Senior SvelteKit / Fastify Development Team for Existing Marketplace Platform 2.0

JustSow 2.0 | Senior SvelteKit / Fastify Development Partner We are looking for an experienced senior full stack developer or small software development team to help us build the next generation of JustSow. This is not a WordPress or basic website development project. We already have a working JustSow platform, an Australian marketplace prototype and an existing codebase. We are looking for experienced software engineers who can inherit what has already been built, understand it quickly and help us take JustSow 2.0 into production. ABOUT JUSTSOW JustSow is a Christian charity designed to connect generous people with Creative Evangelists, people with bold ideas for sharing the Gospel, reaching communities and doing mission in new ways. You could think of what we are building as a Kingdom marketplace. There are elements of Kickstarter in collaborative funding, elements of marketplace platforms in connecting people who otherwise may never find each other, and elements of an accelerator in helping Creative Evangelists develop and articulate their ideas. But ultimately JustSow is about people, not projects. We want to shorten the distance between people with a calling and people with the capacity to help them pursue it. We already have a working JustSow model and have supported real Creative Evangelists. We are now developing the Australian platform and building JustSow 2.0 to significantly improve the experience, technology and capacity to scale. WHAT ALREADY EXISTS We are not starting from scratch. We already have a functioning JustSow platform, an Australian marketplace prototype, an existing application and source code, established branding and product direction, a defined funding model, a Creative Evangelist application and assessment process, existing internal workflows, real users and opportunities, and a clear vision for the next version. The Australian application is the starting point for the production build. We are not looking for a lengthy discovery project followed by a recommendation to rebuild everything in another framework. We want a capable development partner who can understand what exists, identify what needs strengthening and build intelligently from there. EXISTING TECHNOLOGY STACK The existing and required core stack is: SvelteKit TypeScript Fastify Turborepo shadcn-svelte Tailwind CSS GitHub Vercel We expect the existing stack to be retained and extended. If you primarily build WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, Wix or other low code websites, this project is not the right fit. Likewise, we are not looking for someone to convert the application to React, Next.js or another preferred framework simply because that is what they normally use. We need someone genuinely comfortable working with a modern SvelteKit, TypeScript and Fastify application. WHAT WE ARE BUILDING JustSow 2.0 will bring together two connected experiences. The first is the Sower Marketplace. Sowers are people who want to financially support Creative Evangelists and Kingdom opportunities. The marketplace should enable a Sower to discover people and opportunities, connect with their story, Sow into their work, follow their journey and see what grows. They should be able to discover Creative Evangelists and opportunities through compelling profiles, stories and video. They can then choose who they want to support, contribute financially and ultimately develop an ongoing connection with the people and work they have helped make possible. The marketplace will include functionality such as Creative Evangelist profiles, opportunities, video pitches, collaborative funding, configurable funding targets, online contributions, Stripe payments, offline and manual contributions, funding progress, Sower accounts, contribution history, impact updates, stories, video updates, prayer requests and milestones, reporting, reconciliation and staff administration. We want the giving experience to feel much more relational than a traditional donation platform. CREATIVE EVANGELIST APPLICATION The second major experience is for people who want to become Creative Evangelists. This should be a separate entry point but connected to the same underlying platform. The journey is broadly: Idea → Application → Assessment → Verification → Approval → Marketplace → Funding → Impact We want to explore an AI assisted conversational application experience rather than simply presenting applicants with a long static form. The AI would operate within a framework supplied by JustSow. It could ask application questions conversationally, ask relevant follow up questions, identify missing information, help applicants articulate their idea clearly, structure information provided by the applicant, generate an internal summary and assist staff during assessment. However, AI will not make approval decisions. Human discernment, due diligence and assessment remain central to the JustSow model. AI assists. JustSow decides. ONE CONNECTED PLATFORM We do not want the application process and marketplace built as two unrelated systems. They need to work against a shared or clearly integrated data model. Conceptually, the relationship looks like: Creative Evangelist → Application → Assessment → Opportunity → Contribution → Sower → Updates → Impact An approved application should be able to progress into a marketplace opportunity without staff manually recreating the same information in multiple systems. Likewise, once an opportunity is funded, updates and outcomes should ultimately flow