Lead Backend Engineer, Ruby On Rails

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

📋 Description

• Lead and guide a team of mid/senior backend engineers (4–5), encompassing 1:1 meetings, feedback, and performance evaluations.

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

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

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

• Make crucial architectural decisions concerning scalability, performance, reliability, data flows, and infrastructure on AWS.

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

• Identify and address performance bottlenecks, enhance API speed and reliability, and design efficient caching and database strategies.

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

• Create 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 recent experience leading backend teams.

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

• Strong hands-on proficiency with Ruby On Rails.

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

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

• Practical experience working in the cloud (preferably AWS) while closely collaborating with DevOps/infrastructure engineers.

• Exceptional communication skills, capable of explaining intricate technical topics and trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders (e.g., CEO, Product).

• Background in a startup or fast-paced product organization, comfortable with changing priorities and making pragmatic trade-offs.

• Strong product-oriented mindset, user-focused, impact-driven, and adept at linking technical decisions to business results.

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

🏝️ Benefits

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

• Seasonal and end-of-year bonuses totaling 30k USD, dependent on individual and company performance.

• 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 a year to attractive destinations (e.g., Thailand, Bali), covering flights and accommodations.

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