Working at Stack Builders - Help Clients Grow Using Functional Programming

Stack Builders is one of the leading software consultancies that specializes in functional programming languages. They focus on digging deep to understand their clients’ needs, business models, opportunities, risks, etc, and work to build quality, pragmatic solutions to help them grow. The team is based in the US and has offices in Ecuador and now a new office in Spain.

We asked the wonderful team at Stack Builders about their work, tech stack, interviewing process, and more.

What technology/tech stack are you working with?

Our scope of work includes several services and technologies used in the Front-end, Back-end and infrastructure of web and mobile applications. We offer business analysis, project management, and design services as well. We enjoy using different technologies and tools, leveraging the value-add of Functional Programming patterns to enhance security, scalability, and reliability into our projects. A few of the languages we’re currently working in are: Haskell, Elixir, Scala, Python, Ruby, JavaScript, TypeScript, and PHP.

What are some projects the tech team is currently working on?

Due to non disclosure agreements, we are unable to share specific client information. However, we can share some general information about the projects and industries we’ve worked on:

• We’ve helped scale an EdTech platform in 23 different languages with thousands of users for a multinational financial corporation. We used Haskell and React with TypeScript to improve concurrency and parallelism.

• We worked to integrate thousands of third-party APIs using Elixir between Asian, European, and American platforms. The real-time application was able to grow with high fault tolerance, reliability, and tidy modern syntax.

• We aided in bridging a Haskell backend with a ReasonML frontend on a control monitoring system for oil wells in the United States. We ensured type safety in the interaction, reducing errors and mismatches at the integration level.

• We used Haskell and PureScript to scale an EdTech platform that links mentors with aspiring Ivy League university students. Our team eliminated certain classes of errors in the platform by combining a strongly typed purely functional programming paradigm in both the backend and the frontend.

• We rebuilt a British global risk platform made to display multiple risk metrics in predefined worldwide locations. We used Python across infrastructure and TypeScript with D3.js to create interactive data visualizations.

• We rewrote thousands of lines of JavaScript code to TypeScript for an American Insurtech company. Our team improved the predictability and readability on a real-time big data platform, spotting 15% more bugs since the first deliverables.

How would you describe Stack Builders’ internal culture?

If you consider one of the most important parts of your professional life to be the workplace culture, then you’ve arrived at the right place. Stack Builders has a clear mission and values that help to manifest an open, welcoming company culture. We’re an employee-first company that focuses on clear communication, curiosity, collaboration, and giving back to the community together. Our no-blame culture has helped us to grow a team of supportive, interesting and passionate people.

What is the interview process like at Stack Builders?

Our current hiring process for remote contractors is usually completed in three steps:

1. A short, initial video call with someone from the hiring team to introduce ourselves and to learn more about what our candidates are looking for and what we can offer.
2. One technical interview with two members of our engineering team to assess development skills and provide any necessary additional technical information.
3. Depending on the specific project we’re hiring for, we can wrap up the hiring process with a paid technical task (8 hour timebox), or pass directly to an offer.

Stack Builders is hiring, check out their open roles here!

What are some traits that would make someone successful at Stack Builders?

Being able to connect with our company values is always something we’re looking for:

Clear Communication: We value effective communication between colleagues. Being open and ready to actively give and receive valuable input is a must. We build trustworthy relationships with colleagues and clients by establishing clear and honest expectations.

Curiosity: Curiosity enables individuals to become agents of change and innovation as we strive to push the boundaries of the software industry. Staying curious and engaged by asking questions and proactively searching for answers, is the best way to drive the team forward.

Collaboration & Community: We are passionate about bringing our clients' vision to life, and we are always eager to learn and support one another in the process. We are committed to being active participants in the software community. At Stack Builders, we are dedicated to cultivating high-quality software development through open source. We often make open-source contributions to well-known projects, and we have released several libraries as open-source.

And finally, why should someone work for Stack Builders?

• Stack Builders offers an excellent, diverse, and enjoyable working environment.
• We celebrate inclusion and equality as part of our core values.
• We provide the opportunity to get involved in a wide variety of projects alongside tremendously talented people with different academic backgrounds.
• We have a culture of professional development and continuous improvement - we use feedback as a common practice in our daily activities.
• The company is expanding its services and is growing fast. There are a plethora of opportunities to develop your professional career.
• The company provides flexibility to arrange your schedule.
• There is a solid orientation to the community, including OSS, international conferences, and society in general.
• The communication with Managers is direct since Stack Builders is a flat organization. Your voice within the company matters!

Are you as passionate about functional programming as the team at Stack Builders is? You should take a look at their open roles and apply now!