back to the Sowers who supported it. INTERNAL ADMINISTRATION Our team needs a simple way to manage the platform without requiring a developer for everyday changes. This includes Creative Evangelists, applications, opportunities, Sowers, contributions, funding status, content, video, updates, assessment information, internal notes and reporting. We currently use Notion for parts of our internal workflow and are not necessarily looking to replace it immediately. We are deliberately trying to avoid building a huge bespoke CRM or administration system if established services can do the job more effectively. MANAGED SERVICES We favour using established services rather than unnecessarily building infrastructure ourselves. Services currently being considered include Sanity for content management, PostgreSQL or Supabase for structured application and transactional data, Stripe for payments, Mux for video hosting and streaming, and Vercel for deployment. We are open to recommendations where there is a genuine technical, operational or cost advantage, but we want to keep the overall architecture lean and maintainable. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR We are particularly interested in a senior developer or small product engineering team rather than a large agency with significant overhead. You should have strong experience with Svelte, SvelteKit, TypeScript, Node.js, Fastify or comparable API architecture, PostgreSQL, authentication, payment systems, Stripe, APIs, webhooks, modern application architecture, GitHub, Vercel, production deployments, security, testing, performance and responsive application development. Experience with AI integrations, LLM APIs, Sanity, Supabase and Mux would be valuable, but is not essential if you have strong underlying engineering capability. THE KIND OF DEVELOPER WE WANT Technical capability matters, but so does how you work. We want someone who can look at a requirement and say, "There is a much simpler way to achieve this." We value developers who think like product builders rather than order takers, understand user and organisational outcomes, avoid unnecessary complexity, use existing services intelligently, communicate clearly, challenge assumptions when appropriate, can work with an existing codebase, document what they build and consider ongoing operating costs. We want a platform that another competent developer could take over in the future. We are not looking to create an enormous enterprise platform before we have proved the Australian model. BUDGET AND APPROACH JustSow is a charity. We do not have an enormous development budget and need to use our resources wisely. Our priority is to build lean, get the core platform into production and prove the model, while ensuring the technical foundations are strong enough to grow. This is paid work. We are not asking developers to donate their time. However, we would particularly welcome developers or companies who connect with the JustSow mission and see the opportunity to use their technical skills to help build something with genuine Kingdom impact. The lowest priced proposal will not necessarily be selected. We care about value, capability, communication, architecture and finding the right long term development relationship. This is not necessarily a one off project. If JustSow 2.0 proves the model, we expect the platform to continue evolving. For the right developer or team, there is an opportunity to become a long term technical partner as JustSow grows. OWNERSHIP AND HANDOVER JustSow needs to maintain control of its platform and data. The application source will remain within a JustSow controlled GitHub repository. We expect appropriate documentation of architecture, data model, integrations, APIs, webhooks, environments, deployment and third party services. We want to avoid unnecessary vendor lock in. HOW TO APPLY Please do not submit a generic agency proposal. Start your application with the words "JustSow 2.0" and answer the following questions: 1. Tell us about your experience with Svelte and SvelteKit. Provide an example of an application you personally built or substantially contributed to and explain your role. 2. Are you comfortable inheriting and extending an existing SvelteKit, Fastify and Turborepo codebase rather than rebuilding the application in your preferred framework? 3. Tell us about a production application you have built involving authentication, PostgreSQL, payments, APIs, webhooks or third party integrations. 4. How would you approach taking an existing prototype and codebase into production while keeping the architecture and ongoing operating costs lean? 5. Are you applying as an individual developer or a team/company? If a team, who would actually be writing the code? 6. Where are you based and what timezone do you normally work in? 7. What is your availability over the next 2 to 3 months? 8. JustSow is a Christian charity. What about the mission or project interests you? Shortlisted applicants will receive our detailed Production Build RFP and further access to the existing platform and prototype as appropriate. PLEASE NOTE We are deliberately looking for software engineers and product developers. If your primary experience is building WordPress sites, installing themes and plugins, Webflow sites, Shopify stores or basic marketing websites, please do not apply. If you are a strong SvelteKit and TypeScript full stack engineer who enjoys taking an existing product, solving difficult problems simply and building something that could have significant real world impact, we would love to hear from you.