Lead Backend Engineer, Ruby On Rails

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Bulgaria.

📋 Description

• Guide and mentor a team of mid to senior backend engineers (4–5), including conducting 1:1s, providing feedback, and managing performance.

• Convert product and business objectives into well-defined technical roadmaps, sprint plans, and backend priorities.

• Take ownership of the backend architecture and technical vision for mobile-first, consumer-oriented applications utilized by tens of thousands of daily active users.

• Lead and supervise the implementation of new features for our mobile applications, collaborating closely with iOS and Android teams, Product, Data, DevOps, and Trust & Safety teams.

• Make critical architectural decisions related to scalability, performance, reliability, data flows, and infrastructure on AWS.

• Modernize and enhance a substantial Ruby on Rails codebase (including version upgrades and refactoring of legacy components) while ensuring system stability in production.

• Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks, enhance API speed and reliability, and devise effective caching and database strategies.

• Establish and consistently enhance engineering processes, coding standards, code review procedures, and deployment/CI pipelines.

• Develop and maintain comprehensive technical documentation and design specifications for backend systems and major projects.

• Manage prioritization and trade-offs in a dynamic environment with shifting quarterly priorities.

• Engage in hands-on coding and code reviews, particularly for complex or high-impact areas, and intervene during critical production incidents.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 8 years of professional backend development experience in production settings, with recent experience in leading backend teams.

• Demonstrated experience in owning backend architecture for mobile-first, consumer-facing applications.

• Strong practical expertise with Ruby on Rails.

• Experience in building and scaling high-traffic systems (with over 10k+ daily active users) focusing on performance and reliability.

• Comprehensive understanding of distributed systems, relational databases, caching, and performance optimization.

• Hands-on experience working in the cloud (preferably AWS) and collaborating closely with DevOps/infrastructure engineers.

• Excellent communication skills, capable of explaining complex technical subjects and trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders (e.g., CEO, Product).

• Background in startups or fast-paced product companies, adept at navigating changing priorities and making practical trade-offs.

• Strong product mindset, user-centered, impact-oriented, and able to link technical decisions to business outcomes.

• Comfortable assuming ownership, making decisions, and leading in a fully remote, distributed team environment.

🏝️ Benefits

• Fully remote role with flexible working hours (core collaboration typically during European daytime).

• 30k USD in bonuses (seasonal + end of year, based on individual and company performance).

• Opportunity to work on high-impact, high-scale mobile products (millions of downloads) in a profitable, growing startup.

• Strong engineering culture: open-minded, low-ego, direct communication, and high ownership.

• Access to company-provided AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor company accounts) to enhance your productivity.

• 27 days of paid vacation (15 days of personal leave + 12 days of public holidays according to your local country calendar).

• Company-sponsored team trips, 1–2 times per year to attractive destinations (e.g., Thailand, Bali), including flights and accommodations.

• Chance to influence the technical direction, processes, and standards for the entire backend function.