Senior Back End Developer - SafeHome Earthquake Resilience Project

Volunteer Opportunity: Senior Back End Developer

Location: Remote

Time Commitment: Flexible (~5 hours/week)

About SF Civic Tech

SF Civic Tech is a welcoming and inclusive community of developers, designers, data enthusiasts, and civic-minded volunteers. Our goal is to harness creative technology to tackle pressing civic and social challenges. We are members of the Alliance of Civic Technologists.

SafeHome

SafeHome is building an online resource that empowers San Francisco residents to assess earthquake risks by address. As we approach public launch, we’re seeking experienced senior Back End Developers to drive the architecture, scalability, and reliability of our platform.

Role Summary

We’re looking for volunteer Senior Back End Developers who can guide the design, development, and deployment of the SafeHome back-end systems. This role is essential for ensuring our platform is robust, secure, and performant as we scale to serve the community.

You’ll collaborate closely with front-end developers, designers, data scientists and product managers to build APIs, manage data, and integrate essential features that bring the SafeHome vision to life.

Skills We’re Looking For

• Strong experience in back-end development with Python and frameworks such as FastAPI
• Proficiency with SQLAlchemy and relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL)
• Experience with API design
• Familiarity with Docker, containerization, and deployment best practices
• Knowledge of data modeling, migrations (e.g., Alembic), and version control (e.g., Git)
• Ability to lead a team of volunteer developers, fostering collaboration and technical excellence
• Passion for civic technology, open-source, and community impact

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain back-end systems and APIs that power the SafeHome web application
• Ensure scalability, security, and reliability of server-side components
• Collaborate with front-end developers to integrate user-facing elements with server-side logic
• Optimize database performance and manage migrations to maintain data integrity
• Guide and mentor other volunteer developers on back-end best practices
• Architect and implement new features that align with project goals and user needs
• Monitor application performance, troubleshoot issues, and implement solutions to improve system efficiency
• Contribute to documentation, code reviews, and overall technical strategy

Benefits of Volunteering With Us

• Contribute to a meaningful civic-tech project with real-world impact
• Work with a team of passionate developers and technologists in a collaborative environment
• Build your portfolio with impactful back-end development work that demonstrates your leadership and technical expertise
• Connect with professionals across technology, design, and civic engagement
• Enjoy a flexible, remote volunteer opportunity on your own schedule

If you’re a collaborative, strategic thinker with a passion for back-end development and making a positive impact, we’d love to hear from you. Join us in building a safer, more informed San Francisco.

Interested? Please apply and share your background and motivation.