Full Stack Engineer (Chicago)

Housr; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 68,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Hybrid work

Team lunches

Founders access

PTO 20 days

Healthcare cover

401(k) match

Autonomy

Job summary

Housr is hiring its first US-based engineer to join the global product and engineering team. You’ll be based with the US team in Chicago while staying connected to the Manchester office, collaborating on US priorities and the wider platform.

You’ll own backend services with PHP/Laravel, build frontend experiences in React/Next.js/React Native, and work with AWS, MySQL, and AI tooling to deliver high quality product quickly and reliably.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of full stack ownership and delivery experience.
• Strong backend experience with PHP and Laravel.
• Commercial frontend experience with React, Next.js and/or React Native.
• Experience with AWS and relational databases such as MySQL.
• Ability to work independently part of the day and communicate clearly with non‑technical colleagues.
• Comfort using AI tools (Cursor, Claude, GitHub Copilot) as part of the workflow.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain backend services and APIs using PHP and Laravel.
• Develop web and mobile product experiences with React, Next.js and React Native.
• Deliver US product priorities and integrations alongside the wider platform.
• Act as engineering contact for US colleagues, translating requests into technical work.
• Review code, ensure maintainability and quality, and participate in planning and design decisions.

Skills

Full stack ownership

PHP

Laravel

React

Next.js

React Native

AWS

MySQL

Tools

Cursor

Claude

GitHub Copilot

Job description

The Opportunity

Housr is a Series A technology company making off-campus student housing simpler for students, parents, colleges and property partners.

The company started after co-founders Harry Panter and Ben Clayton experienced first-hand how stressful and outdated student renting could be. Today, Housr operates across the UK and US, with a global team across Manchester, Chicago and New York. In 2025, we reached $10 million in annual recurring revenue and raised a $10 million Series A to support the next stage of growth.

Our products help students find properties, book tours, request leases, find roommates and access perks. We also build tools for colleges, parents and property partners. With hundreds of colleges signed and the platform expected to serve up to 750,000 active students over the next year, there is plenty to build and improve.

We're hiring our first US-based engineer to join Housr's global product and engineering team . Our US business is growing quickly and the team needs an experienced technical partner working in the same time zone.

You’ll be based with our wider US team in Chicago while staying closely connected to engineering, product and design colleagues in Manchester, UK. Part of each day will involve working independently while the UK team is offline. You’ll be the engineering point of contact for US colleagues, helping them understand what's possible, turning requests into clear technical work and dealing with issues that arise during US business hours

This isn't a separate US codebase or a support-only position. You’ll build the same products, work to the same engineering standards and contribute to planning, code reviews and technical decisions across the wider team.

What You'll Own

• Build and maintain backend services and APIs using modern PHP and Laravel.
• Develop web and mobile product experiences across React, Next.js and React Native using Expo.
• Deliver US product priorities, integrations and new features alongside work on the wider Housr platform.
• Act as the first engineering point of contact for colleagues in the US office, asking the right questions and explaining technical decisions clearly to non-technical people.
• Balance planned project work with smaller requests that need a quick response, without losing sight of quality or longer-term priorities.
• Work closely with Product and Design, making good use of the daily overlap with the Manchester engineering team.
• Review code, share context and help keep the codebase clean, modular and maintainable.
• Use AI development tools where they help, while reviewing and validating the output rather than accepting it at face value.

What You Could Work On

The US roadmap already includes:

• The Housr student app and the core property search, tour and lease journeys.
• Portals for property partners, colleges and parents.
• Upgrading AI tooling across the product stack
• Integrations with major US property management platforms.
• A new ticketing experience for the US market.
• A recently rebuilt student perks portal and further local product improvements as new colleges go live.

Our current technology

Here’s a quick insight into what we’re using today > Laravel, React and Next.js, React Native and Expo, MySQL, AWS: EC2, App Runner, CodePipeline, S3 and RDS, AWS Bedrock, MCP and AI-assisted development tools

What Good Looks Like In You

• Strong commercial full stack engineering experience (ideally 3+ exp of strong ownership)
• Strong hands‑on experience building backend services and APIs in PHP and Laravel.
• Commercial frontend experience with React, ideally including Next.js and/or React Native.
• Experience working with AWS and relational databases such as MySQL.
• The confidence to work independently for part of the day, make sensible calls and ask for help early when you need it.
• Clear communication with technical and non-technical colleagues. You should be comfortable translating in both directions without overcomplicating things.
• A practical approach to production issues, prioritization and context switching.
• Care for code quality, performance and maintainability, even when the business needs to move quickly.
• Comfort using tools such as Cursor, Claude or GitHub Copilot as part of your workflow, alongside sound engineering judgment and QA.
• The ability to work from our central Chicago office four days a week, with Thursday as the company-wide remote day.

Experience in a startup, scale-up or distributed engineering team would be useful, particularly if you've previously worked as the main technical contact for a local office. It isn't essential if you can show the same level of ownership in another environment.

What we offer

• A genuinely competitive base salary + stock options/meaningful equity (full details to be shared during initial interview)
• Eligibility to participate in Housr's stock option plan, subject to the plan terms.
• A hybrid setup with four days in our central Chicago office and Thursday working remotely.
• Regular team lunches and company socials.
• Direct access to the founders and the chance to influence how engineering develops in the US.
• 20 days paid time off plus federal holidays.
• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision cover, with options for dependents.
• 401(k) match (100% match on first 3%, 50% match on next 2%), life, and disability cover.
• Flexibility & trust with autonomy to do your best work and direct access to founders.

Introductory call with Talent partner (30 mins) - Practical Tech Task - Final Interview with Co-Founder/CTO (60mins)