Lead Backend Engineer, Ruby On Rails

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

📋 Description

• Lead and guide a team of mid/senior backend engineers (4–5), including conducting 1:1 meetings, 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.

• Drive and oversee the integration of new features for our mobile applications, collaborating closely with iOS/Android, Product, Data, DevOps, and Trust & Safety teams.

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

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

• Identify and address performance bottlenecks, enhance API speed and reliability, and create effective caching and database strategies.

• Establish and continuously refine engineering processes, coding standards, code review practices, and deployment/CI pipelines.

• Develop and maintain clear technical documentation and design specifications for backend systems and major initiatives.

• 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 the most recent role involving leadership of backend teams.

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

• Strong practical expertise in Ruby on Rails.

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

• Solid 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 a startup or fast-paced product companies, comfortable with evolving priorities and making pragmatic trade-offs.

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

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

🏝️ Benefits

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

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

• Opportunity to work on high-impact, high-scale mobile products (millions of downloads) in a profitable, expanding 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-funded team trips, 1–2 times per year to attractive destinations (e.g., Thailand, Bali) including flights and accommodations.

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