Platform Engineer

Platform Engineer – Remote | $4,500–$7,000/Month

Overview

REAL New York is hiring a Platform Engineer for a full-time remote independent contractor position.

The company is looking for an experienced software engineer to become the second engineer supporting its internal technology platform.

The platform is already live and is used throughout the business. It includes a customized Zoho Creator CRM, a PostgreSQL data layer, internal dashboards and tools, business-system integrations, and an AI query layer.

The successful candidate will work directly with the company’s Director of Innovation through a structured six-month ramp-up designed to transition responsibility for day-to-day platform operations.

Job Title: Platform Engineer
Company: REAL New York
Location: Remote
Employment Type: Full-Time Independent Contractor
Salary: $4,500–$7,000 per month
Annualized Compensation: Approximately $54,000–$84,000 per year
Experience: 4+ years of professional software engineering
Primary Technologies: Python, Flask, Jinja, HTMX, SQL, PostgreSQL, Zoho Creator
Work Schedule: At least 4 hours of daily overlap with 9 AM–6 PM New York time

About REAL New York

REAL New York is a residential and commercial real estate brokerage based in New York City with approximately 100 agents.

Over the past two years, the company has developed its own internal operating platform to support its day-to-day business operations.

The platform includes:

A heavily customized Zoho Creator CRM.
A PostgreSQL data layer.
Data synchronization systems.
Payroll integrations.
Accounting integrations.
Listing-system integrations.
Internal dashboards.
Internal business tools.
Workflow automations.
An AI query layer.

The platform is already live and plays an important role in the company’s daily operations.

About the Platform Engineer Role

The Platform Engineer will become the second engineer supporting the company’s platform.

The role is designed to reduce the platform’s dependence on a single technical owner while building long-term engineering capacity.

The successful candidate will receive direct training from the Director of Innovation who originally built the system.

The first six months will involve a structured ramp-up, with the goal of enabling the engineer to independently manage routine platform operations.

What You’ll Do

Your responsibilities will include:

Managing routine platform maintenance.
Fixing bugs across the platform.
Working from a prioritized ticket queue.
Using effort estimates to plan technical work.
Monitoring the platform’s data synchronization layer.
Maintaining integrations.
Developing scoped features.
Working within the existing platform architecture.
Building Python services.
Developing dashboard views.
Creating workflow automations.
Customizing Zoho Creator.
Supporting internal staff with technical questions.
Supporting teams responsible for training and helpdesk operations.
Documenting technical changes and systems.
Ensuring platform knowledge is documented rather than dependent on one individual.

Data Synchronization Responsibilities

The role includes maintaining the platform’s data synchronization layer.

The current system synchronizes Zoho Creator with PostgreSQL approximately every five minutes.

You will help monitor and maintain this synchronization process and troubleshoot problems when they arise.

Third-Party Integrations

The Platform Engineer will also work with integrations involving systems such as:

QuickBooks
Follow Up Boss
Google Workspace

Experience maintaining third-party integrations will therefore be important.

Core Technical Requirements

Candidates must have:

Professional Software Engineering Experience

At least 4 years of professional software engineering experience is required.

Applicants should have a strong understanding of software development and experience working on production systems.

Python

Strong Python skills are required.

The company’s services run using:

Flask
Jinja templates
HTMX frontends

Candidates should therefore be comfortable working within this technology stack.

SQL and PostgreSQL

Strong SQL knowledge and real-world PostgreSQL experience are required.

This includes experience with:

Database schema design.
SQL joins.
Complex queries.
Query debugging.
Working with messy real-world data.
Data relationships.
Database maintenance.

API Integration Experience

Applicants should have experience integrating and maintaining third-party APIs.

Relevant experience includes:

REST APIs
OAuth
Webhooks
API troubleshooting
Integration maintenance

The ability to understand how external systems communicate with the company’s internal platform will be an important part of the job.

Zoho Creator and Low-Code Development

A key requirement is a genuine willingness to work with low-code platforms.

The company’s CRM is built using Zoho Creator and its Deluge scripting language.

Applicants do not need to already know Zoho Creator because the company will provide training.

However, candidates should be comfortable working in a low-code environment because a significant amount of routine platform work will take place within Zoho Creator.

Important Candidate Fit

This position may not be suitable for developers who strongly prefer traditional software engineering environments and do not want to work with low-code systems.

The company specifically emphasizes that willingness to work with Zoho Creator is an important part of the role.

English Language Requirements

Strong written and spoken English is required.

The company specifies C1-level English or equivalent.

The successful candidate will need to:

Write technical tickets.
Prepare documentation.
Communicate with non-technical staff.
Explain technical issues clearly.
Collaborate with internal teams.

Remote Work Requirements

This is a remote position.

However, candidates must be able to maintain reliable working conditions.

Applicants are expected to have:

Stable electricity/power.
Reliable internet.
A backup plan for outages.
The ability to work consistently during agreed working hours.

