Senior Backend Engineer
Ruby Labs · European Union
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $150,000 / year
- European Union
Job highlights
- Design and scale AI product backend systems.
- Build and maintain scalable, reliable services.
- Deploy and operate services on AWS, Cloudflare.
- Implement monitoring, logging, and alerting.
- Collaborate on architecture and infrastructure.
About the role
About Us
Ruby Labs is a leading tech company that creates and operates innovative consumer products. We offer a diverse range of opportunities across the health, education, and entertainment industries. Our innovative teams are driving the future of consumer-led products, and we're always looking for passionate individuals to join us. Learn more about our story at: https://rubylabs.com/about-us/
About The Role
At RubyLabs we’re hiring a Senior Backend Engineer to help design, build, and scale the core backend systems that power our AI product. This is a high-ownership role for an engineer who loves solving distributed systems challenges and driving both feature delivery and infrastructure excellence. This position requires close collaboration with our development team to ensure consistency, quality, and alignment across all projects.
Key Responsibilities
- Deliver new backend features with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
- Maintain, optimize, and improve existing services and infrastructure.
- Design, deploy, and operate backend services across AWS, Cloudflare, and other environments.
- Implement and evolve monitoring and observability using tools such as Sentry, OpenTelemetry (OTel), logging, alerting, and related platforms.
- Investigate and resolve production issues across distributed systems.
- Write clean, maintainable code aligned with SOLID principles, system design, and backend best practices.
- Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis, and system reliability improvements.
- Contribute to architectural decisions, documentation, and infrastructure planning.
- Collaborate with high standards for communication, ownership, and delivery.
Qualifications
- Deep expertise in distributed systems, system design, and backend architecture.
- Strong understanding of database fundamentals, indexing, consistency, replication, transactions, and storage trade-offs.
- Proven ability to design scalable and resilient systems.
- Fluency in Node.js backend development.
- Strong grasp of software engineering principles, including SOLID.
- Experience debugging complex issues in production environments.
- Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS) and backend service deployment.
- Experience implementing monitoring and observability using tools such as Sentry and OpenTelemetry (OTel), including tracing, logging, and alerting.
- High standards for code quality, reliability, and communication.
- Deep knowledge of Redis, including caching, pub/sub, queues, replication, persistence, and performance tuning.
- Strong experience with AWS services, including compute, serverless, networking, storage, security, and infrastructure-as-code.
- Experience with Cloudflare Workers, edge routing, caching, and security primitives.
- Familiarity with Sentry performance monitoring and OpenTelemetry instrumentation at scale.
- Comfortable working in timezone ±2 hours from UK time.
Nice to have
- Experience working in startup environments or small, high-autonomy engineering teams.
- Passion for building and improving infrastructure, developer experience, and observability.
Location
Ruby Labs operates within the CET (Central European Time) zone. Applicants from any country are welcome to apply for the position as long as they are located within approximately ± 4 hours of CET. This ensures optimal collaboration and communication during working hours.
Benefits
Discover the perks of being part of our vibrant team! We offer:
- Remote Work Environment: Embrace the freedom to work from anywhere, anytime, promoting a healthy work-life balance.
- Unlimited PTO: Enjoy unlimited paid time off to recharge and prioritize your well-being, without counting days.
- Paid National Holidays: Celebrate and relax on national holidays with paid time off to unwind and recharge.
- Company-provided MacBook: Experience seamless productivity with top-notch Apple MacBooks provided to all employees who need them.
- Flexible Independent Contractor Agreement: Unlock the benefits of flexibility, autonomy, and entrepreneurial opportunities. Benefit from tax advantages, networking opportunities, reduced employment obligations, and the freedom to work from anywhere. Read more about it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nkrN76JlZkbKj9WSOhlT1_mni_CZeDkHdwfIjPXVwvk/preview?tab=t.0#heading=h.ndsdl4wapxtt
Be part of our fast-growing team and seize this excellent opportunity for personal and professional growth!
