Job Description

Who we are

Zero Down Lease is a profitable, bootstrapped startup (founded 2022) on a mission to make leasehold homeownership fair for all. We're tackling a genuinely complex feudal problem - the maze of leasehold homeownership. Our initial focus has been on lease extensions which we've transformed from a costly and confusing into something simple and fair - which is why 100% of our reviews are 5/5. As a small fast-growing team, we are customer-centric, fast-moving, collaborative, and craft-focused - we care deeply about doing things right.

The Role

We're looking for our first technical hire - a Lead Backend Developer who can take charge of our backend systems and help shape the next foundations of our product. This role is ideal for someone who loves to solve complex problems. You'll have the opportunity to guide our current technology from a scrappy MVP into a robust, scalable platform that can handle our ever increasing growth. You will work closely with the founders (one of whom is a developer) and the rest of the team, contributing to product strategy and technical decision-making. If you've been craving more impact, and the chance to solve a real problem with people that care, this is it.

Requirements

What you'll focus on

Refactor & Scale - Take our initial MVP and distill it into clean, maintainable systems. You'll design architecture that scales easily as we grow, improving performance and reliability.


Applied AI - Pragmatic use of AI/ML where it adds value for our users across both internal tools (i.e. analysis of documents) and development workflows (i.e. Cursor, Replit or ClaudeCode).


API Architecture - Architect and build robust APIs for our platform and integrations. You'll design internal and external endpoints that will be the foundation to our future growth as we move more into Postgres and away from low-code tools like Airtable.


Reliable Systems - Ensure our systems are reliable and resilient so that the team can rely on things "just working" without worrying as we continue to ship improvements.


Helping the team -You will work closely with all parts of the business from sales through to the legal team to help come up with technical solutions to their real day-to-day problems.

Who We're Looking For (Qualifications)

We'd love to hear from you if you have:


Strong backend development experience: You've built and scaled backend systems in a production environment with complex business rules. Our backend is currently in Python which you should have experience of writing clean, tested code.


Applied data modelling experience: Comfortable with relational databases (PostgreSQL). You can make the trade-offs between designing schemas that accurately reflect the world without being overly complex.


Architecture mindset: You've made architectural decisions for growing applications. Preferably with experience handling migrations between platforms and moving from legacy code bases to more modern systems.


Problem-solving chops: Ability to navigate ambiguous, complex problems. Our domain (leasehold property law) can be intricate - you're eager to dive into unfamiliar territory and simplify complexity with technology.


Comfortable with some frontend: 90% of the development work will be focused on backend code, databases and infrastructure, but 10% of it will be the occasional frontend work with basic HTML/CSS/JQuery (no modern JS frameworks).


Leadership and collaboration: You don't need to have been a "Lead" by title before, but you should be comfortable guiding other developers as we grow, doing code reviews, setting standards, and collaborating closely with a team. You communicate well, especially when explaining technical trade-offs, and you enjoy mentoring others.


Product mindset: You care about the why behind the code. You think about the end-user's experience and contribute ideas to make the product better, not just the code. Being customer-centric is part of our culture.

Note: If you don't meet every single requirement but are excited by this role and the mission, please get in touch. We value potential and passion.

Benefits

Why Join Zero Down Lease?

Meaningful Mission & Impact: Your work will directly help real people by removing stress and cost from a broken system. Every improvement you make could save someone time, money, or worry. This is tech for good, with a real tangible impact.


Autonomy & Leadership: As a Lead Developer, you'll have significant autonomy to make technical decisions and drive best practices. You'll essentially be the technical owner for the backend - a chance to imprint your craft and standards on a product from the early stages. If you've been wanting a bigger say in architecture and the freedom to do things the right way, you'll have it here.


Collaborative, No-Ego Team: We are a small, friendly team that values collaboration and continuous learning. You'll work directly with the founders and a group of passionate domain experts (inc solicitors and surveyors on the team) to solve problems together. We're low on bureaucracy and high on trust - everyone's ideas are heard.


Fast-Moving & Learning: As a startup, we iterate quickly. You'll see the impact of your code in days or weeks, not months. If something isn't working, we fix it fast. If a new technology or approach can help, we're open to trying it. This is an environment where you won't be bored - there's always a new challenge and an opportunity to learn.


Craft-Focused Culture: We care about quality and maintainability. "Move fast" doesn't mean hacking things carelessly - it means finding smart solutions. You'll be joining a team that appreciates good engineering craftsmanship and understands that tech debt is real (we're working to pay it down!).


Product mindset: You care about the why behind the code. You think about the end-user's experience and contribute ideas to make the product better, not just the code. Being customer-centric is part of our culture.

Benefits & Perks

Salary: 80,000-140,000 (depending on experience)


Holiday: 25 days annual leave + UK bank holidays (we believe in work-life balance and taking time off to recharge).


Pension: Company pension plan provided.


Hybrid Work: We have an office in London and value in-person collaboration, especially as you are getting to grips with the problem space. But this is a hybrid role and with time could shift to be primarily remote. Typically, team members spend part of the week on-site (e.g. 1-3 days) and the rest working remotely.


Equipment & Tools: Top-notch laptop/monitor/mechanical keyboard of your choice. We'll equip you with what you need to do your best work.


Learning & Development: We'll support your growth - whether that's books, courses, or attending conferences. We're all always learning, especially given the novel problems we're solving.


Small-Team Environment: You'll be joining a tight-knit team where your voice matters and your work directly influences the direction of the product. No corporate red tape, just real ownership.