Back-end Developer

The competitive fitness industry is regarded as a so-called slow adopter of technology. Not for much longer, if Fit For Free and sister company Sportcity have anything to say in the matter. Because with the groundbreaking digital products these two players currently have in development, they are planning on shaking up the market. The Back-end Developer is an essential part of this process.

About Fit For Free

Unleashing a true online fitness revolution, that’s what Fit For Free and Sportcity have in mind. Olympus Investment, the parent company of both brands, aspires to become a state-of-the-art health and fitness platform. Following the acquisition by Bencis Capital Partners in 2018, a new management team has started to realize this ambition. An important element in all this is the focus on ‘digital fitness’.

The digital transformation is in full swing. Based on a successful pilot, a new app was launched at the end of 2019 to help members achieve their personal health goals. As it turns out, many members lose their drive to exercise due to a lack of personalization and the feeling that they don’t have the time. The new product, therefore, offers personalized workouts that you can add to your own online calendar. Furthermore, the app works with a machine-learning-based algorithm. The more someone uses the app, the more personalized it becomes.

This is just the beginning. Olympus Investment is working on an integrated fitness journey that goes beyond the confines of the gym. The year 2020 will, therefore, have a strong emphasis on doing a lot of research, product development as well as designing and building new features. The focus is on ground-breaking functionalities inside, but especially outside the gym.

“Our main goal is to become the number one health app. In addition to sports and exercise, we are going to focus more on stress, sleep and nutrition. Think of it as a kind of life coach. This app is in line with our mission of ageing in a happy & healthy fashion.” – Tim de Jardine, Chief Product Officer

The basis is already there, but there is still a lot of work to be done to reach the level of ‘gym 2.0’. That is why a new team is currently being formed to further expand this digital transition and this is precisely where the driven Backend Developer comes into the picture.

Vacancy: Backend Developer

The Backend Developer provides a solid technical basis, ensuring that the Fit For Free app actually works and, above all, continues to do so. The challenge in this role mainly lies in the complexity of a well-functioning interface. Currently, the company is in a phase where it focuses all its attention on exploring new options. This person is therefore eager to learn, willing to experiment and keen to enter new territories.

From processing new customer data to showing the right exercises in the app, the Backend Developer is responsible for perfect data processing and business logic. But that’s not all, this person also lays the foundation for all new features. And there are quite a few of them. The Backend Developer transforms this app with his/her smart ideas and expert technical skills into the ultimate digital life coach.

During all decisions regarding digital products, the functional needs of the customer are always key. Besides developing complex back-ends for mobile apps and making them work optimally, the ideal Backend Developer also has excellent commercial awareness. Just like all their team members, this technical mind is able to place themselves in the shoes of the desired app user and fully anticipate their needs.

All in all, big plans for ‘gym 2.0’ are on the table with which the Backend Developer can make all the difference and play a key role in the sports chain. The tech-stack consists of Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL and Heroku, so a thorough understanding of these programming languages is an absolute must. In an effort to realize the ideal mobile Fit For Free-app together, he/she works closely with the Technology Lead and the Data Scientist. The Backend Developer reports to the Technology Lead and works from a new office in Amsterdam.

Fit For Free works with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
Contact Hayke Tjemmes at hayke.tjemmes@topofminds.com for more information.