Push-to-Talk (PTT) / Voice Messaging Engineer – Tablet-First Hospitality App (Fixed Scope)

***STOP*** Please review the 2 WORD DOCUMENTS ATTACHED FOR THE JOB SCOPE AND MILESTONES THAT WE WILL STRICKTLY FOLLOW Job Title Please read Scope, addendum and milestone structure Push-to-Talk (PTT) / Voice Messaging Engineer – Tablet-First Hospitality App (Fixed Scope) You could also swap in one of these if you want a slightly different angle: • Voice / Push-to-Talk Feature – Tablet-First Operations Platform • Push-to-Talk (Voice Messaging) Feature for Hotel Operations App But the first one is the strongest signal. ⸻ Job Description We’re building a tablet-first hotel operations platform used by on-property teams (housekeeping, maintenance, supervisors, managers). We’re looking for an experienced engineer to help us design and implement a Push-to-Talk (PTT) / voice messaging feature as a tightly scoped, milestone-based project. This is not a greenfield app and not an experiment with unlimited scope. The goal is to deliver a practical, reliable v1 that fits cleanly into an existing system. ⸻ What We’re Building (v1 Scope) • Push-to-Talk / voice message feature • Tablet-first UX (iPad / Android tablets are the primary devices) • Context-aware usage (within operational workflows, not a global chat room) • Short voice messages (tap → record → send → receive) • Messages stored and replayable (not live audio rooms) • Reliability and simplicity real-time complexity This is voice messaging, not walkie-talkie livestreaming. ⸻ Important Constraints (Please Read Carefully) To avoid scope creep, v1 explicitly excludes: • ❌ Live audio rooms or always-on channels • ❌ WebSocket-heavy real-time sync • ❌ Peer-to-peer audio streaming • ❌ AI transcription, translation, or analytics (handled elsewhere later) • ❌ Desktop-first UX If your instinct is to “re-architect everything,” this is not a fit. ⸻ Technical Context • Existing web-based operations platform • Tablet-first execution environment • Backend APIs already exist (auth, users, permissions, media storage patterns) • Voice messages can follow existing attachment / media paradigms where possible We care more about clean integration and predictable behavior than flashy tech. ⸻ Deliverables (Milestone-Based) Milestone 1 – Technical Design & Proof • Architecture recommendation (aligned with constraints above) • UX flow for tablet usage • Basic voice record → send → receive proof of concept Milestone 2 – Core Implementation • Push-to-Talk / voice message functionality • Storage, playback, basic permissions • Tablet-friendly UI behavior Milestone 3 – Stabilization • Bug fixes • Edge-case handling (network drops, retries) • Light polish (no feature expansion) ⸻ What We’re Looking For • Experience with voice / audio features (mobile or web) • Strong judgment around scope discipline • Comfortable working milestone-based on fixed price • Can explain tradeoffs clearly and simply • Thinks in terms of real users in real environments (noisy, busy, imperfect networks) Hospitality or operations experience is a plus, but not required. ⸻ Engagement Details • Fixed-price contract • Clear milestones • No open-ended scope • Clean handoff into an existing codebase If you’ve built PTT, voice messaging, or similar features without overengineering, we’d love to talk