Senior React Native / Expo + Supabase Engineer for Deep Audit & Fix Sprint

Senior React Native / Expo + Supabase Engineer — Audit & Fix Sprint TradeDrop is a React Native mobile app built with Expo and Supabase. The platform connects creative professionals for skill-trading and collaboration. We are pre-launch and need a senior engineer to conduct a focused technical audit and execute a surgical fix sprint on the highest-priority issues. This is not a UI redesign, feature-build sprint, or full rewrite project. We need someone experienced in: - debugging distributed app state - tracing data flow integrity - diagnosing realtime synchronization issues - understanding Supabase query + RLS behavior - making targeted fixes without introducing regressions Tech Stack Frontend - React Native - Expo SDK ~52 - Expo Router (file-based routing) - TypeScript Backend - Supabase - PostgreSQL - Row Level Security (RLS) - Edge Functions Architecture Notes - Mixture of optimistic UI, realtime subscriptions, and cached query state - Some legacy fallback/mock patterns still exist in portions of the app - Strong reliance on Supabase auth context and client-side state synchronization - iOS is primary platform (TestFlight / Expo Go workflow) Known Architecture Risks / Audit Areas These are starting points, not a complete scope definition. We are looking for root-cause analysis — not surface-level symptom patching. 1. Inbox / Messaging Data Integrity Messages and trade requests intermittently fail to load, hydrate stale state, or desync across screens. Potential areas: - legacy fallback/mock data paths conflicting with live query state - cache invalidation inconsistencies - Supabase realtime subscription lifecycle issues - RLS/auth edge cases - optimistic update rollback problems Need: A full trace from UI → state → query → response → subscription → render. 2. Board Navigation + Routing Integrity Some board cards have inconsistent clickability or route resolution failures. Need: - verification of Expo Router param passing - deep-link integrity checks - board → detail → action flow validation - navigation edge-case testing 3. Floor Pulse Feed Collapsed/expanded state issues and inconsistent UI behavior. Need: - audit of state ownership - render lifecycle consistency - alignment with broader app data patterns 4. Radar / Discovery System Need review of: - location query efficiency - matching logic - Supabase query structure - RLS correctness - realtime scaling risks 5. Trade Request Lifecycle Need audit of: - deduplication logic - request cancellation handling - state transitions - optimistic UI consistency - atomicity of trade state updates Deliverables Phase 1 — Technical Audit - Focused codebase audit - Data flow tracing - Architecture risk identification - Severity-ranked findings (Critical / High / Medium / Low) - Root-cause explanations with file references - Clear explanation of Inbox/message-state integrity issues Deliverable: Short written audit report with recommended fixes and implementation priorities. Phase 2 — Fix Sprint - Patch Critical and selected High-priority issues - Refactor identified anti-patterns only where necessary - Preserve existing architecture where possible - Leave codebase buildable, testable, and lint-passing - Provide brief handoff notes All fixes must include: - root-cause explanation - reasoning behind implementation approach - notes on regression prevention Non-Goals - No visual redesign work - No migration away from Expo or Supabase - No full architecture rewrite - No backend/platform replacement - No feature expansion unless required to resolve a core issue Important Context This project is focused on root-cause debugging, stabilization, and targeted architectural cleanup. If your default approach is: - “rewrite the state layer” - “replace the backend” - “migrate away from Expo/Supabase” - or introduce large-scale architectural churn before tracing root causes …this is probably not the right fit. We are optimizing and stabilizing an existing production-direction codebase — not rebuilding it. Requirements - 5+ years React Native experience - Strong Expo experience - Direct Expo Router experience - Experience debugging realtime/state synchronization issues - Strong understanding of Supabase or Firebase-style backend architecture - Ability to trace issues end-to-end: UI → state → query → auth → RLS → response → render - Clean, reviewable PRs - Strong async communication - Comfortable saying “this should not be changed” Nice to Have - Published apps on App Store / Play Store - Supabase Realtime experience - React Native performance profiling - Marketplace or social-platform experience - Native debugging experience Application Requirements Please include the following: 1. Relevant Project One React Native + Supabase (or Firebase-equivalent) project you audited or built. 2. Debugging Example Describe a difficult state synchronization or realtime consistency bug you solved. What was the actual root cause? 3. Approach How would you trace an intermittent data-loading issue involving: - local state - cached query state - realtime subscriptions - live backend queries 4. Availability When could you start, and what is your typical async working pattern? 5. Rate + Estimate Your hourly rate and rough estimate for: - audit phase - fix sprint phase Generic proposals without these details will be declined.