Retelligence is partnering with a small, well-funded tech-for-good organization building products that help research teams organize, connect and make sense of complex information. This is a chance to do meaningful work with real-world impact, alongside a flat, collaborative team where engineers have genuine ownership of what they build. You’ll own the PostgreSQL database at the heart of the platform: designing it, automating it and making it scale, while working on interesting challenges around data sync, structured data and AI.
The role
Every part of the platform connects to one shared PostgreSQL database (hosted on Supabase). You’ll take ownership of that database and improve it steadily, moving towards a more automated, scalable setup as more research teams come on board.
What you’ll work on first
Finish a two-way sync between two note-taking platforms with very different data models, including handling conflicts on repeat syncs
Extend the schema to store full note content, not just titles, and expose it through the API so AI tools can read it
Fix import issues: small data bugs that currently break the sync
Write a short assessment of an upcoming data-model change on one platform: what it costs, what it affects, and when a decision is needed
What we’re looking for
PostgreSQL as your main skill: schema design, migrations and performance
Experience keeping two systems or applications in sync
An automation mindset: scripts, CI/CD, infrastructure as code
Clear written communication, explaining trade-offs in pull requests and tickets
Comfortable making decisions without perfect information, and writing down why
Nice to have
Supabase or similar managed Postgres (AWS RDS/Aurora, Neon, Cloud SQL)
Sync, CRDT or offline-first systems
Knowledge graphs, linked data or scientific infrastructure
Node.js / TypeScript
Comfort with AI-assisted development
The essentials
$70–110 per hour
, depending on experience
Initial 3-month contract, starting ASAP, with a likely extension. Part-time or full-time considered.
Fully remote, East Coast US or Canada
Open source: your work ships publicly, with your name on it