Senior React Native Developer — SaaS Platform (Contract)

About us
We are building a next-generation SaaS platform for sports club and membership management, targeting an initial US launch with a staged global rollout. The platform serves clubs, organizations, and subscribers across multiple sports disciplines. Performance, real-time data delivery, and accessibility are first-class concerns from day one.

We operate async-first with structured sprint delivery. The CTO is based in Canada (PST). Our project manager is based in Armenia (GMT+4) and our Lead Dev is in Pakistan (GMT+5). You will need meaningful daily overlap with each.

The role
You will build our iOS and Android apps from scratch in React Native and take them from empty repo to live in both stores. You own the mobile layer end-to-end: architecture, implementation, release pipeline, and the quality of what users actually hold in their hands. This is a hands-on build role with real ownership. We want your opinions on mobile architecture, and we expect you to push back when an API response or a design does not work on a phone.

What you will work on

• Build the iOS and Android apps in React Native, from empty repo to both stores
• Implement existing Figma/Lovable designs at high fidelity, including a reusable component library
• Integrate against our Django REST Framework API and flag gaps, inefficiencies, and mobile-hostile responses rather than working around them silently
• Build the core booking experience: real-time court availability, multi-court scheduling, conflict handling, and cancellations
• Integrate Stripe payments across multiple countries and currencies, including Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Build player-facing features: matchmaking, in-app chat, push notifications, and match history
• Set up and own CI/CD, builds, store submissions, staged rollouts, and OTA updates
• Instrument the apps with crash reporting, analytics, and performance monitoring
• Ensure the apps work in every market we launch in: localization, RTL layouts, timezone handling, and low-bandwidth conditions
• Maintain documentation sufficient for another developer to pick up the codebase and be productive quickly

Tech stack

• React Native
• TypeScript
• Expo / EAS (Build, Submit, Update)
• React Navigation / Expo Router
• TanStack Query
• Stripe (stripe-react-native)
• APNs / FCM
• react-native-maps
• Django REST Framework (API consumption)
• GitHub

*What we are looking for (Required) *

• Proven experience building production mobile apps, with at least two React Native apps you shipped and maintained on both the App Store and Google Play (links required)
• Strong TypeScript
• Experience with Expo/EAS (Build, Submit, Update) or a clear rationale for a bare React Native setup
• Solid grasp of the React Native New Architecture (Fabric, TurboModules)
• Proven ability to implement Figma/Lovable designs faithfully, including responsive behaviour across device sizes and a consistent component system
• Comfortable consuming an API you didn't design like reading docs, handling real-world error states, negotiating changes constructively. Ours is Django REST Framework, so you should be at home with token/JWT auth, DRF pagination and DRF-style validation error payloads
• React Navigation or Expo Router, plus modern server-state handling (TanStack Query or equivalent) with caching and optimistic updates
• Push notifications end-to-end (APNs + FCM), deep links and universal links
• Maps and geolocation (react-native-maps, Places/geocoding)
• Stripe integration on mobile (@stripe/stripe-react-native, PaymentSheet) including Apple Pay / Google Pay, and an understanding of why booking a physical court is a real-world service and therefore doesn't require In-App Purchase
• Full ownership of the release process: signing, provisioning, store review, phased rollouts, versioning
• Confident with dates, timezones and recurring schedules — and aware of how easily they go wrong
• Clear written communication and reliable async work habits

Strongly Preferred

• Enough Swift and/or Kotlin to debug and patch native modules yourself
• Real-time features like WebSockets, Firebase, Supabase, or a chat SDK
• Internationalization and RTL support (i18next or similar)
• Performance work: FlashList/FlatList optimization, Reanimated, Gesture Handler, startup time
• CI/CD (EAS pipelines, Fastlane, GitHub Actions) and E2E testing (Maestro or Detox)
• Background in marketplace, booking or social apps
• Interest in racquet sports for you'll have better instincts about the product

Engagement structure

• Independent contractor engagement (Panama-incorporated company)
• Full-time equivalent hours available (40 hrs/week)
• Paid trial period (1-2 weeks) with real project work before long-term commitment
• Async-first environment with structured sprint cadence
• Opportunity for a longer-term engagement based on performance

Note on the application process:
Shortlisted candidates will be required to complete a rigorous technical assessment before any offer is made. The test is designed for senior engineers and covers React Native architecture decisions, component implementation from a Figma spec, API integration with real error handling, store submission and release pipeline design, and live code review. Candidates who cannot explain their implementation line by line will not pass. Do not apply if you are not prepared for this level of scrutiny.

To apply, please include

• Your timezone and available overlap hours with PST
• Links to at least two React Native apps you shipped and maintained on both the App Store and Google Play
• A description of the most complex mobile feature you built end-to-end and what made it hard
• How you have handled Stripe or equivalent payment integration on mobile, including edge cases
• Your approach to owning the full release pipeline, including what has gone wrong and how you handled it
• Your approach to working in a distributed, async-first team