Python Developer for Existing Systems, Bug Fixes & New Development

About Us We are a growing organization that uses Python to automate and improve our business operations. We have several existing Python programs that are actively used in our day-to-day work, and we are looking for a developer who can both maintain our existing systems and build new ones. This is intended to become a long-term working relationship for the right person. What You'll Do Your work will fall into three main areas: Fix & Improve Existing Programs Debug Python programs created by other developers Find the root cause of problems rather than simply patching symptoms Add new features and business rules Update existing calculations and workflows Improve reliability and error handling Make changes without breaking existing functionality Build New Programs Turn manual business processes into Python automation Process CSV, TXT, Excel, and other data files Create reports and business documents Automate repetitive administrative tasks Build tools that make our operations faster, simpler, and more accurate Test & Document Test your work before delivery Perform regression testing when modifying existing programs Clearly explain what you changed and why Document important functionality so another developer can understand and maintain the system The Kind of Developer We're Looking For Technical ability is important, but how you work is just as important to us. We're looking for someone who: Takes ownership of their work Communicates clearly and consistently Can work independently Thinks through a problem before jumping into code Is comfortable working with code written by someone else Looks for the underlying cause of a problem Tests their work rather than assuming it works Is honest about what they know and don't know Communicates mistakes or unexpected issues promptly Can explain technical issues in plain English You don't need to know everything. We would much rather have a developer say, "I haven't worked with that before, but I'll research it," than guess. Our Existing Systems Our Python programs currently do things such as: Process CSV and TXT reports Clean and match data Perform business calculations Generate invoices Create Word documents and PDFs Generate operational reports Automate repetitive administrative processes Much of the work will involve taking an existing program, understanding how it works, and making a careful, well-tested change. What This Role Is NOT This isn't a position where we simply hand you a specification and ask you to write code from scratch every time. You may receive: "This program used to work correctly. Here are the Python files, source data, examples of the expected output, and an explanation of the problem. Please figure out what is happening and fix it." If you enjoy troubleshooting, reverse-engineering, and improving existing systems, you'll probably enjoy this role. Technical Experience Strong Python experience is required. Experience with: Python Pandas CSV/TXT data processing Excel Data cleaning and matching Debugging Automation Word/PDF generation Git/version control is highly desirable. Experience with APIs, databases, JSON, or AI integrations is a plus. You do not need to know every technology listed. We're primarily looking for someone who is an excellent Python problem solver. How We'll Start We are looking for a long-term developer, but we will start with a paid project so both sides can determine whether we're a good fit. The first project will involve repairing and updating an existing Python business automation program. It will require you to: Understand an existing codebase Identify the root causes of several issues Make targeted changes Test the changes Verify that existing functionality still works Document what you changed If the first project goes well, there will be ongoing opportunities to fix, improve, and build additional Python programs. Important Please don't send a generic proposal. Tell us: How many years have you worked with Python? Have you ever inherited code from another developer? Tell us about it. What is your process for debugging an unfamiliar codebase? How do you make sure a change doesn't break existing functionality? How do you typically test your work before delivering it? Please provide 2–3 examples of Python projects you've personally built or maintained. We're looking for a developer who wants to become a trusted technical partner—not someone who simply completes tickets. This is contracted work. Hours will vary month to month depending on needs of organization for new programs, additions to existing programs, and fixing bugs/problems within programs. Some months will be less than 5 hours and other months might be 20+ hours. We just ask for you to communicate estimated time in completing a project and communication during the process.