Job Description
Job Title:
Senior Developer / Founding Developer
Location: [Hybrid – Chesterfield, Derbyshire | Remote]
Job Type: Full-Time
Experience Level: Senior
Salary: £80k - £+0k depending on experience
About Us
We are By Formal Invitation, a 12 month old startup, lead by two Co-founding brothers, on a mission to revolutionise the wedding industry! The wedding industry is our speciality, it’s the industry we know and love. We are highly driven entrepreneurs, both in our early-mid thirties, who have previously built and own our own award winning wedding venue, Stretton Manor Barn in Chesterfield. Stretton Manor Barn has been a huge success with an established team of 20 employees, as a venue we have just been awarded Best Barn Venue in the UK for the second year running at The Wedding Industry Awards 2026.
By Formal Invitation is our full time passion, a new tech SAAS product for wedding venues and suppliers, separate to our existing business. For the past 12 months we have developed a product and business model which is set to revolutionise the industry. Our innovative platform connects wedding couples with potential venues and suppliers and offers planning tools, inspiration tools and management features never seen before in the industry. We have the resources to self fund development and our vision is to rapidly expand our product in the UK and USA later this year before rolling out features worldwide. Additionally, our platform involves payment processing, which is a key component of our new product.
We are looking for an ambitious Founding Developer to scale our in-house development team, to date the product has been designed and built by a small but talented agency, we have reached the point where we need to grow an in-house team working directly with the co-founders. The role will be predominantly working remotely, providing we aim to also have a day in our Chesterfield based office once or twice a week. Additionally, our platform involves payment processing, which is a key component of our new product. We’re particularly interested in candidates with fintech experience or familiarity with Stripe/payment processing, as this will be a crucial part of our technical challenges and solutions.
We’re now looking for a Senior/Founding Developer to join our passionate, fast-growing team. If you thrive in an agile, startup environment and love solving complex technical challenges, this role is for you.
What You'll Do
- Lead Development: Take ownership of the technical stack, coding standards, and quality while leading the development of new features.
- Tech Strategy: Collaborate with the leadership team to shape technical strategy and product roadmap.
- Code Quality: Write clean, scalable, and efficient code while establishing and maintaining coding standards.
- Infrastructure Management: Manage cloud services, integrations, and third-party APIs to ensure a seamless experience for users.
- Problem-Solving: Tackle technical challenges unique to the wedding industry, from real-time booking systems to AI-powered recommendations.
- Architecture Design: Lead the design of scalable technical architecture while ensuring robust and future-proof development processes.
What We’re Looking For:
- 5+ years of professional software development experience.
- Expertise in NextJS & React on the frontend, and PHP & Laravel on the backend.
- Strong background in designing scalable architecture using APIs.
- Familiarity with cloud platforms.
- Experience with fintech/payment processing platforms such as Stripe is a major plus.
- Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset.
- Passion for technology and a genuine interest in the wedding industry is a big plus!
Nice-to-Have Skills:
-Experience working in a startup environment.
- Knowledge of SEO optimization and web performance.
- Experience with AI/ML for recommendation systems.
- Familiarity with mobile app development (iOS/Android).
- Knowledge of AI integration/capabilities.
- Familiarity with Low/No code.
Why Join Us?
-Competitive salary & equity options.
- Flexible working hours & remote options.
- Opportunity to shape the future of an exciting, growing startup.
- Creative freedom and the ability to make a direct impact.
- A collaborative, fun, and supportive team environment.
- The opportunity to work directly with the founders to shape the product and company direction.
- Potential to scale and lead your own development team as the company grows.
