Software Engineer

About Tin Can

Tin Can is building a safer, simpler way for kids to connect — without smartphones. We’re creating screen-free, delightful devices and services that let families call the people who matter most, free from the noise of today’s digital world.

We’re building a bold, authentic, nostalgic, and kinda quirky brand that resonates with folks who want something simpler & better for their kids than the tech-infused lives we’re currently living (and who have a sense of humor about it). As we gear up to scale to thousands of families, we’re ready to bring on an engineer to help make it happen.

The Role

We’re looking for a Full Stack Software Engineer to take the reins of our technical stack alongside the founding team. In this role, you’ll focus on making our systems more scalable, efficient, and secure as we grow. You’ll work on everything from backend APIs and databases to IoT device provisioning to customer-facing frontend features and internal tools, prioritizing practical solutions that keep families connected safely.

This is a highly hands-on role. You’ll be building and maintaining APIs, developing dashboards and internal tooling, deploying and managing IoT devices, collaborating with designers to ship frontend features and continuously improving how our systems run. You don’t need to come in knowing everything—but you do need to be a strong problem solver, comfortable learning independently, and eager to dive into new challenges.

What You’ll Do

• Strengthen Our Systems: Improve and maintain our infrastructure to be secure, scalable, and reliable as we grow.
• Backend & APIs: Build, document, and optimize scalable backend services and APIs powering user management, messaging, and device operations.
• VoIP Systems: Support, manage, and improve our VoIP stack (Kamailio, Asterisk, FreeSWITCH) to ensure reliable and high-quality connectivity for families.
• IoT Device Management: Deploy and maintain our fleet of custom VoIP handsets, ensuring smooth provisioning, onboarding, and monitoring.
• Frontend Development: Collaborate with designers to build and launch responsive web and mobile applications, integrating seamlessly with backend APIs and data systems.
• Security & Privacy: Ensure everything we build is designed with safety and data privacy at its core.
• Problem Solving: Tackle complex technical challenges with curiosity, resourcefulness, and a focus on practical solutions.
• Collaboration: Work closely with the engineering and product teams to prioritize features, plan roadmaps, and make key technical decisions as we scale.
• Launch & Beyond: Support technical efforts for upcoming product launches and keep momentum going post-launch with ongoing improvements.
  
  

What We’re Looking For

• Strong Problem Solver: You thrive on figuring things out, even when you haven’t done them before, and enjoy working autonomously to find practical solutions.
• DIY Mentality: Comfortable wearing multiple hats and switching contexts—whether debugging an API, provisioning a device, or improving infrastructure performance.
• Backend Skills: Experience with Node, JS, Express, or similar frameworks for backend development.
• Database Fluency: Experience with PostgreSQL, AWS RDS, or similar systems for data modeling, performance tuning, and schema design.
• AWS Fluency: Experience with AWS (Lambda, EC2, VPCs, security groups, serverless architectures) and DevOps best practices.
• Security & Privacy Awareness: You build with safety and data privacy top of mind—whether designing APIs, managing infrastructure, or handling customer data.
• Comfort with Frontend Development: Willingness to collaborate with designers to implement customer-facing features, occasionally using tools like FlutterFlow, Shopify (Liquid), or WordPress as needed.
• VoIP as a Bonus: Experience with VoIP systems (Kamailio, Asterisk, FreeSWITCH) is a plus, but not required. Comfort diving in to learn and troubleshoot SIP and VoIP technologies is essential.
• Startup Mindset: Adaptable, proactive, excited to build within a small team where priorities can shift quickly, and eager to be part of something mission-driven from the ground up.
  
  

Why Join Tin Can

• Mission: We’re on a quest to give kids a more analog childhood—one with real conversations, real connection, and way less screen time. No doomscrolling, data mining, or dopamine traps—just a simpler, better way for kids to stay in touch. At Tin Can, security isn’t a checkbox — it’s how we earn and keep the trust of every family we serve. This is a rare opportunity to build something that truly matters: technology that protects what’s most precious.
• Impact & Autonomy: This is the dream role for an engineer who wants to fully own building and scaling secure systems from the ground up — with the full backing of the founding team. You’ll have both the autonomy and the responsibility to shape Tin Can’s security vision, tools, and culture as we scale.
• Collaboration: Every company says “team,” but at Tin Can it means something different. We’re a small, mission-driven group that genuinely has each other’s backs — professionally and personally. You’ll be joining a tight-knit crew where your ideas and instincts matter from day one.
• Creative Freedom: You’ll have the space to explore new ideas, challenge assumptions, and build secure systems that reflect our values of trust, simplicity, and care.
  
  

If you’re excited by the idea of taking a solid technical foundation and scaling it to support thousands of families—while making it more efficient, secure, and delightful along the way—please reach out. We can’t wait to meet someone who’s ready to jump in, level up what we’ve started, and help us grow.

Compensation Range: $150K - $170K