Full-Stack Product Developer

Colonist; Dihlabeng Local Municipality; Remote; ZAR 300 000 - 400 000; Full time

Job summary

A digital board game company is seeking a Full-Stack Product Developer to join their fully remote team. This role involves developing game modes and features that enhance player experiences, ensuring high-quality UI/UX across platforms. Candidates should have over 5 years of experience in software development, with strong skills in Node.js, React, and game system design. The position offers a competitive salary, stock options, unlimited vacation, and a flexible, asynchronous work environment.

Benefits

Unlimited vacation

Monthly budget for productivity tools

Work equipment provided

Yearly offsite

Flexible hours

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software development experience.
• Deep experience with Node.js and modern full-stack development.
• Strong grasp of Git, code reviews, and collaborative workflows.
• Proven ability to design and maintain scalable architectures.
• Solid understanding of game systems, patterns, and how to keep them fun and stable.
• Skilled in React, TypeScript, CSS, and building high-performance UIs.
• Strong written communication in async settings.
• Experienced with relational databases and REST APIs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and enhance game modes and features.
• Ensure seamless UI/UX across platforms.
• Scale the codebase for multiple game titles.
• Own full-stack development from backend logic to polished UI.
• Mentor peers to ensure code quality.
• Identify and optimize performance bottlenecks.

Skills

Node.js

React

TypeScript

CSS

Git

Game systems knowledge

Communication skills

REST APIs

Relational databases

Job description

Overview

Wanted: Colonist Full-Stack Product Developer

Working Hours: We work asynchronously and value outcomes over hours

Location: Fully Remote, Anywhere in the world

Compensation:

• Competitive salary paid in USD.

• Negotiable range based on experience and location

• Stock (own a piece of Colonist)

About Colonist

We\'re building the biggest digital board game platform on the internet. Last year, our players spent 2,466 years playing 45 million games on our Settlers of Catan alternative. We\'re a fully remote, asynchronous team spread across multiple continents, focused on crafting extremely polished digital board games that people truly love.

The Role

As a Full-Stack Product Developer at Colonist, your mission is to develop and enhance game modes and features to deliver excellent player experiences. You will oversee the full development of game interfaces, ensuring seamless UI/UX across platforms, high code quality, performance, and stability. Your technical skills and player-focused mindset will shape how over 5 million players engage with our games each year.

What You’ll Do

• Evolve our game architecture, ensuring cleaner code boundaries and better scalability

• Architect multi-platform systems to enable consistent features

• Scale the codebase to support multiple game titles, while maintaining performance and developer velocity

• Own full-stack development, from backend logic to polished UI

• Balance technical complexity and product value, helping prioritize work that brings the biggest impact to players

• Review pull requests and mentor peers to ensure code quality, maintainability, and strong architectural foundations

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to turn concepts into highly engaging and intuitive player experiences

• Identify and optimize performance bottlenecks, ensuring gameplay feels smooth even under heavy load

• Continuously improve tools and workflows, leveraging automation, testing, and CI/CD for faster iteration

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional software development experience

• Deep experience with Node.js and modern full-stack development

• Strong grasp of Git, code reviews, and collaborative workflows

• Proven ability to design and maintain scalable architectures

• Solid understanding of game systems, patterns, and how to keep them fun and stable

• Skilled in React, TypeScript, CSS, and building high-performance UIs

• Strong written communication, you explain complex ideas clearly in async settings

• Experienced with relational databases and REST APIs

• Are passionate about board games, both as a player and a developer

Nice to Have

• Knowledge of data analysis or SQL for player insights

• Contributions to open-source or dev communities

Our Values at Colonist

We strongly adhere to these values in our team - if these resonate, then you’ll love working here!

Dependability

We\'re self-driven players who deliver without needing supervision. When we commit to something, we make it happen.

Ownership

We take full responsibility and go beyond our roles to improve Colonist. Each of us acts like we own the company, because through our stock options, we do.

Clear Communication

In our remote environment, written communication is key. We\'re direct, structured, and always keep our team in the loop.

Efficient Execution

We move fast and focus on impact. Instead of getting stuck on perfect solutions, we find practical ways forward and get things done.

Continuous Learning

We\'re curious problem solvers who love a challenge. We constantly seek new ideas, embrace feedback, and aren\'t afraid to change our minds when we\'re wrong.

Benefits and Compensation

Compensation

• Competitive salary paid in USD

• Stock (own a piece of Colonist)

Benefits

• Fully remote team spread across multiple time zones

• Flexible hours, we work asynchronously and value outcomes over hours

• Unlimited vacation

• Yearly offsite

• Work equipment provided

• Monthly budget for productivity tools

Growth

• Work directly impacts 5M+ yearly active players

• Rapid learning opportunities

• Work with exceptional colleagues on challenging projects

• Freedom to identify and solve problems

• Access to all company metrics and discussions

• Expect deep work and autonomy with clear expectations and accountability