Working Hours

Candidates must have at least 4 hours of daily overlap with the company’s working window:

9:00 AM – 6:00 PM New York time

Applicants should therefore be comfortable working a schedule that provides meaningful overlap with the New York business day.

Nice-to-Have Skills

The following skills and experience are considered advantageous:

Zoho Creator experience.
Experience with comparable low-code platforms.
LLM API experience.
Claude API experience.
Experience with AI architectures.
Experience with tiered model routing.
Real estate industry experience.
Fintech experience.
Payments experience.
Node.js.
Tailwind CSS.
Cron-based job orchestration.
Cloudflare.

AI and LLM Experience

The company’s platform includes an AI query layer.

The team currently uses the Claude API with tiered model routing.

Experience with LLM APIs or working inside an existing AI architecture would therefore be an advantage.

Candidates don’t necessarily need to be AI specialists, but familiarity with AI-powered applications could strengthen their application.

Industry Experience

Experience in any of the following areas would be beneficial:

Real estate.
Fintech.
Payments.
Business operations platforms.
CRM systems.
Data platforms.

However, these are listed as nice-to-have qualifications rather than core requirements.

Hiring Process

REAL New York outlines a streamlined hiring process.

1. Resume Review

The company will first review submitted resumes and professional backgrounds.

Candidates whose experience appears relevant may proceed to the technical screening stage.

2. 30-Minute Technical Screen

The next stage involves a 30-minute technical interview.

Candidates will be asked to walk through a system they have built.

The discussion will focus on:

Technical decisions.
Architecture.
Problem-solving.
Engineering judgment.
Implementation choices.

Applicants should be prepared to explain not just what they built, but why they made particular technical decisions.

3. Paid Trial Task

Candidates who progress through the technical screen may complete a small, scoped piece of real work.

The company states that the trial task is:

Paid.
Fairly compensated.
Typically completed in less than one week.

This gives both the candidate and company an opportunity to evaluate the working relationship using practical engineering work.

4. Offer

The company states that it moves quickly for the right candidate.

Compensation

The position pays:

$4,500 – $7,000 per month

The role is structured as a full-time independent contractor position.

Based on the stated monthly compensation, the annualized equivalent is approximately:

$54,000 – $84,000 per year

Actual monthly compensation will depend on experience and other relevant factors.

Employment Type

Full-Time Independent Contractor

This is not presented as a traditional employee position.

Candidates should consider the implications of independent contractor status, including applicable tax, benefits, and employment arrangements, before accepting an offer.

Who Should Apply?

This position may be a strong fit for experienced software engineers with backgrounds in:

Python development.
Backend engineering.
Platform engineering.
PostgreSQL.
SQL.
API integrations.
Data synchronization.
CRM platforms.
Automation.
Business systems.
Dashboard development.
AI/LLM integrations.

It may particularly suit engineers who enjoy maintaining and improving real-world production systems rather than working exclusively on greenfield projects.

Key Job Highlights

Position: Platform Engineer
Company: REAL New York
Location: Remote
Employment: Full-Time Independent Contractor
Pay: $4,500–$7,000/month
Annualized Pay: ~$54,000–$84,000/year
Experience: 4+ years
Primary Language: Python
Database: PostgreSQL
SQL: Required
Framework: Flask
Frontend Technologies: Jinja + HTMX
CRM: Zoho Creator
Integration: REST, OAuth, Webhooks
AI: Claude API / LLM architecture
Time Zone: New York business hours
Daily Overlap: Minimum 4 hours

Why This Role Stands Out

This is not simply a short-term development project.

The company describes the position as a long-term seat responsible for helping operate and evolve an already-established platform.

The selected engineer will receive direct training from the person who built the platform and will gradually take ownership of day-to-day maintenance, integrations, monitoring, bug fixes, and feature development.

For an experienced engineer who enjoys Python, databases, APIs, automation, and platform operations, the role provides an opportunity to have direct ownership of a production business platform.

Important Applicant Considerations

Before applying, candidates should make sure they are comfortable with:

Working as an independent contractor.
Remote work.
At least four hours of daily overlap with New York working hours.
Maintaining reliable internet and power.
Working with Zoho Creator and Deluge.
Supporting existing production systems.
Working with messy real-world data.
Maintaining third-party integrations.
Communicating with non-technical staff.
Completing a paid technical trial task if selected.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply through the platform where the vacancy is currently listed.

Apply Now

Final Summary

REAL New York is hiring a remote Platform Engineer at $4,500–$7,000 per month.

The company is seeking an experienced software engineer with 4+ years of professional experience, strong Python, SQL, and PostgreSQL skills, plus experience with APIs and third-party integrations.

The engineer will work on a live platform incorporating Zoho Creator, PostgreSQL, Python services, dashboards, workflow automations, business integrations, and an AI query layer.

The position is a full-time independent contractor role with a structured six-month onboarding period and the opportunity to take long-term ownership of the platform’s day-to-day operations.