Technical Lead

NeedBreed is building a trust platform for ethical breeding and responsible ownership of pedigree animals.

We are creating more than a traditional marketplace. The product brings together identity, verification, reputation, marketplace workflows, trust & safety, and community to make interactions between breeders and buyers safer, more transparent, and easier to manage.

We are starting in the EU — Poland → Benelux → other European markets — with a clear path toward international expansion.

We are already beyond the idea stage.

Today we have:

• A clickable 27-screen product prototype
• Defined core user journeys and product scenarios
• Initial infrastructure and product architecture vision
• A development roadmap
• First prospective customers and users waiting for launch

Our next milestone is clear: build and launch the MVP within approximately 3 months.

We are now looking for the technical leader who can take ownership of turning this product vision into a scalable working platform.

Role Description

The Technical Lead / Full-Stack Lead will take technical ownership of NeedBreed from MVP planning through architecture, development, and launch.

This is not a role for someone who simply receives specifications and starts coding.

We are looking for someone with a strong product mindset who will first challenge and structure the product:

user scenarios → backlog → MVP scope → development phases → architecture → build → launch.

You will work directly with the founders and product team to translate business goals and user scenarios into clear technical decisions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Review the existing prototype, product scenarios, and user flows
• Help define and prioritize the MVP backlog
• Challenge requirements and identify what should — and should not — be included in the first release
• Design the technical architecture for the MVP and future scaling
• Select and validate the appropriate technology stack
• Lead full-stack development across frontend, backend, APIs, databases, integrations, and infrastructure
• Define engineering standards, development workflows, testing practices, and code quality requirements
• Review code and make key architectural decisions
• Plan development phases, estimates, milestones, and delivery
• Identify technical risks early and propose pragmatic solutions
• Build the engineering team around the project or bring an existing trusted team
• Work closely with product and design on turning the prototype into a production-ready application
• Introduce AI-assisted development where it meaningfully improves development speed, testing, documentation, and delivery
• Prepare the technical foundation for future international expansion

The initial objective is to deliver the MVP in approximately 3 months, but we are looking for someone interested in continuing with the product beyond the first release and helping shape its long-term technology roadmap.

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who combines strong engineering experience with the ability to think like a product builder.

Ideal experience includes:

• Proven experience as a Tech Lead, Lead Developer, Software Architect, Senior Full-Stack Engineer, or similar technical leadership role
• Strong full-stack development background
• Experience designing software architecture and scalable web platforms
• Strong knowledge of modern frontend and backend technologies, APIs, databases, authentication, cloud infrastructure, and integrations
• Experience taking a product from prototype or early-stage concept to production
• Ability to structure requirements, estimate development effort, and turn product scenarios into a technical roadmap
• Experience leading developers, reviewing code, and setting engineering standards
• Strong understanding of software security, data protection, reliability, and maintainability
• Ability to balance engineering quality with startup speed and MVP priorities
• Strong communication skills and comfort working directly with founders and non-technical stakeholders
• Professional working proficiency in English

Experience with any of the following is a strong advantage:

• Marketplaces or two-sided platforms
• Verification and identity systems
• Trust & Safety products
• Reputation or review systems
• Transactional workflows
• SaaS platforms
• Community products
• International or multi-market platforms
• Pet-tech products
• AI-assisted software development

What We Value

We care less about a specific framework and more about how you think.

We are looking for someone who asks:

“What problem are we solving, what belongs in the MVP, and what is the simplest reliable architecture that can take us there?”

before asking:

“What stack are we using?”

We value:

• Product thinking
• Technical ownership
• Pragmatic architecture
• Clear communication
• Accountability
• Speed without engineering chaos
• Conscious use of AI in development
• Long-term thinking

Collaboration Format

• Direct contract — no agencies or intermediary markup
• Preferably cooperation through a Ukrainian legal entity / Ukrainian jurisdiction
• Startup / project-based environment with the opportunity for long-term cooperation
• Ability to build your own development team or bring an existing well-functioning team is welcome

We are particularly interested in people who want to build a product, not just deliver tickets.

How to Apply

Tell us briefly:

• What products you have built or technically led
• What your role and level of ownership were
• Whether you took any of them from early stage / MVP to production
• What technology stack you used
• Where those products are today

If you have built a marketplace, verification platform, two-sided service, trust-heavy product, SaaS, or community platform, we would especially like to hear from you.

Even if you are not immediately available, feel free to connect.

We are building not only an MVP team, but a network of strong people with whom we can build for the long term.

NeedBreed

• Verified breeders. Better buyers. Safer process.