The Motley Fool is looking for a highly skilled Freelance Backend Developer with strong python skills to work on building out internal tools. 
This is a senior-level role that requires a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience. This is an independent contract position that will require roughly 40 hours of work per week for at least 12 months. The role is 100% remote. However, candidates must be located in the United States for consideration. 

Who are we?

We are The Motley Fool, a purpose-driven financial information and services firm with more than 30 years of experience focused on making the world smarter, happier, and richer. But what does that even mean?! It means we’re helping Fools (always with a capital “F”) demystify the world of finance, beat the stock market, and achieve personal wealth and happiness through our products and services.

The Motley Fool is firmly committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity. We are a motley group of overachievers that have built a culture of trust founded on Foolishness, fun, and a commitment to making the world smarter, happier and richer.  However you identify or whatever winding road has led you to us, please don't hesitate to apply if the description above leaves you thinking, "Hey! I could do that!"

What does this team do? 

Renowned for our commitment to making the world smarter, happier, and richer, we're at the forefront of integrating cutting-edge AI and ML technologies into our operations. As we continue to innovate and enhance our services, our IT Team contributes to our mission by developing internal tools that enhance productivity, foster innovation, and enable automation.

What would you do in this role? 

We’re looking for someone to help make The Motley Fool a more efficient workplace by helping us build AI-based internal tools. You’d work with teams across Fooldom to identify areas that could be improved or automated, and help create the tools to solve problems. Someone who enjoys solving problems, collaborating and mentoring others will thrive in this role. 

Okay, but what would you actually do in this role? 

• Architect and implement scalable back-end systems for a variety of internal tools, ensuring robust integration with front-end interfaces.
• Using Python, connect various internal tools with third party API’s
• Utilize Infrastructure as Code practices to automate and manage cloud-based resources efficiently, ensuring scalable, reliable, and secure infrastructure for all internal tools and applications.
• Enhance and maintain our internal Slack application suite, with a focus on performance, reliability, and the integration of AI/ML API’s.
• Develop and integrate AI/ML API’s into our applications, particularly enhancing our Amazon Connect call center and AI based chatbot capabilities.
• Foster a proactive and adaptable approach to project challenges and evolving requirements.
• Display enthusiasm for teaching and mentoring within the team, especially in pushing forward technical skill sets and project management techniques.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Solid mid-level to senior developer experience with a focus in Python, and event-driven architecture.
• Proven expertise working with various APIs and data structures for developing robust system integrations across diverse platforms, to ensure seamless data flow and functionality between them.
• Experience with AWS services such as DynamoDB, Lambda, EKS, EventBridge, and API Gateway, and a particular interest in serverless architecture.
• Experience with Terraform for Infrastructure as Code (IaC), enabling automated and reproducible infrastructure setups, scaling, and management across cloud environments.
• Experience with Docker
• Strong online collaboration and communication skills, crucial for a fully remote working environment.

Even better if you have:

• Previous experience with Amazon Connect 
• Experience with front-end technologies, notably React/Next, for seamless integration with front-end focused developments, a plus.
• Experience with Fast API
• A passion for investing and/or familiarity with The Motley Fool’s tools and services