SOFTWARE DEVELOPER - BACKEND & PROJECT COORDINATION A development-focused role for a strong communicator who wants to grow into technical project management.

OVERVIEW

Company: MOTIV Creative Labs

Location: Fully remote. Must reside in the Lower Mainland or Greater Victoria, BC

Work arrangement: Fully remote, per-project contract to start (no guaranteed hours), with the chance to grow into part-time and then full-time employment

Compensation: $35–$55/hour, depending on experience and qualifications

This role initially begins on a per-project contract basis, with hours scoped for each project. Our goal is for the right person to grow with MOTIV into an ongoing part-time and eventually full-time role as project volume and mutual fit develop.

ABOUT MOTIV CREATIVE LABS

MOTIV Creative Labs is a small creative development studio that builds software, AI systems, websites, and business platforms for clients and for our own products.

Our work sits at the intersection of software development, design, business automation, and emerging AI technologies. Our current projects include business management platforms, AI-powered applications, client websites, integrations, and custom software systems.

We are looking for someone who wants to grow with a small company rather than simply fill a narrowly defined developer role.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a Software Developer who enjoys working with people as much as they enjoy working with technology.

The role is primarily focused on backend development and infrastructure, but we are specifically looking for someone with strong communication and organizational skills who has an interest in eventually taking on client communication, project coordination, and project management responsibilities.

This is an early-career to intermediate opportunity. You do not need to have years of professional development experience, nor do you need to know every technology in our stack. We care considerably more about your attitude, communication skills, organization, curiosity, reliability, and willingness to learn than about checking every box on a technology list.

The initial role will be primarily project-based development work, with project coordination and client-facing responsibilities introduced as appropriate. For the right person, we would like this to develop into a broader, long-term position with increasing responsibility for project planning, client communication, coordination, and eventually project management.

In other words, we are looking for someone who can become more than just a developer.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Initially, your work will focus primarily on:

- Developing and maintaining backend applications and APIs.
- Working with Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Redis, and related technologies.
- Building integrations with third-party APIs and services.
- Working with Docker and Docker Compose.
- Supporting Linux/VPS-based application deployments and infrastructure.
- Working with Git and GitHub-based development workflows.
- Writing maintainable, well-structured code.
- Debugging problems and investigating technical issues.
- Participating in technical planning and architectural discussions.
- Working alongside designers, developers, project managers, and clients.
- Learning unfamiliar technologies and systems as projects require them.

As you grow into the role, we would like you to take on increasing responsibility for:
- Breaking projects into tasks and estimating work.
- Tracking project progress and identifying potential problems early.
- Communicating with clients about requirements,



progress, questions, and technical considerations.
- Coordinating development work with other members of the team.
- Helping translate client/business requirements into technical tasks.
- Participating in project planning and delivery.
- Eventually taking ownership of projects or portions of projects.

THE PERSON WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Communication is extremely important to us.

We are a small company, and our developers work closely with both our internal team and our clients. We need someone who is comfortable talking to people, asking questions, explaining technical concepts clearly, and communicating when something is going wrong.

The ideal candidate is

- Motivated and ambitious.
- Organized and dependable.
- Comfortable working with other people.
- Outgoing and personable.
- A solid verbal and written communicator.
- Comfortable speaking with both technical and non-technical people.
- Curious and willing to learn.
- Able to work independently without needing constant direction.
- Comfortable asking questions when requirements are unclear.
- Proactive about identifying problems rather than waiting for someone else to find them.
- Interested in how software projects are planned, managed, and delivered.
- Interested in eventually taking on project management and client-facing responsibilities.
- Someone who takes pride in doing things properly rather than simply getting something to work.

We would much rather hire someone with the right attitude and potential who is still developing their technical experience than someone with an impressive résumé who is difficult to communicate with or work alongside.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS

Required

- Suitable post-secondary education in computer science, software engineering, information technology, or a related field.
- Strong fundamentals in software development.
- Experience with at least one modern programming language.
- Familiarity with relational databases and SQL.
- Familiarity with Git and version control.
- English: C1-level (professional) proficiency or higher, written and spoken communication skills.

