cloud Run, and infrastructure issues -Improve logging, error handling, monitoring, and observability -Strengthen test coverage where it matters -Help document the backend so future developers can contribute -Coordinate with our frontend developer to support product launch -Help prioritize backend work based on launch impact, data reliability, and technical risk Who This Is For You are likely a strong fit if you: -Like working inside existing codebases -Can diagnose messy systems without needing everything rewritten -Think in practical tradeoffs, not just ideal architecture -Are comfortable with incomplete documentation -Have experience with scraping/ETL workflows and unstructured data extraction -Can explain technical risks clearly to a non-technical founder -Prefer shipping useful improvements over debating perfect abstractions -Are willing to own outcomes, not just complete assigned tickets Who This Is Not For This is probably not the right fit if you: -Only want clean, fully documented codebases -Prefer to rebuild from scratch by default -Need enterprise-level process before making progress -Are an agency sending rotating developers -Only want tightly defined tickets with no ambiguity -Are uncomfortable with scraping, data quality, or production debugging Hiring Process We want to keep the hiring process practical and focused on real work. 1. Initial Screening We will review your proposal, background, and screening question responses. 2. Real-World Technical Scenario Strong candidates may be asked to respond to a specific backend issue from our current roadmap. We are looking for how you think, what tradeoffs you notice, and how clearly you communicate. 3. Paid Finalist Review A small number of finalists may be invited to complete a paid review of the existing backend codebase before any larger implementation work begins. Budget / Working Style We are an early-stage company and are looking for a practical, startup-minded developer. This is a paid contract role, but we are not looking for enterprise-agency rates. We value clear communication, efficient execution, and someone who can help us prioritize the highest-leverage backend work first. The first paid technical review may be structured as a fixed-price milestone. Continued implementation work may be hourly or milestone-based depending on fit. Long-Term Opportunity Our goal is to find someone who can become a long-term backend partner for the product, not just complete isolated tickets. For the right person, there may be an opportunity to grow into a technical lead / backend ownership role with additional upside tied to company performance. We are looking for someone who wants to help take a real product to market, but the initial engagement will be paid, scoped clearly, and focused on proving mutual fit.