Interview Process
After submitting your application, we conduct a thorough review which typically takes 3 to 5 days, but may occasionally take longer due to the volume of applications received. If we see a potential fit, we proceed with the following steps:
- Recruiter Screening (40 minutes)
- First Interview (30 minutes)
- Technical Interview (45 minutes)
- Final Interview (30 minutes)
Life at Ruby Labs
At Ruby Labs, we move fast, aim high, and expect the same from our team. We’re not here to play small—we’re here to build, grow, and win. That means we look for people who are ambitious, driven, and ready to give their best every single day. This is a place for individuals who thrive under pressure, embrace challenges, and see opportunity in every obstacle. If you’re hungry to achieve, motivated by impact, and want to grow at the speed of your own ambition, Ruby Labs offers the platform to make it happen. Here, effort is matched with reward. We recognize those who go all in and deliver results, and we create space for people who want more—more responsibility, more growth, and more success.
Key skills/competency
- Senior Backend Engineer
- Distributed Systems
- System Design
- Node.js
- AWS
- Cloudflare Workers
- Observability
- Redis
- Scalability
- Reliability
Skills & topics
- Senior Backend Engineer
- Backend Development
- Distributed Systems
- System Design
- Node.js
- AWS
- Cloudflare Workers
- Observability
- Redis
- Scalability
- Reliability
- Remote Work
- Software Engineering
- Cloud Infrastructure
- Sentry
- OpenTelemetry
- AI Product
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight distributed systems, Node.js, AWS, and observability experience.
- Showcase your projects: Link to GitHub or personal portfolio demonstrating backend skills.
- Prepare for technical rounds: Brush up on system design, databases, and coding principles.
- Understand our culture: Emphasize ownership, collaboration, and driving results in your application.
- Network and inquire: Reach out to hiring managers for insights on the Ruby Labs engineering team.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the work arrangement for the Senior Backend Engineer role at Ruby Labs?
- The Senior Backend Engineer role at Ruby Labs is fully remote, offering flexibility to work from anywhere. However, candidates must be located within approximately ± 4 hours of CET to ensure optimal collaboration during core working hours.
- What are the key technical skills required for the Senior Backend Engineer position at Ruby Labs?
- Key technical skills include deep expertise in distributed systems, system design, backend architecture, Node.js development, AWS, Cloudflare Workers, Redis, and implementing monitoring/observability tools like Sentry and OpenTelemetry.
- Can candidates from outside the CET time zone apply for the Senior Backend Engineer job at Ruby Labs?
- Ruby Labs operates within the CET time zone and requires candidates to be located within approximately ± 4 hours of CET to facilitate effective collaboration during business hours.
- What is the interview process for the Senior Backend Engineer role at Ruby Labs?
- The interview process involves a recruiter screening, a first interview, a technical interview, and a final interview. The entire process typically takes 3 to 5 days after application submission.
- What benefits does Ruby Labs offer to its Senior Backend Engineers?
- Ruby Labs offers a remote work environment, unlimited PTO, paid national holidays, a company-provided MacBook, and a flexible independent contractor agreement with potential tax advantages and networking opportunities.
- Is experience in a startup environment beneficial for the Senior Backend Engineer role at Ruby Labs?
- Yes, experience working in startup environments or small, high-autonomy engineering teams is considered a 'nice to have' for the Senior Backend Engineer role, indicating a passion for building and improving infrastructure.
- What kind of company culture can I expect at Ruby Labs as a Senior Backend Engineer?
- Ruby Labs fosters a fast-paced, ambitious culture where team members are driven, embrace challenges, and thrive under pressure. They reward effort and delivery, offering opportunities for increased responsibility and growth.
- What programming languages are used for the Senior Backend Engineer role at Ruby Labs?
- Fluency in Node.js backend development is a primary requirement for the Senior Backend Engineer role at Ruby Labs.
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