[Hiring] Senior Backend Engineer @Toptal

Role Description

Ruby on Rails powers Toptal’s public-facing web presence, and we’re looking for a sharp Ruby developer to help us take it further. As a member of the Public Website team, you’ll build and maintain the systems that shape how the world experiences Toptal. We’re a product team that delivers value directly to end-users, working closely with the business to ship features that matter.

• Write elegant, efficient, and testable Ruby code that is easy to maintain and debug.
• Cover code with tests and perform manual testing of features, while reviewing the work of colleagues.
• Work on the infrastructure part of the project, collaborating with Infrastructure Engineers.
• Continuously improve the team’s processes, brainstorm ideas, communicate statuses, and progress.
• Mentor team members, provide feedback, and continuously improve as a professional.
• Learn new concepts and technologies.
• Design, develop, document, analyze, create, test or modify computer or cloud-based systems or programs.

In the first week, expect to:

• Join our team, where you will be introduced to Toptal’s practices and processes.
• Start participating in company-wide training sessions.
• Set up your local environment and get familiar with our tech stack.
• Create your first pull request.

In the first month, expect to:

• Familiarize yourself with the team’s business domain.
• Contribute to our product development.
• Develop a deeper understanding of our technologies, processes, and product pipeline.

In the first three months, expect to:

• Actively supply software planning, development, and maintenance.
• Suggest and implement improvements to Toptal’s processes and codebase, while exercising discretion and independent judgment.

In the first six months, expect to:

• Lead technical initiatives in our team.
• Drive improvements to the codebase and processes.

In the first year, expect to:

• Have a detailed understanding of Toptal’s technical stack, collaboration rituals, processes, and performance.
• Mentor Toptal’s new team members.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of web development experience with Ruby/Rails.
• 5 years of experience with SQL databases.
• Strong knowledge of object-oriented programming, automated software testing, development, and testing essential methodologies.
• Knowledge of GraphQL and Kafka is preferred but not required.
• Ability to consider multiple quality dimensions like user impact, failure tolerance, code maintenance, implementation time, security breaches, and performance.
• Be genuinely interested in technology and love to try new things.
• Tackle complex problems by considering multiple solutions, weighing them, and deciding on the best course of action.
• Must have outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Thrive on providing and receiving transparent but always constructive feedback.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, rapidly growing company and handle a wide variety of challenges, deadlines, and a diverse array of contacts.
• You must be a world-class individual contributor to thrive at Toptal. You will not be here just to tell other people what to do.