[Hiring] Middle Next.js Developer @Ruby Labs

Role Description

We are looking for a disciplined, highly autonomous Middle Next.js Developer to build and ship product features for one of our core D2C subscription products. You will own features end to end across a TypeScript monorepo — a Next.js App Router client, a Fastify + Payload CMS API on PostgreSQL, and Cloudflare Workers at the edge.

• Receive tasks, break them down, estimate, implement, test, and ensure observability for clean releases to production.
• This is a hands-on engineering role suited for someone who treats production as the standard, not the finish line.
• You are expected to work within strict conventions and be accountable for every task you take on.
• Expect maximum autonomy and real involvement in the product, communicating risks before they become blockers.

Key Responsibilities

• Feature Development:
  • Build features across the Next.js client and the Fastify + Payload CMS backend according to product requirements.
  • Write code that follows the team's Feature-Sliced Design layering, naming, and import conventions.
  • Ship changes behind feature flags and A/B experiments, fully localized across every supported locale.
  • Integrate third-party providers — billing, email/CRM, analytics — over REST APIs and webhooks.
• Quality & Reliability:
  • Cover functionality with unit, integration, and e2e tests at the level the team expects.
  • Run a thorough self-review before code review, and review teammates' code with the same rigor.
  • Fix bugs and perform root-cause analysis for recurring issues.
  • Optimize page and endpoint performance — rendering and caching strategy, database queries, bundle size.
• Security & Observability:
  • Apply secure development practices: schema validation, access control, safe handling of secrets.
  • Follow observability practices — structured logging, metrics, and alerts — using existing tooling.
• Collaboration:
  • Break down, estimate, and ship your own tasks to production within the sprint — and stay accountable for them after release.
  • Own the areas of the product you work in: their stability, performance, and follow-up fixes.
  • Surface requirement clarifications, estimate changes, and risks early and in writing.
  • Escalate complex architectural decisions and critical risks to senior engineers.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of commercial React experience, including 1+ year with Next.js (App Router, Server Components, route handlers, rendering and caching strategies) and solid TypeScript.
• Node.js backend experience on a typed HTTP framework (Fastify, Nest, or Express) with PostgreSQL — REST API design, schema migrations, integrations over REST and webhooks.
• Hands-on with the modern client stack: TanStack Query, Zustand, React Hook Form + Zod, Tailwind CSS, and a React component library such as HeroUI, MUI, or shadcn/ui.
• Experience with a code-first headless CMS on PostgreSQL (Payload, Strapi, Directus, or equivalent).
• Testing and delivery discipline: e2e tests (Cypress or Playwright) and unit/integration tests (Vitest or Jest), Git flow, code review, working with CI.
• Daily use of AI development tools (Claude Code or equivalents), including configuring them for a project.
• English — B1+.

Requirements

• Owns the outcome — takes a task from requirement to production without waiting to be pushed.
• Maximally autonomous and involved — needs a goal, not step-by-step instructions.
• Verifies before trusting — treats AI output, third-party responses, and your own code as unproven until tested.
• Structured communicator — surfaces risks, blockers, and estimate changes early, in writing.
• Knows the edge of their scope — escalates architectural and security decisions instead of improvising them.
• Learns from incidents — fixes the root cause, not just the symptom.

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.

Benefits

• Remote Work Environment: Embrace the freedom to work from anywhere, anytime.
• Unlimited PTO: Enjoy unlimited paid time off to recharge and prioritize your well-being.
• Paid National Holidays: Celebrate and relax on national holidays with paid time off.
• Company-provided MacBook: Experience seamless productivity with top-notch Apple MacBooks.
• Flexible Independent Contractor Agreement: Unlock the benefits of flexibility, autonomy, and entrepreneurial opportunities.