Software and growth systems for small teams
Hire a contract software developer
The short answer
Hire Joel Mathers as a contract software developer when your business needs temporary, hands-on delivery capacity. I can join an existing team or own an agreed piece of development, from understanding the code through implementation, testing and handover. Email the work, proposed dates and expected duration so we can confirm fit and availability.
I’m a London-based full-stack contract developer working with UK businesses and teams remotely. You have work that needs to move: a launch milestone, an internal tool nobody has time to build, an integration holding up operations or an existing application that needs another pair of hands. MathersLabs provides direct access to the developer doing the work. Agree the priorities and booked days, then use that time for implementation and delivery.
Rate, dates, booked days and scope agreed before starting.
What the finished solution should accomplish
Add temporary development capacity to deliver a feature, application or integration, with clear priorities, reviewable changes and a usable handover.
What this could look like in practice
A product team could bring me in to complete a customer-facing workflow while its existing developers continue their core roadmap. A small business could book a development engagement to replace a manual quoting process without setting up a permanent engineering role. A founder could use a defined block of time to resolve the gaps between a prototype and a pilot. These are engagement examples; the deliverable and schedule are agreed for your project.
Decisions to make before building
Contract development is billed per booked day, with the rate confirmed once the work is clear. The number of days depends on the agreed work. Before starting, agree the initial priorities, expected duration, days required, working arrangements and how progress will be reviewed. I assess the stack and existing code, confirm availability and identify access or infrastructure dependencies. Hosting, third-party costs and any support after the engagement are discussed separately.
When a simpler option is enough
A contract developer is useful when you need someone to take on a short-term delivery need or an agreed longer engagement and can make timely product decisions. If you need a precisely bounded outcome at an agreed total, discuss a fixed-price project instead. If you need sustained ownership of an evolving product indefinitely, a permanent hire may be the better fit. If several specialist disciplines must deliver in parallel, a wider team may be appropriate. Contract work still needs onboarding and a clear decision maker.
An initial scope could include
- Hands-on implementation in an agreed area: web applications, internal tools, API integrations or data workflows
- Reviewable code changes, relevant tests and regular progress updates against agreed priorities
- Deployment or integration support where scoped, plus documentation and an end-of-engagement handover
How we would check the work
- Agree the first milestone, acceptance criteria and who reviews work before implementation starts
- Verify the changed user journey, relevant edge cases and compatibility with the existing codebase
- Document remaining work, decisions, account access and the procedure for continuing after the contract
Can you work with our existing developers or take responsibility for a standalone build?
Both can be a fit. Within an existing team, I work with its repository, review process and release conventions. For a standalone build, we agree the owner, decisions and release responsibilities up front. Email the current stack, goal and proposed dates; fit and availability are confirmed before any booking.
Scope, ownership and working together
You work directly with Joel from discovery through implementation. We agree the outcome, exclusions and acceptance checks before a build. You receive access to the code, deployment and handover documentation. Hosting, third-party services and ongoing support are identified separately; owning the code does not make operating costs disappear.
Contract development is billed by agreed booked days, with the rate confirmed before booking. Confirm the goal, working arrangements, duration and review process before the engagement. Extensions and post-contract support are agreed separately.
MathersLabs · Updated
Related next steps
Have a problem worth solving?
Tell me what you want to change, what is blocking it and the budget you have in mind. We can establish fit and agree the next step by email.
Send a project brief