What you'd be working on

Acenda is a community and learning platform for emergency response professionals in the WA mining and high-risk industries sector. Real people doing real, high-stakes work, and a platform built to support them properly rather than tick a box.

We launched publicly and now we're rebuilding the platform to do the job properly. That's where you come in. I need a developer who can take a clear scope, build it well, and tell me the truth about timelines and trade-offs along the way.

I'll be upfront: I'm the founder, not the engineer. So I need someone who can explain technical decisions in plain English, not bury me in jargon. If you can't tell me why you'd build something a certain way in a way I can follow, we're not going to work well together.

What I need built

[INSERT 3 to 5 concrete deliverables, e.g.:]

• Rebuild of the core learning module (lessons, progress tracking, recognition outcomes)

• Membership and access tiers

• A question bank / quiz engine

• Integration with [tools you already use]

If your stack of choice is different to what we're on, tell me what you'd use and why. I want your honest recommendation, not what you think I want to hear.

[INSERT your current stack here if you have one, e.g. "Currently built on X. Open to a rebuild on something more maintainable."]

How this works

This is ABN contract work, scoped by milestone, not a salaried role. You invoice me, you run your own show, you manage your own tax and super.

Candidates must be Australian citizens or permanent residents only to be eligible for this contract position.

It starts with a small paid trial task. Something real but contained, so we both find out fast whether we work well together before either of us commits to the full rebuild. I've been burned before by people who talk a big game and underdeliver, so I value proof over promises. You should too.

If the trial goes well, we scope the full build in stages.

This is a long-term commitment requiring 12+ months of availability for the full rebuild project.

Who I'm looking for

• You can take a brief and turn it into working software without needing your hand held

• You communicate clearly and honestly, especially about what's hard, slow, or a bad idea

• You've shipped real things and can walk me through them, including the ones that went sideways

• You must have a minimum of 5+ years of professional development experience to demonstrate the depth of expertise required for this complex rebuild project

• You care about building it right, not just fast

Who I'm not looking for

• Agencies dressed up as freelancers

• People who quote a fixed price for a vague brief without asking a single question

• Jargon merchants

How to apply

Don't send me a generic cover letter. Instead, tell me:

1. One project you're proud of, and one that didn't go to plan and what you did about it

2. Your honest read on what a rebuild like this involves

3. A link to work I can actually look at (GitHub, live products, whatever you've got)

I read every application that's clearly written for this role. I'm building something I care about, with people who give a damn. If that's you, get in touch.

Jen, Founder, Acenda