Freelance Full Stack Developer Jobs in Orange, CA

Clerkie is a fintech startup on a mission to democratize financial wellness using the power of artificial intelligence. Launched in 2018, Clerkie began with an app, aiming to help the nearly 123 million underserved Americans in need of financial guidance. Since its inception, the company has expanded its services and now pairs consumer guidance with cutting-edge B2B software. By pairing the two through the Clerkie network, these tools have become the go-to resource for creditors looking to manage loan losses while simultaneously helping millions of borrowers get out of debt.

Clerkie is a remote-first company, with over 40 employees spanning 4 time zones across the United States. To date, the company has raised $41 million, including a $33 million Series A round in early 2023. Investors include leading financial and venture institutions, including Citi Ventures, Left Lane Capital, Wellington Ventures, Flourish Ventures, and Vestigo Ventures.

We're looking for a Full-Stack engineer who wants to build, own, and ship end-to-end product experiences in a fast-moving environment. This role is ideal for someone who is comfortable working across the stack - from backend systems to user-facing applications - and is ready to take meaningful ownership of features and systems.

At Clerkie, engineers don't just implement specs. You'll collaborate closely with product and design, contribute to technical decisions, and help shape how features come to life from concept through production. Because we're still early, this role goes beyond execution. You'll play a key role in how we build - contributing to system design, product development, and the overall evolution of our platform.

• Build and maintain full-stack features across backend services and user-facing applications
• Own features end-to-end - from design and implementation through production
• Contribute to system reliability, performance, and scalability
• Participate in technical design discussions and architecture decisions
• Collaborate closely with product and design to deliver high-quality user experiences
• Improve visibility into system health and performance
• Contribute to internal engineering practices, tooling, and documentation

• Scaled backend systems to support growing enterprise usage
• Built new infrastructure to support partner integrations
• Improved system observability and production reliability
• Supported high-priority product initiatives tied to revenue growth
• Collaborated closely with leadership on technical direction and tradeoffs
• Refined how we build, ship, and maintain systems
• Helped clean up and organize Coda, our internal knowledge hub, to make life easier for future new hires (like you!)
• Onboarded a new teammate to the Engineering team and updated internal rituals to set them up for success
• Spent the day on a private ranch in Jackson Hole horseback riding, axe throwing, eating outside a Michelin Star chef's table, roasting smores under the stars, and celebrating your latest hackathon win
• And more! From big wins to team traditions, it's been a big year so far and we're just getting started ????

• Experience building and shipping full-stack applications in production
• Strong fundamentals in backend development and system design
• Proficiency in JavaScript / TypeScript (Node.js and modern frontend frameworks)
• Experience working with databases (NoSQL experience is a plus)
• Ability to own features end-to-end and operate independently
• Strong communication skills across technical and non-technical teams
• Comfort working in a fast-moving startup environment

• Previous Full-Stack or software engineering experience
• Experience with cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS)
• Experience working on data-intensive or complex applications
• Familiarity with fintech or regulated environments
• Experience in early-stage or high-growth startups
• Curiosity about financial wellness and mission-driven technology

• Strong ownership mindset - you take responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks
• Bias for action - you move quickly and make thoughtful decisions
• Customer-first thinking - you care about the real-world impact of what you build
• Resilience and adaptability - you can navigate ambiguity and evolving priorities
• Desire to build something meaningful and long-lasting

• ???? Salary range: $90-150k
• ???? Equity
• ???? Remote-first role (US only)
• ???? Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• ???? 401(k) + retirement benefits
• ???? Paid time off + annual company retreat
• ???? Company laptop + home office stipend
• ???? Collaborative, values-driven culture

We believe in a two-way interview process that helps us get to know you—and helps you get to know us.

1. Application & Coderbyte (async candidate time)
2. Recruiting Screen w/ Head of People (15-20 minutes via Google meet)
3. Take-Home Challenge & Live Review w/ Sr. Engineer (challenge is async candidate time, live review is 45 mins via Google meet)
4. Live Coding Challenge w/ Sr. Engineer (90 minutes via Google meet)
5. Final Management Meeting w/ SLT (45 minutes via Google meet)

Before we extend any offers, all candidates must successfully complete a standard background check in addition to a reference check. These checks are conducted in tandem to ensure a safe, secure, and compliant environment for all Clerkie team members and stakeholders. We approach this stage with transparency and sensitivity, and candidates will be provided with clear information about the process.

At Clerkie, we embrace AI and use it throughout our day-to-day work. We value people who thoughtfully leverage modern tools to learn, build, and solve problems more effectively.

Our interview process is designed to evaluate each candidate's own technical thinking, communication, and problem-solving approach. To help ensure every candidate is assessed fairly, consistently, and under the same conditions, we ask candidates not to use external problem-solving resources during live interviews or technical assessments unless we explicitly state otherwise. This includes AI assistants, interview assistants, search engines, and other third-party resources. You're welcome to reference any documentation or materials that we provide as part of the interview.

This expectation does not apply to approved interview accommodations or assistive technologies. If you require a reasonable accommodation at any stage of our hiring process, please let us know. We're committed to providing an accessible and equitable interview experience for all candidates.

If this interview expectation is not followed, we may conclude the assessment and discontinue the interview process.