Equity Partner in Essay Eye

About the Role Essay Eye is an AI-powered platform transforming how teachers evaluate student writing—bringing speed, consistency, and meaningful feedback into the classroom. We are looking for a Senior Full-Stack Developer who can take ownership of our existing platform and help scale it into a robust, production-ready system used by schools and districts nationwide. This is more than a traditional developer role. The right candidate will play a foundational role in shaping the product, architecture, and long-term vision of the company—with the potential to evolve into a Technical Co-Founder or equity partner. What Success Looks Like • You take full ownership of the codebase and infrastructure with confidence • The platform becomes more stable, scalable, and secure under your leadership • New features are shipped efficiently with clean, maintainable architecture • You help transition Essay Eye from an early-stage product to a polished, enterprise-ready solution • You collaborate directly with the founder to align technical decisions with business growth How This Role Fits Into the Organization You will work directly with the founder (CEO) and operate as the technical lead of the company. This role sits at the intersection of: • Product development • Infrastructure and scalability • Strategic technical decision-making Your work will directly impact product adoption, user experience, and the company’s ability to grow and secure partnerships. Responsibilities • Own and maintain the full-stack architecture across web app, API, and Chrome extension • Develop and optimize backend services using Node.js and Express.js • Manage and scale cloud infrastructure on AWS (EC2, security groups, deployments) • Design and maintain MongoDB database architecture (MongoDB Atlas) • Integrate and manage third-party services including OpenAI (GPT APIs), Stripe, and MailJet • Maintain and improve OAuth integrations via Google Cloud (Google Docs / Classroom ecosystem) • Oversee Chrome Extension development, deployment, and updates via the Chrome Web Store • Ensure application security, performance, and reliability across environments (test + production) • Collaborate on feature development, including OCR workflows and AI-assisted grading pipelines • Manage version control and development workflows using GitHub • Utilize Jira and Confluence for task tracking and documentation • Troubleshoot and resolve system issues across the stack in a timely manner • Contribute to architectural decisions and long-term technical strategy QualificationsRequired Skills & Experience • Strong proficiency in JavaScript / TypeScript across full-stack environments • Experience with Node.js, Express.js, and modern backend development • Experience building and maintaining Chrome Extensions • Familiarity with MongoDB and NoSQL database design • Experience working with REST APIs and third-party integrations • Experience deploying and managing applications on AWS (EC2, Linux environments) • Strong understanding of web security, authentication (OAuth), and API design • Experience integrating payment systems such as Stripe • Comfortable working in a startup environment with high ownership and autonomy Preferred Qualifications • Experience in EdTech, AI/ML, or SaaS platforms • Familiarity with OpenAI APIs or similar AI services • Experience with NGINX, Ubuntu server environments, and SSL (Certbot) • Experience working with WordPress (PHP) for web content management • Familiarity with Google Workspace and Google Cloud integrations • Experience using Jira and Confluence in agile workflows Tech Stack Overview • Frontend / App: JavaScript, Handlebars, jQuery, Bootstrap • Backend: Node.js, Express.js • Database: MongoDB (Atlas), MariaDB (WordPress) • Cloud: AWS EC2 (Ubuntu Linux), NGINX • Integrations: OpenAI (GPT), Stripe, MailJet, Google OAuth • Tools: GitHub, Jira, Confluence • Platform: Chrome Extension + Web App Compensation & Structure This is not a salaried position at this stage. Instead, this role is structured as an equity-based opportunity. We are offering meaningful ownership in Essay Eye to someone who is ready to commit, build, and grow the company alongside us. This is an opportunity for a developer who is motivated by long-term upside, impact, and the chance to help shape a company from the ground up. For the right individual, this role has a clear pathway to becoming a Technical Co-Founder. Call to Action If you’re excited about building something meaningful in education—and want to take real ownership of a product with strong potential—we’d love to connect. Apply here or send a message directly.