Personal Finance Micro-Learning Platform

We are building an engaging, subscription-based micro-learning platform focused on Personal Finance and Investing. Our goal is to make financial literacy accessible and less intimidating through short, actionable video lessons and quizzes. We are looking for a talented and experienced full-stack developer to bring the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) of this web application to life.

Project Scope:
The project involves developing a responsive web application from the ground up. The initial focus is on core functionality that allows us to validate the business idea with real users and start generating revenue.

Key Responsibilities & Requirements:

1. Technical Stack & Development (Please specify your experience with these):
Frontend: We prefer React.js with Next.js for its SEO benefits and server-side rendering capabilities. Alternatively, a strong case can be made for Vue.js or SvelteKit.
Backend: Node.js (Express) or Python (Django) are preferred for their robustness and scalability. Experience with building RESTful or GraphQL APIs is required.
Database: Proficiency with a relational database like PostgreSQL (strongly preferred) or MySQL is essential.
Authentication: Experience implementing secure user authentication and authorization (e.g., using Next-Auth, Passport.js, or Auth0).
Payment Integration: Must have proven experience integrating and managing recurring subscriptions using Stripe. This is non-negotiable.
Video Hosting & Management: Experience integrating a third-party video hosting service API (e.g., Vimeo, Wistia, or Mux) is crucial. We will not host videos ourselves.
Deployment & DevOps: Ability to deploy the application to a cloud platform like Vercel (for Next.js), Netlify, or AWS for the frontend, and Railway, Heroku, or AWS EC2 for the backend. Experience with setting up CI/CD pipelines is a plus.

2. Core Features to Build (MVP Phase 1):

User Authentication & Profiles:
User registration and login (email/password, plus Google OAuth is a plus).
User dashboard to track progress.
Secure password reset flow.
Course & Content Management:
Admin Panel: A secure interface for us to:
Create and organize courses and micro-lessons (e.g., "Investing 101" -> "What is an ETF?").
Upload videos (via integration with Vimeo/Wistia API) and set their metadata.
Create simple text-based lessons and quizzes.
Student View: A clean, intuitive interface for users to:
Browse available courses.
View a course curriculum page.
Watch video lessons (streamed via the integrated video host).
Mark lessons as complete.
Track progress with visual indicators (e.g., progress bars).
Payment & Subscription System:
Integration with Stripe for monthly and annual subscription plans.
Secure checkout pages.
Logic to grant/restrict access to content based on subscription status.
Handling webhooks for Stripe events (e.g., subscription cancellation, payment failure).
Design & UX:
The platform must be fully responsive and provide an excellent experience on desktop, tablet, and mobile.
We will provide Figma designs or a detailed wireframe. You must be able to translate these designs into a clean, functional UI.
Attention to detail in animation and micro-interactions is highly valued.

3. Nice-to-Have Features (Please mention if you have experience with these):

Email Automation: Integration with an email service (e.g., SendGrid, Mailchimp API) for welcome sequences and lesson reminders.
Basic Community Features: A commenting system on lessons or a simple discussion forum.
Gamification: Implementing simple badges or achievement systems for completing courses.
Analytics: Integration with Google Analytics or a similar tool to track user engagement.

What We're Looking For in a Freelancer:

Proven Portfolio: Links to past projects, especially other SaaS, educational, or video-based platforms. Please include descriptions of your specific contributions.
Clear Communication: Excellent English communication skills. We require regular updates and use of a project management tool (e.g., Trello, Jira, or Monday.com).
Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to propose technical solutions and best practices, not just follow orders.
Security Awareness: A strong understanding of web security principles (data encryption, secure API design, protecting user data).
Proactive Approach: We value developers who can anticipate challenges and suggest improvements.

We are excited to find a skilled developer who can become a long-term partner in growing this platform.