Motorsport Network is looking for a Lead Python Developer to take technical ownership of the Motorsport Stats platform — the system that collects results documents from race organisers, turns them into structured data, and gives our operators the tools to keep 65+ racing series running without manual work.
This is a lead role: you write backend code, and you also own the architecture, the development process and the delivery of the roadmap — working directly with the Product Owner and one more developer on the team.
What You Will Do * Own the backend architecture — service boundaries, data contracts and the decisions behind them — and keep them documented. * Build and maintain the FastAPI services behind the platform: race calendar, source configuration, document collection, parsing and publication. * Own the background pipeline — scheduled polling, fetching, parsing, retention — including how it behaves when a source breaks hours before a race. * Lead the staging layer: map parser output onto our canonical model, match drivers, teams and cars against reference data, and commit verified results. * Shape the PostgreSQL data model and keep queries fast as coverage grows. * Extend the MCP gateway that lets operators query and drive the platform from a chat interface. * Own delivery: turn the roadmap into shippable work, review code, keep tests and CI gates meaningful, and decide what ships. * Keep the React operator interface healthy together with the second developer.
Our Stack * Backend: Python 3.12, FastAPI, SQLAlchemy 2, Pydantic, PostgreSQL, Playwright, MCP SDK, pytest. * Frontend: React 19, TypeScript, Vite, TailwindCSS — the operator UI, maintained by the team. * Infrastructure: Docker, Kubernetes (Helm), GitLab CI, AWS. * Workflow: AI coding assistants are part of the daily process, with every change reviewed by the developer who owns the task.
Requirements * 3-5 years of commercial Python backend development, with production experience in FastAPI (or another async framework), SQLAlchemy and Pydantic. * Experience taking ownership of system architecture and improving existing code. * Strong PostgreSQL: data modelling, indexing, query optimisation and transaction boundaries, plus patience for messy third-party data. * Confident with async Python and scheduled or background jobs — including why running two at once is a problem you solve on purpose. * Experience leading delivery in a small team: planning work, reviewing code, setting quality gates in Git and CI/CD, and calling what is ready. * Working knowledge of React and TypeScript — enough to review and make changes. We are not looking for a frontend specialist. * English at Intermediate level or above.
Nice to Have * Web scraping or browser automation (Playwright, Selenium). * Building MCP servers or other tooling that lets an LLM host drive a real system. * AI coding assistants used on production code, with real review of their output.
