Downeast Cider - AI Full Stack Developer at JobRack

, , South Africa -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

22 Sep, 26

Salary

6000.0

Posted On

24 Jun, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Full Stack Development, AI Tooling, JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, SQL, Low-code Automation, No-code Platforms, API Integration, CRM Development, Stakeholder Management, Technical Documentation, Data Engineering, Async Communication, Product Management, System Architecture

Industry

Outsourcing/Offshoring

Description

Be the first technical hire at a cider company betting big on AI. Build tools that move the business forward. $5k-$6k/month USD | Contract | Async-friendlyWe're Downeast Cider, a ~100-person cider manufacturer with production, packaging, supply chain, sales, marketing, and finance teams. We make great cider. But here's the thing: we have no in-house software engineering or IT function. Zero. And until recently, that was fine. Then we started experimenting with AI. Claude Code. ChatGPT. Internal workflow tools. One of our team members vibe-coded an order portal replacement that saved us $15k a year in software subscriptions. Another prototyped a sales tool. Suddenly, we realised we could build things we never thought possible. We have more than enough ideas to get started. What we need now is someone who can take our rough drafts, productionise them, and help us build a genuinely smarter business. We'd love somebody who can help us learn and build better systems. We've got a dozen people in the company who will be heavily involved in this stuff. It's not about saving money on software. That's probably the least interesting part. It's about unlocking new capabilities, removing manual work, and giving our managers leverage they don't have today. We're looking for an AI Full Stack Developer. You'll be our first and only technical employee. We need someone who can sit with department leaders, understand their problems, and ship working tools fast. You'll partner with Sales, Operations, Marketing, and Finance to turn their ideas into real solutions. You'll also proactively spot opportunities they haven't thought of yet and make the case for building them. 📋 Learn each business function deeply - sit with teams until you understand how their work actually happens 💻 Partner with department managers to develop technical solutions to problems they've already identified 💡 Proactively ideate on problems we haven't thought to solve yet - automations, data products, integrations 🚀 Ship aggressively using AI coding tools and low/no-code platforms - own the full lifecycle from scope to deployment 📦 Document lightly so non-technical teammates can self-serve where it makes sense We're open to global candidates. Async-friendly with no required time-zone overlap, but you should be reachable within 24 hours on weekdays and able to schedule live calls with Boston/ET-based managers when needed. To be successful in this role, you need: ✅ 5+ years software engineering experience building real, production-grade systems ✅ AI-native - you live in Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, Copilot and treat AI as a force multiplier ✅ Full-stack proficiency across multiple languages - comfortable with JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, SQL at minimum ✅ Strong experience with low/no-code automation tools - Zapier, Make, n8n, Airtable, Retool or equivalents ✅ Shipped real internal tools or CRMs end-to-end - frontend, backend, database, deployment ✅ Comfortable talking to non-technical stakeholders - you can sit with a sales manager and walk away with a useful spec ✅ Self-directed and async-friendly - excellent written communication and self-management Brownie points for: ⭐ Experience working at a small/mid-sized non-tech company in CPG, beverage, food, or retail ⭐ Experience with sales forecasting, demand planning, or time-series modelling ⭐ Experience with Snowflake, BigQuery, or similar data warehouses ⭐ Familiarity with CPG data sources - distributor sales data (VIP, iDig), Shopify, QuickBooks, NetSuite ⭐ Built your own side projects with AI tools - bonus if you can show us ⭐ Background in data engineering or analytics You're a self-starter who acts like a leader. You don't wait to be told what to do. When you see a problem, you start solving it. You're direct, high-trust, and comfortable giving honest feedback. Frugal and resourceful. Customer-obsessed, where the customer is the department manager using your tool. You genuinely care whether what you ship actually solves the problem. You're always reading, learning, trying new tools. What’s in it for you? 💰 $5,000-$6,000 per month USD* 💼 Contract 🌍 Fully remote - open to global candidates 📅 Async-friendly with flexible weekly hours *Please note that this is a gross salary and that you are responsible for any tax-related procedures in your country of residence. We kindly ask you to apply only if you are happy to work remotely as an independent contractor. This is our typical hiring process - occasionally, it may include extra steps. For this role, JobRack is partnering with the Downeast Cider to find their next hire. We’ll handle all the screening and testing, so they see only the best-fit candidates - like you! 🔍 How to shine • Read the role details carefully. • Submit a thoughtful, high-quality application. • Stay responsive - we’ll keep you updated at every stage. ✨ Important notes • Apply only through JobRack; please don’t contact the company directly. • We expect a respectful hiring experience - any disrespect means instant disqualification. • This is a full-time, primary role (no freelancing or second jobs). ❓ New to remote work? Check out our handy FAQ: jobrack.eu/jobseeker-faq

Responsibilities

Act as the first technical hire to build AI-driven internal tools and automations across various business departments. Partner with managers to identify problems and ship production-grade solutions that remove manual work and increase operational leverage.