Business Systems Developer

About Switchboard

At Switchboard, we help teams transform their business operations through a combination of modern software, strong data integrations, AI automation, and workflow design, freeing them from the mundane.

As a growing, founder-led company, we're looking for teammates ready to help shape a future where work is more meaningful and teams can focus on what matters.

The Role

You know that feeling when you see a clunky internal tool or process and think, "I could rebuild that so much better"? That's the energy we're looking for.

As a Business Systems Developer, you'll build and implement the tools and automations that help our clients actually run their businesses, while working alongside strategists (who lead discovery and client relationships) and technical project managers (who help coordinate work).

This isn't a pure no-code role, and it's not traditional software engineering either. Rather than dragging boxes in Zapier all day, or trudging through large codebases building SaaS products, most of our work involves building custom applications in Retool, designing databases, writing code, and integrating APIs. You should be comfortable across that range and excited to use AI coding assistants like Claude Code or Cursor to move faster.

What you'll do

• Build and ship solutions that connect data sources, automate workflows, and give clients tools they'll actually use. Most of this happens in Retool and n8n, with custom code where it makes sense.
• Own technical implementation from handoff through go-live. You'll make architecture decisions, document your reasoning, and be accountable for whether the thing works in the real world.
• Shape requirements with a technical lens. You’ll work with Strategists to lead discovery and define what clients need. You'll review those requirements, flag technical constraints, suggest better approaches, and refine scope so what gets built is actually buildable.
• Design data architecture that scales. Our clients often come to us with messy, disconnected data. You'll transform that into clean, normalized schemas that support both what they need now and where they're headed.
• Contribute to client conversations when technical clarity is needed. You won't be running every meeting, but when a client asks, "why can't we just...?" you should be able to jump in and answer clearly.
• Build for reliability. Develop testing protocols, implement error handling, and document failure points. When something breaks at 2 am, you won't be paged, but the documentation you left should make it fixable.
• Support in creating training and documentation that ensures clients can actually use and maintain what you build. A solution nobody understands is a solution that gets abandoned.

What Success Looks Like

• Clients use what you build because it solves real problems and fits how they actually work.
• Strategists trust your judgment on what's feasible and how long it will take.
• Your solutions hold up under real usage without constant firefighting.
• Other developers can extend your work because you've documented it and built it cleanly.
• Projects land on time because your estimates are grounded and you flag issues early.

Who we're looking for

• 5+ years building business software and implementing systems. This could be custom applications, low-code platforms, SaaS implementations, or some combination. What matters is you've built things real people depend on.
• Strong Retool experience. You've built production applications, not just demos. If you haven't used Retool specifically but have deep experience with similar tools and can demonstrate you'll pick it up quickly, that works too.
• JavaScript/TypeScript proficiency. You write code that works, not just code that runs. You're comfortable debugging, refactoring, and writing code that someone else will read later.
• Deep Database fluency. Comfortable with PostgreSQL, Supabase, or similar. You can design schemas, write queries, and transform raw data into structures that actually make sense.
• Strong API integration experience. You've connected systems, handled authentication, and dealt with the edge cases that come with real-world integrations.
• Automation platform familiarity. You've worked with n8n, Make, Zapier, or similar tools and understand when they're the right choice versus when to write code.
• Clear communication. You can explain technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders. You know when to push back and when to adapt.
• AI-augmented development. You're comfortable using AI coding assistants to accelerate your work. You see these tools as multipliers, not threats, and you're curious about what's possible.

Nice-to-Haves

What you'll get

• Real impact. You'll build solutions that directly change how companies operate. Not features that sit unused, not tickets in a backlog. Actual tools that people rely on.
• Remote flexibility. Work from anywhere in North America with at least 3 hours of PST overlap.
• Room to shape things. We're still figuring out how we build things as we grow. Your input matters.
• Compensation. Competitive salary, 3 weeks paid vacation to start, and benefits.