Senior Developer

<h1><strong>About us</strong></h1><p>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: <a href="https://rubylabs.com/about-us/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://rubylabs.com/about-us/</a></p><p></p><h1><strong>About the role</strong></h1><p>We are looking for a Senior Developer to take a leading role in building scalable, high-performance web applications at Ruby Labs. This is a hands-on position that combines technical leadership, architectural design, and full-stack development. You’ll work closely with cross-functional teams — product, design, and marketing — to create seamless user experiences across our portfolio of digital products.</p><p></p><h1><strong>Key Responsibilities</strong></h1><ul><li><p>Technical Leadership: Design system architecture, define the technology stack, and make key technical decisions for projects.</p></li><li><p>Team Management: Mentor, coach, and motivate developers through regular 1:1s, constructive code reviews, and career growth planning.</p></li><li><p>Full-Stack Development: Take an active, hands-on role in developing complex features and modules using Next.js for the frontend and Node.js for the backend.</p></li><li><p>Process Management: Implement and optimize Agile methodologies (Scrum/Kanban), including sprint planning, task estimation, and delivery oversight.</p></li><li><p>Quality Assurance: Enforce best practices in coding, testing, caching, and performance monitoring to ensure robust and scalable applications.</p></li><li><p>Security: Design and implement comprehensive security measures at the application, infrastructure, and data levels.</p></li><li><p>Analytics &amp; Optimization: Collaborate closely with the product team to integrate analytics systems and conduct A/B tests to enhance user experience.</p></li><li><p>Innovation: Research and integrate emerging technologies, particularly AI-driven solutions, to improve products and streamline development workflows.</p></li></ul><p></p><h1><strong>Required Technical Skills</strong></h1><ul><li><p>At least 2 years of active, commercial experience with Next.js (v14.x/v15.x), including work on at least two recent projects where Next.js was the primary frontend framework.</p></li><li><p>Deep knowledge and 3+ years of hands-on experience with modern backend frameworks such as NestJS, Fastify, or Hono, with a clear understanding of their architectural trade-offs.</p></li><li><p>Strong proficiency with PostgreSQL and/or Supabase, including query optimization and schema design.</p></li><li><p>In-depth, practical knowledge of Prisma or Drizzle ORM, including experience building complex queries and managing migrations.</p></li><li><p>A solid understanding of caching strategies (e.g., in-memory, distributed cache, CDN) and experience applying them effectively to optimize performance (e.g., using Redis).</p></li><li><p>Full proficiency with Docker for creating, managing, and deploying containerized applications; experience with docker-compose is essential.</p></li><li><p>Practical experience integrating AI services (e.g., OpenAI API, LangChain) on both client and server sides, with a solid understanding of fundamental AI workflows.</p></li><li><p>Experience working with background workers and message queues (e.g., BullMQ, RabbitMQ) for handling asynchronous tasks.</p></li><li><p>Proven experience building secure systems, including protection against common vulnerabilities (OWASP Top 10), configuring Content Security Policy (CSP), CORS, securing APIs, and hardening hosting environments.</p></li><li><p>Experience working with analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, PostHog, Mixpanel) and platforms for A/B testing.</p></li></ul><p></p><h1><strong>Leadership &amp; Personal Qualities </strong></h1><ul><li><p>At least 2 years of experience in a Team Lead, Tech Lead, or similar leadership role with direct responsibility for a development team.</p></li><li><p>A genuine passion for teaching, sharing knowledge, and helping team members grow professionally.</p></li><li><p>Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.</p></li><li><p>The ability to understand business objectives and translate them into technical solutions that deliver real user value.</p></li><li><p>A proactive, results-oriented approach and a willingness to take ownership of both the team’s and the product’s success.</p><p></p></li></ul><h1><strong>Other</strong></h1><ul><li><p>Experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions, GitLab CI).</p></li><li><p>Experience with monorepo tools (e.g., Turborepo, Nx).</p></li><li><p>Experience writ