Strongly Preferred

Our major projects currently make extensive use of:

- Python
- FastAPI
- PostgreSQL
- SQLAlchemy
- Redis
- Docker / Docker Compose
- Linux / Ubuntu
- Git / GitHub
- REST APIs and third-party API integrations

Additional Assets

Experience or familiarity with any of the following would go a long way:

- React
- TypeScript
- Next.js
- Tailwind CSS
- Node.js
- Async Python
- CI/CD and deployment workflows
- VPS administration
- Reverse proxies and HTTPS/TLS
- Cloud services
- AI/LLM APIs
- MCP (Model Context Protocol)
- Vector databases / pgvector
- Stripe or payment APIs
- Google APIs / Gmail / Google Drive integrations
- Automated testing
- Software architecture and design patterns

AI engineering experience is not required. We are interested in people who are interested in AI and who want to work with AI-powered applications, but we are not looking for an ML researcher.

Front-end development experience is also not required. Our primary need is backend development and infrastructure, although familiarity with front-end development is useful.





EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

We are intentionally flexible about professional experience.

This role could be a good fit for someone relatively early in their software development career who has strong fundamentals and wants the opportunity to grow quickly.

Professional experience is an asset, but we are not looking for a specific number of years of experience.

We are more interested in:

- What you can actually do.
- How you approach problems.
- How quickly you learn.
- How well you communicate.
- How organized and reliable you are.
- Whether you can work effectively with other people.
- Whether you have the potential to grow into a larger role.

Equivalent practical experience may be considered alongside formal education.

LANGUAGE

English: C1-level (professional) proficiency or higher, written and spoken communication skills.

Korean: Written and spoken fluency in Korean would be considered an asset, but is not required.

LOCATION

This is a fully remote position. There is no office to commute to, and collaboration happens online.

Candidates must currently reside in the Lower Mainland or Greater Victoria, British Columbia. Because we are a small, collaborative company, being in the same region and time zone as our team is important, but the role itself is remote.

COMPENSATION & GROWTH The starting compensation will be $35–$55/hour depending on experience and qualifications.

To start, the role is structured around per-project contract work. Projects vary in size and scope, so the number of hours will vary accordingly. For each project, we will scope the work together and ask you for an hours estimate before starting.

Our goal, however, is to find someone who can become a long-term member of the MOTIV team. If the fit is right, we intend to expand this arrangement from per-project contract work to part-time employment, and then to a full-time role.

For the right person, there is an opportunity to grow from primarily development work into a broader role involving Project Management.

We are particularly interested in candidates who find that progression appealing.

WHY THIS ROLE MIGHT BE A GOOD FIT

This may be a particularly good opportunity if you:

- Want to work on a variety of real-world software projects rather than one large corporate product.
- Want the flexibility of fully remote work.
- Enjoy both technology and working with people.
- Want to understand the business side of software development.
- Want exposure to clients and project management.
- Like learning new technologies.
- Are interested in AI-powered systems and business automation.
- Want meaningful responsibility as you demonstrate that you're ready for it.
- Want to grow alongside a small company.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit

- Your résumé.
- A brief introduction explaining why you are interested in MOTIV Creative Labs.
- A summary of your technical experience and the technologies you are most comfortable with.
- Links to GitHub, a portfolio, personal projects, or other relevant work if available.

We are interested in hearing about projects you have actually built. These do not need to be professional projects. Personal, academic, open-source, freelance, or experimental projects are all relevant.

When applying, please also tell us about a project or technical problem that required you to figure something out on your own. We are interested in how you approach problems, not just the final result.

Pay: $35.00-$55.00 per hour

Benefits

- Flexible schedule
- Work from home

Work Location: Remote

📌 Software Developer - Backend & Project Coordination (Vancouver)
🏢 Motiv Creative Labs
📍 Vancouver