Frontend
Next.js (App Router) with React, TypeScript, modern UI primitives, and typed validation for forms and onboarding flows.
CFOHIRE: a full-stack SaaS marketplace connecting clients with CFOs
A three-sided marketplace with real-time messaging, Stripe Connect payments, AI-assisted onboarding, and automated billing. Built from scratch as the sole engineer.
- Role
- Sole Full-Stack Engineer
- Timeline
- Solo build
- Platform
- app.cfohire.ai
- Stack
- Next.js · Express · Supabase · Stripe
- 3
- User roles (Client, CFO, FAE)
- 50+
- REST API endpoints
- 108
- UI components built
- Full
- Stripe Connect integration
CFOHIRE needed a platform where businesses (Clients) could find and engage fractional CFOs, who could delegate specialised work to Finance Automation Engineers (FAEs). The platform had to support the full lifecycle end-to-end with the security and compliance expectations of financial services.
I built this from concept to production as the sole engineer: database schema, API, frontend, payments, and deployment.
The key constraint was speed-to-value: users needed to reach a paid engagement quickly, without being overwhelmed by setup, paperwork, or manual coordination, while keeping billing, messaging, and legal agreements auditable.
Architecture
The system is split into a Next.js frontend and a standalone Express API, backed by Supabase (Postgres + Auth + Realtime + Storage). Stripe handles money movement, and AI assists onboarding.
Next.js frontendReact · App Router · UI system
Express APITypeScript · Node · Domain services
SupabasePostgres · Auth · Realtime · Storage
Stripe ConnectPayments · Payouts · Webhooks
SendGridTransactional email
Google GeminiCV & URL parsing
Docker + RailwayCI/CD & hosting
Tech stack & engineering decisions
Backend API
Express API with layered security (JWT, API keys, webhook verification), structured logging, and scheduled automation.
Database & auth
Supabase Postgres with Row-Level Security, auth, realtime updates, and storage for attachments and documents.
Payments
Full Stripe integration including Connect Express onboarding, payouts, platform fees, and robust webhook processing.
AI onboarding
CV and portfolio parsing to prefill CFO profiles and reduce onboarding friction without compromising data review.
Infrastructure
Docker-based builds, production deployment on Railway, and automated quality gates to keep changes safe.
Features delivered
Role-aware flows, realtime messaging, billing automation, and audit trails across the full engagement lifecycle.
Role-based multi-portal experience
Three distinct journeys (Client, CFO, FAE) with tailored dashboards, permissions, and guarded routes.
Job board & matching
Job posting, discovery, applications, and delegation to FAEs via sub-jobs.
Proposals & negotiation
Full proposal lifecycle: drafts, counter-offers, acceptance, and status tracking with unread states.
Real-time messaging
Realtime conversations with presence heartbeats, attachments, archiving, and unified inbox/badges.
Engagement lifecycle
State-machine project terms: start, submit, accept, pause/resume, disputes, completion and termination.
Time tracking & timesheets
Time entry CRUD, summaries, disputes, and weekly FAE timesheets feeding invoicing.
Automated invoicing & billing
Scheduled invoice generation, dispute handling, credit notes, cancellations, and escalation logic.
Stripe Connect payouts
Connect Express onboarding, transfers, payout status, and comprehensive webhook coverage.
Legal agreements
PSA & NDA workflows with template versioning, signatures, and audit trails.
AI-powered onboarding
CV upload / URL parsing to prefill profiles and reduce setup friction.
Notifications & email
Transactional email plus scheduled digests and in-app badges across navigation.
Audit logging
Action logs and snapshots for auditable workflows and dispute resolution.
Engineering challenges
Multi-layered payment security
Implemented API-key gating, JWT auth, job keys for scheduled tasks, and Stripe signature verification, each with dedicated middleware.
Three-sided marketplace billing
Clients pay CFOs, CFOs pay FAEs, and the platform collects fees across retainer, fixed, and time-based models with automated invoice generation.
Resilient frontend reliability
Added error recovery for chunk loading, guardrails for auth race conditions, and timeout protections against infinite loading states.
What I delivered
Deployed SaaS platform
A live marketplace handling authentication, payments, and end-to-end business workflows.
End-to-end ownership
Schema, API, UI system, integrations, automation, and deployment. Shipped as a solo engineer.
Layered security
Row-Level Security at the database, JWT auth, API key gating, and webhook signature verification.
Automated operations
Cron-driven invoicing, billing periods, notification digests, dispute handling, and payroll workflows.
Scalable architecture
Decoupled frontend and API with typed boundaries, structured domains, and containerized deploys.
Cohesive UI foundation
A reusable component system enabling consistent experiences across all user roles.
Technology summary
Frontend: Next.js, React, TypeScript, modern UI primitives, typed validation, Stripe Elements.
Backend: Express, Node, TypeScript, scheduling, logging, file uploads, tests.
Database & Auth: Supabase Postgres, Row-Level Security, Realtime, Storage, Auth.
Integrations: Stripe (Connect, webhooks), SendGrid, Google Gemini AI.
Infrastructure: Docker builds, Railway deployment, linting/formatting gates.
Impact
The result is a platform that reduces friction at the start of an engagement and keeps operational workflows predictable through automated billing and transparent status tracking.
Fasteronboarding
Assisted setup reduces time-to-active for new users.
Smootherengagement lifecycle
Proposals, contracts, invoices, and payments in one flow.
Lowermanual admin
Automated billing removes repetitive coordination work.
Safercommunication
Secure messaging supports sensitive finance workflows.