Independent Contractor Software Developer Jobs in Columbia, SC

This is a remote role based in North America, with a strong preference for candidates located in the U.S. Eastern Time Zone. 

Enterprises are moving AI agents from experimentation into production, and they need infrastructure that is secure, auditable, and runs behind their own firewall. As a Software Engineer II on Stacklok's core platform team, you will help build and harden the systems behind Stacklok Enterprise, the production distribution of ToolHive, the open source platform for running and governing MCP servers.

This is a hands-on role with real independence. You will deliver features and fix issues across the systems that let Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies run AI agents securely at scale, from the runtime that isolates MCP servers and the Kubernetes operator that manages them to the gateway, registry, and identity layers. You will go deep in one area while building a system-wide understanding of how the whole platform fits together.

The timing is what makes it compelling. Customers are signing on now, the platform is being hardened for their production environments, and you will build alongside engineers, managers, and product partners defining this category as it emerges.

• Ramped quickly on the platform codebase and began contributing independently, self-organizing on tasks without needing close guidance.
  
• Shipped your first features and fixes into an enterprise release within the first few months, then delivered core platform work consistently thereafter.
  
• Resolved assigned production issues within SLA, keeping enterprise customers unblocked and their deployments stable.
  
• Supported users in the open source ToolHive community, helping them resolve issues and get more value from the platform.
  
• Strengthened the team by reviewing pull requests thoughtfully and building strong working relationships across engineering and product.

• Build and deliver features across the platform services that make up Stacklok Enterprise, including the runtime, Kubernetes operator, gateway, and registry.
  
• Fix bugs and harden platform systems for enterprise production use, improving stability across customer deployments.
  
• Write testable, readable code that accounts for edge cases and error handling, and produce clear design docs for the work you take on.
  
• Review pull requests and contribute to design discussions, working alongside technical leads, product, and fellow engineers on shared platform efforts.
  
• Plan and sequence your own tasks and small epics independently, knowing when to pull in a teammate or escalate a design question.
  
• Contribute to the open source ToolHive codebase and collaborate with community contributors on shared work.

We do not expect every candidate to meet every point below. If this role excites you and you bring most of it, we encourage you to apply.

• Proficiency in Go, writing clean, testable code that accounts for edge cases and error handling.
  
• Working knowledge of Kubernetes and container technologies such as Docker, including isolation and networking, ideally in self-hosted environments.
  
• Demonstrated ability to deliver features independently across a backend or platform codebase, from implementation through testing and into a release.
  
• Experience building or operating platform services such as APIs, gateways, Kubernetes operators, or release and deployment tooling.
  
• Demonstrated ability to write clear design docs and give thoughtful code reviews that raise the quality of shared work.
  
• Comfort collaborating in an open source environment. Familiarity with MCP or AI-agent infrastructure is a plus.
  
• AI-first mindset: integrates AI tools into their development workflow to accelerate delivery and improve the quality of what they build.
  
• Communication: excellent written and verbal communication, able to explain complex technical ideas clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
  
• Startup mentality and intrinsic motivation: self-directed and hands-on, thrives in fast-moving, ambiguous environments and drives clarity through action.

Compensation: The anticipated base salary range for this position is $157,500 - $192,500. In addition to base salary, this role offers equity and a comprehensive benefits package.

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