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Full Stack Tech Lead

San Francisco Bay Area

About Instead

Instead is a tax platform designed to help taxpayers and tax professionals collaborate to save money on taxes. As the first company in decades to receive IRS approvals to E-file 1040, 1041, 1120, 1120S, and 1065 — we’re re-inventing a complex category. Founded in 2023, Instead combines LLMs with tax law to make tax management a continuous, proactive process rather than a dreaded annual deadline.

Instead’s investors include Sarah Guo, from Conviction (conviction.com) and many of our customers who believe in our mission and vision. The Instead team comprises talented leaders from leading tax, financial services and fintech companies — Gusto, Intuit, Zenefits, Thomson Reuters, Wolters Kluwer, Bloomberg — as well as top tax & accounting firms such as PwC, BDO, RSM, and KPMG.

Instead was a 2024 Innovation Award Finalist in CPA Practice Advisor. Instead’s CEO, Andrew Argue, is a CPA and has been named Top 100 Most Influential People in the Accounting Profession twice - Ones To Watch and CPA Practice Advisors 20 under 40.

About the Role

We're looking for a Full Stack Tech Lead who’s excited to build impactful, AI-driven features! Join our in-office team of developers, product experts, and tax pros working together to reinvent tax tech. Most of our team works remotely, but our in-office crew thrives on in-person collaboration—and a little friendly ping-pong.

What You’ll Do

  • Take Ownership and Collaborate: With the innovations of Cursor blurring the lines between engineering, product, and design, you’ll own projects from start to finish. You’ll collaborate closely with everyone, but this is your chance to fully drive features forward.
  • Build New Features Fast: Create and improve apps for our team and customers, adding AI wherever possible to make them smarter and more efficient.
  • Wear Many Hats: Dive into everything from styling with Tailwind CSS to solving JavaScript challenges and working with data. Our team values versatility, so you’ll get to work across the entire development stack.
  • Innovate with a Balanced Lifestyle: Our team thrives on a healthy work-life balance, and everyone brings a unique skill set. Here, you’re encouraged to share ideas openly without being “boxed in” to one role.

Our Tech Stack

Front End:

  • Vue, Nuxt, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS

Back End:

  • Go, Docker on AWS ECS/Fargate, PostgreSQL on AWS RDS

Plus: We’re big on AI, using tools like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini across our products and internal projects. If you’re excited about creating smart, intuitive apps powered by AI, this is your place.

What We’re Looking For

  • 4+ years of JavaScript experience
  • Skilled in HTML & CSS (Bonus if you know Vue.js!)
  • Familiar with Git and REST APIs
  • Driven to create smooth, easy experiences for users
  • Enjoys problem-solving and thrives on teamwork

Perks

  • Unlimited PTO
  • Company equity
  • 401k with contributions
  • 100% paid health insurance
  • Paid parental leave
  • Fun office perks…and more!

Equal Opportunity Employer - M/F/D/V. We trust our team with important information, so all hires must pass a background check before starting.

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