Contract: Full-Time / Freelance Location: Remote (preferably UK-based) Start Date: Immediate Project Duration: 4-8 months (initial scope) Reports to: Head of Technology Vetlexicon is undergoing a full rebuild of its online veterinary reference platform. We’re migrating to a new CMS with headless architecture. Within scope will be: decoupled architecture, third-party integrations for user management, search, and e-commerce. We’re building a modular, scalable infrastructure that will serve both logged-in users (subscribers, institutions) and general traffic users. Role Overview We are looking for a hands-on Full Stack Developer to lead the backend and infrastructure side of the project and collaborate with a fractional Frontend Developer. You will set up, customize, and manage the CMS, build API endpoints, and implement data architecture, integrations, and content management features for a busy editorial team. You’ll also handle backend functionality for subscription logic, user management, and work with AWS cloud infrastructure. Key Responsibilities Backend Architecture & CMS Set up and configure headless CMS. Define and implement custom content types and relationships (e.g., species, articles, diagnostic trees). Develop modular API endpoints to support the frontend. Ensure versioning, staging, and Git integration. Data Migration & Transformation Write migration scripts to pull content from existing via REST or GraphQL. Normalize and restructure data for import into new CMS. Preserve legacy URL structure and SEO-critical metadata. E-Commerce & Content Access Integrate Stripe (subscriptions, pricing plans, entitlements). Implement logic to control content access based on user subscription level (species-level access). Support recurring billing, trials, and SSO-linked enterprise access. Authentication & User Management Set up user auth front end and back end for authentication, user roles, and entitlements. Handle user note-taking, bookmarking, and CPD tracking backend logic. Implement bulk user imports and programmatic subscription management. DevOps & Infrastructure Deploy environments on AWS (S3, RDS, DynamoDB) or alternatives like Render. Set up logging, monitoring (Sentry, NewRelic), and observability tooling. Handle CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions or Vercel. Required Experience 4 years of full stack development experience in production systems. Proven experience with headless CMS (or comparable Node.js-based CMS like Payload). Strong knowledge of Node.js, REST APIs, and modern JS tooling. Familiarity with PostgreSQL (designing schemas, performance tuning). Comfortable with cloud services (AWS stack – EC2, S3, RDS, CloudWatch, MongoDB). Prior work with Stripe API, OAuth/SAML SSO. Experience setting up CI/CD workflows, environments, and deployments. Ability to work independently in a lean team, balancing speed and technical quality. Nice-to-Have Skills Experience with OpenSearch or Typesense for custom search integrations. Familiarity with GitHub Projects, agile planning tools. Past work in subscription or gated content platforms. Experience with content-heavy platforms or healthcare/education tech. Working With Us You’ll work closely with a dedicated Frontend Developer and a hands-on Project Manager. We move fast but value maintainable, scalable architecture. Clear priorities, weekly planning, and open communication. How to Apply Send your CV/portfolio along with: A short cover note describing a recent project you led involving a CMS or e-commerce integration. We will be hiring quickly so please state your availability. We don’t care about formats of cover letters, or how you ‘stand out’ in a conventional sense, or how well you sell yourself. We like to work with good people who do good work. Show your work and show who you are. GitHub link or code samples if available. Hourly or daily rate expectations. Send to andrew.balerdi@vetstream.com