How to Apply:
Send your resume, portfolio (if applicable), and a brief cover letter explaining why you’re the perfect fit for this role to [email protected]
By Formal Invitation is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Let’s build something industry-leading together—one wedding at a time
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £80,000.00-£+0,000.00 per year
Benefits:
• Work from home
Schedule:
• Monday to Friday
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Chesterfield
Senior Developer / Founding Developer
Location: [Hybrid – Chesterfield, Derbyshire | Remote]
Job Type: Full-Time
Experience Level: Senior
Salary: £80k - £+0k depending on experience
About Us
We are By Formal Invitation, a 12 month old startup, lead by two Co-founding brothers, on a mission to revolutionise the wedding industry! The wedding industry is our speciality, it’s the industry we know and love. We are highly driven entrepreneurs, both in our early-mid thirties, who have previously built and own our own award winning wedding venue, Stretton Manor Barn in Chesterfield. Stretton Manor Barn has been a huge success with an established team of 20 employees, as a venue we have just been awarded Best Barn Venue in the UK for the second year running at The Wedding Industry Awards 2026.
By Formal Invitation is our full time passion, a new tech SAAS product for wedding venues and suppliers, separate to our existing business. For the past 12 months we have developed a product and business model which is set to revolutionise the industry. Our innovative platform connects wedding couples with potential venues and suppliers and offers planning tools, inspiration tools and management features never seen before in the industry. We have the resources to self fund development and our vision is to rapidly expand our product in the UK and USA later this year before rolling out features worldwide. Additionally, our platform involves payment processing, which is a key component of our new product.
We are looking for an ambitious Founding Developer to scale our in-house development team, to date the product has been designed and built by a small but talented agency, we have reached the point where we need to grow an in-house team working directly with the co-founders. The role will be predominantly working remotely, providing we aim to also have a day in our Chesterfield based office once or twice a week. Additionally, our platform involves payment processing, which is a key component of our new product. We’re particularly interested in candidates with fintech experience or familiarity with Stripe/payment processing, as this will be a crucial part of our technical challenges and solutions.
We’re now looking for a Senior/Founding Developer to join our passionate, fast-growing team. If you thrive in an agile, startup environment and love solving complex technical challenges, this role is for you.
What You'll Do
- Lead Development: Take ownership of the technical stack, coding standards, and quality while leading the development of new features.
- Tech Strategy: Collaborate with the leadership team to shape technical strategy and product roadmap.
- Code Quality: Write clean, scalable, and efficient code while establishing and maintaining coding standards.
- Infrastructure Management: Manage cloud services, integrations, and third-party APIs to ensure a seamless experience for users.
- Problem-Solving: Tackle technical challenges unique to the wedding industry, from real-time booking systems to AI-powered recommendations.
- Architecture Design: Lead the design of scalable technical architecture while ensuring robust and future-proof development processes.
What We’re Looking For:
- 5+ years of professional software development experience.
- Expertise in NextJS & React on the frontend, and PHP & Laravel on the backend.
- Strong background in designing scalable architecture using APIs.
- Familiarity with cloud platforms.
- Experience with fintech/payment processing platforms such as Stripe is a major plus.
- Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset.
- Passion for technology and a genuine interest in the wedding industry is a big plus!
Nice-to-Have Skills:
-Experience working in a startup environment.
- Knowledge of SEO optimization and web performance.
- Experience with AI/ML for recommendation systems.
- Familiarity with mobile app development (iOS/Android).
- Knowledge of AI integration/capabilities.
- Familiarity with Low/No code.
Why Join Us?
-Competitive salary & equity options.
- Flexible working hours & remote options.
- Opportunity to shape the future of an exciting, growing startup.
- Creative freedom and the ability to make a direct impact.
- A collaborative, fun, and supportive team environment.
- The opportunity to work directly with the founders to shape the product and company direction.
- Potential to scale and lead your own development team as the company grows.
How to Apply:
Send your resume, portfolio (if applicable), and a brief cover letter explaining why you’re the perfect fit for this role to [email protected]
By Formal Invitation is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Let’s build something industry-leading together—one wedding at a time
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £80,000.00-£+0,000.00 per year
Benefits:
• Work from home
Schedule:
• Monday to Friday
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Chesterfield
💡 Quick Summary
Seeking a career-building opportunity? The Founding Developer position is now open for candidates interested in the Software Developer Jobs sector. This role in Chesterfield offers a professional environment and growth potential.
Requirement Snapshot: Candidates should possess basic communication skills, a proactive attitude, and the ability to work in a team. Experience in Software Developer Jobs is a plus.
