Back End Developer

Houstory empowers renters with transparent, unit-specific landlord and housing histories to promote equitable renting. We address the systemic information black hole in the rental market, which creates immense anxiety and unfairness for renters, driven by lasting discriminatory practices like redlining and gentrification. Renters often lack reliable, unit-specific information, leading to insecure housing and a loss of community feeling. The solution is a platform (app and website) designed to bring transparency to renting by delivering comprehensive insights into housing and landlord history, focusing on unit-specific details such as landlord responsiveness, maintenance issues, pests, and building violations.

About the role

We are seeking a Backend Engineering Advisor to provide technical leadership, architectural guidance, and strategic support for our core data engine and cloud infrastructure. In this volunteer role, you will work directly with our Founder & President to help shape scalable microservices, optimize NoSQL data models, and ensure cloud security best practices on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). This position is ideal for an experienced developer or software architect looking to apply their skills toward housing justice, civic technology, and tenant advocacy.

Responsibilities

• Advise on backend microservice design, RESTful API structure, and serverless hosting options using Python 3 (Django) and TypeScript.
• Offer strategic input on structuring, querying, and optimizing NoSQL databases in Firestore to handle high-volume municipal building records and violation scores efficiently.
• Provide code-level and strategic feedback on serverless deployments via Google Cloud Run, continuous integration (CI/CD) pipelines, and baseline API security parameters.
• Review pull requests on GitHub, suggest refactoring strategies, and help set quality benchmarks for production code and technical documentation.
• Share insights on incorporating AI coding workflows (Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code) to accelerate engineering efficiency and test case generation.

Requirements

• Hands-on experience or deep technical familiarity with Python 3 (Django/Flask) and TypeScript / JavaScript.
• Practical knowledge of Google Cloud Platform (specifically Cloud Run and Firestore) and NoSQL database architecture.
• Proficiency with Git/GitHub workflows, REST API standards, and standard web security practices.
• Passionate about leveraging data and technology to create housing transparency.
• Bonus: Regional familiarity with DMV (DC/MD/VA) or NYC municipal datasets.

The Impact

Your technical guidance will directly strengthen the data infrastructure that powers clear, objective housing scores for renters, leveling the playing field in the rental market and preventing families from moving into unsafe or litigious housing conditions.

Schedule

• 5–10 hours per week for 3 months (with option to extend based on mutual fit).
• Volunteer role, remote.