Ruby on Rails Developer

Ruby on Rails Tech Lead

Location: London (Hybrid, 3-4 days onsite)

Salary: up to £100,000 DOE

We’re working with an established, technology-led business entering an exciting new stage of growth, as several internally developed products prepare to scale into the market.

Having invested in and developed their technology for more than a decade, they’re now looking for a hands-on Ruby on Rails Tech Lead to become a key technical figure within the business, working closely with the MD as their technical right-hand person.

This is not a hands-off leadership position. You’ll remain 100% hands-on, taking ownership of complex Ruby on Rails development while helping ensure the platforms are architected and engineered to support significant growth in users.

What you’ll be doing

• Remaining hands-on with Ruby on Rails across the development and evolution of core products
• Taking technical ownership of platforms as they prepare for increased users and commercial scale
• Solving complex challenges around scalability, performance and architecture
• Initially focusing on core platform and paywall capabilities, with the product offering continuing to evolve
• Working closely with the MD as a trusted technical partner
• Collaborating cross-functionally with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Joining client meetings, pitches and wider commercial discussions when technical input is required
• Using modern AI development tools to support efficient engineering and delivery
• Potentially leading Engineers depending on the project and future team structure
• Helping shape the technical direction of products as they move through their next stage of growth

What we’re looking for

You’ll need to be a genuinely hands-on Engineer with deep Ruby on Rails expertise. This role won’t suit someone who has moved predominantly into people management or become removed from day-to-day software development.

We’re particularly interested in people with:

• Strong commercial Ruby on Rails experience and genuine technical depth
• Experience building and scaling production platforms to support increasing numbers of users
• Strong backend architecture and software engineering fundamentals
• Experience taking ownership of technically complex products or systems
• The ability to operate independently and make sound technical decisions
• Experience using modern AI-assisted development tools
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills
• The confidence to work directly with senior leadership, clients and non-technical stakeholders
• A personable, commercially aware approach
• Previous leadership experience, or the ambition and capability to step into greater technical leadership
• Experience within regulated, compliance-heavy or similarly complex environments would be advantageous

Why join?

This is an opportunity to take considerably more ownership than a traditional Senior Engineering position while staying firmly hands-on.

You’ll work directly alongside the MD, have genuine influence over how products are built and scaled, and gain exposure to the wider commercial journey as established technology moves into its next stage of growth.

There’s also significant longer-term opportunity. As the UK Engineering function grows, there will be scope for a team to be built around and underneath this position for someone interested in developing their leadership responsibilities.

If you’re a strong Ruby on Rails Engineer looking for technical ownership, commercial exposure and the opportunity to play an influential role in scaling products and an Engineering function, I’d be keen to speak with you.