Full-Stack Python Web Developer
Plucky Works, a small software company building affordable editorial tools for local newsrooms, is looking for a part-time freelance Full-Stack Web Developer to join the team to help refine its existing tool, Plucky Wire, and build new features and newsroom workflows.
We’re looking for a developer who understands the realities of small newsrooms and can translate editorial workflows into simple, maintainable Django code. This person must be comfortable working independently and on small teams, must communicate clearly in writing and verbally, and must bring practical fluency with Python/Django plus a healthy respect for the constraints small newsrooms operate under.
The developer would join our existing dev team and would report directly to Johnny Bassett, Plucky Works’ founder and original developer. You’ll also sometimes work directly with editors at small newsrooms to learn how they produce stories, what tools they rely on, and where Plucky Works can remove friction so reporters can spend more time doing the original local reporting only they can do. (You can read more about our work in Nieman Lab.)
The ideal candidate for this position can build complete Django apps end-to-end (including integration with simple front-end frameworks) and ship features that are straightforward, extensible, and easy to maintain. We put an extremely high value on generalist experience, including work as a non-technical reporter or in the humanities. We hope to find someone who wants to grow with the company, ideally to come on full time as soon as budgets allow. If you know how to code, you like working on interdisciplinary teams, and you like working with small and scrappy newsrooms, you'll likely thrive here.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We aim to hire by early March 2026.
Job type: Part-time, freelance (we aim to upgrade this to full-time freelance as soon as budgets allow)
Location: Remote-friendly (We span multiple timezones, and our work is with newsrooms across the U.S.)
Compensation: $70/hr
Interested? Email Johnny at johnny@pluckyworks.org with a brief summary of your relevant experience and interest. He will respond to everyone who applies, and starting Feb 15, he'll start interviewing the strongest applicants.