Role Description
**Job Description**
We are looking for highly motivated
**Backend \& Frontend Developers (Interns)**
to join our team and help build a dedicated marketplace.
Best performing Intern has the opportunity to come on as an equity partner.
We’re creating a Dubai based marketplace platform where customers are able to buy, sell and trade their sports gears - everything from boots and kits to training gear, all in one place. There is a massive missing market in the Middle East for second hand sport items, an industry worth billions, but no platform built specifically for this community.
As an early-stage start-up, this is a unique opportunity to work closely with the founders and play a key role in shaping the product from day one.
**Why You Should Apply**
* Be part of building a live project working within a team, building a start-up from the ground up. With a lean team your work has a direct impact on the product and its growth.
* Work closely with a second time tech founder (Previously raised a seven-figure round with the regions leading individuals). Fantastic opportunity to gain exposure, network and be part of the team full time, post launch.
* Top-performing interns will have the opportunity to transition into a full-time role and grow with the company.
**About the Role**
**Backend Developer:**
* Design, build, and maintain RESTful APIs that serve the mobile and web frontend, covering core features like user accounts, product listings, search, and messaging.
* Build the listings engine - allowing sellers to post football items with images, condition ratings, size, brand, and pricing, and enabling buyers to browse, filter, and search.
* Integrate a payment gateway (such as Stripe or a UAE-compatible provider) to handle secure peer-to-peer transactions and escrow-style payment holding.
* Implement notification services - including email confirmations (via SendGrid or similar) and push notification triggers.
* Write automated tests for your code and participate in code reviews to uphold engineering standards.
* Collaborate with the frontend developer to define and document API contracts.
* Support deployment pipelines and help manage cloud infrastructure (e.g. on AWS, GCP, or similar).
***You must be comfortable with:***
* Node.js (with Express.js or NestJS) or Python (with Django or FastAPI) - our primary backend language
* PostgreSQL or MySQL - relational database design, writing SQL queries, and managing migrations
* RESTful API design principles - building clean, versioned, well-documented APIs
* Git and GitHub - version control, branching strategies, and pull request workflows.
**Frontend Developer:**
* Build the core user interface - including the home feed, product listing pages, search and filter system, seller dashboard, and buyer checkout flow.
* Develop a responsive, mobile-first web application using React.js (or React Native if contributing to the mobile app), ensuring a seamless experience across devices and screen sizes.
* Consume and integrate backend REST APIs - connecting UI components to real data for listings, users, messages, and transactions.
* Build the product listing creation flow - a multi-step form allowing sellers to upload photos, enter item details, set pricing, choose condition, and publish their listing.
* Develop the in-app messaging UI between buyers and sellers, including real-time message updates.
* Build user profile pages - showing a seller's active and sold listings, ratings, and trust badges.
* Collaborate with the backend developer on API integration and work from product wireframes or your own design instincts where needed.
* Write clean, maintainable, and well-commented code and participate in code reviews.
***You must be comfortable with:***
* React.js - building component-based UIs, hooks, props, and lifecycle management
* JavaScript (ES6\+) - modern syntax, async/await, destructuring, and modules
* HTML5 \& CSS3 - semantic markup and responsive layout techniques
* REST API integration - fetching data with fetch() or Axios, handling loading and error states
* Git and GitHub - version control and collaborative development workflows
* Responsive design principles - building UIs that work across mobile, tablet, and desktop
**Compensation**
Upon the successful completion of the MVP and app, you will have the opportunity to receive a full time offer.
The best performing intern will have the opportunity to be awarded equity compensation and come on as a joint partner.