Greenfield Software Developer – AI-Powered Business System Two Week Project
Location: Northampton
Engagement: Concentrated two-week fixed project
Working arrangement: In-person preferred, possibly some option of in-person initially then moving to incorporate some hybrid working thereafter
Cybist is an established UK technology business with more than 30 years of industry experience. We are beginning the development of a completely new internal AI-powered business system, currently known as Phoenix.
A note on our approach to AI-assisted development
We are currently running a separate internal website development project using ChatGPT Pro 5.6 Sol, Codex, GitHub and Shopify in a synchronised development workflow. The advances introduced by 5.6 Sol have revolutionised both what we are able to achieve and the speed at which progress can be made.
We expect the impact of adopting a similar AI-assisted approach for this new data and business systems project to be even more profound.
We are seeking an unusually capable developer to help establish the technical foundations of Phoenix and demonstrate how rapidly useful, dependable business functionality can be developed.
This is a genuine greenfield project. There is no existing application to maintain, no inherited codebase to work around and no predetermined technical solution that must be followed.
The successful applicant will work directly with the Managing Director, turning real operational and commercial requirements into working software with immediate feedback and rapid decision-making.
The project
The engagement is a standalone, paid, two-week development project.
The first immediate practical building block to achieve will be a simple Unit Explorer, allowing individual stock units and their associated information to be located, viewed and managed.
The wider objective is to:
- Establish a practical development, database and deployment environment.
- Create the initial architecture of the Phoenix system.
- Deliver the first working capability rapidly.
- Continue developing the next most valuable connected features as progress allows.
- Test the feasibility and pace of AI-assisted system development.
- Leave the project structured, secure and ready for straightforward handover or continuation.
We expect visible progress quickly. The precise sequence of functionality after the initial module will be agreed iteratively during the project.
Existing business systems and integrations
Although Phoenix itself is a greenfield development, it will operate within an established business systems environment.
The principal systems currently used by the business include:
- Amazon Seller Central, including access to Amazon APIs.
- Linnworks ERP, used for inventory, order and listing management.
- Shopify, supporting the company’s direct e-commerce website.
- Xero, used for accounting and financial information.
- eBay, used as an additional sales channel.
As Phoenix develops, information may be imported from, synchronised with or ultimately written back to some of these systems.
The initial two-week project is not expected to deliver every possible integration. However, the technical foundation should recognise that Phoenix will not operate as an isolated application and will increasingly bring together data from multiple operational and commercial sources.
Previous experience with any of these platforms or their APIs would be useful, but is not essential. Strong general integration skills and the ability to understand unfamiliar systems are more important.
Why this opportunity is distinctive
The successful applicant will have the opportunity to:
- Influence a new system while the important architectural decisions are still open.
- Work directly with the business owner rather than through several management layers.
- Apply software, data and AI capabilities to genuine commercial problems.
- Build software intended for immediate use in a live business.
- Work with real operational processes and data rather than a theoretical exercise.
- Gain exposure to established e-commerce, ERP, accounting and marketplace platforms.
- Use AI development tools intensively as part of a modern development workflow.
- Produce a substantive and unusual piece of commercial work for their CV or portfolio.
- See decisions made and feedback given without normal corporate delays.
The opportunity may particularly suit an exceptional recent graduate or early-career developer seeking greater responsibility than a conventional junior position would normally provide.
We are equally open to experienced developers attracted by a concentrated greenfield project and the opportunity to influence a new AI-assisted business platform from its inception.
What the developer will do
The role is not simply about manually writing code.
The successful applicant will be expected to:
- Translate practical business requirements into technical solutions.
- Use AI-assisted development tools effectively and critically.
- Understand, assess and improve generated or inherited code.
- Design and work with relational data.
- Build, integrate, test and debug application components.
- Establish source control and a repeatable development workflow.
- Configure cloud-hosted services and deployment.
- Consider how external systems and APIs will connect with Phoenix.
- Make proportionate technical decisions without unnecessary overengineering.
- Explain important decisions clearly.
- Ensure that another competent developer can understand and continue the work.
Skills and capabilities
We are looking for demonstrable ability rather than a particular number of years in employment.
Applicants should be comfortable with most of the following:
- SQL and relational database design.
- Git and GitHub.
- Modern web or full-stack application development.
- APIs and application integration.
- Cloud-hosted development or deployment.
- Authentication, permissions and secure handling of credentials.
- Testing, debugging and structured problem-solving.
- AI-assisted coding and development tools.
Experience with AWS would be helpful, although adaptability and sound technical judgement are more important than experience with one particular platform.
Experience with Amazon, Linnworks, Shopify, Xero or eBay integrations would also be useful, but applicants are not expected to have worked with all—or necessarily any—of these systems previously.
Academic, personal, open-source and commercial work will all be considered.
Nature of the engagement
This is a complete and standalone two-week project.
Rapidly exceeding the initial milestones will be regarded as a successful project outcome, albeit that will not in itself imply an offer of employment or further work albeit that may be a possibility.
Application requirements
Please provide:
- Your CV or professional profile.
- A link to GitHub, portfolio work, an academic project or another relevant example of your work.
- A response of no more than 250 words to the following:
What would you aim to have working by the end of your first day on this project, and how would you ensure that it could be safely extended afterwards?
- A brief example of code or a system—whether created by you, another developer or an AI tool—that you had to diagnose, improve or restructure.
- Your availability during the proposed two-week period.
- Whether you can attend our Northampton premises during the opening stage of the project.
- Your expected fixed fee for the complete two-week engagement.
Applications that do not answer the project-specific questions are unlikely to progress.
Pay: £525.00 per week
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Northampton NN1 5LP
