Senior Ruby on Rails Developer (Product-Minded) Independent Contractor

Senior Ruby on Rails Developer (Product-Minded) - Independent Contractor, Project-Based, Full-Time, Remote

We're looking for an experienced Ruby on Rails developer who enjoys taking ownership of projects and delivering real outcomes - not just checking off tickets or juggling dozens of frameworks.

This is a project-based independent contractor role. You'll work closely with decision makers, help shape solutions, and take responsibility for designing and implementing features end-to-end. We value engineers who think about the business context as much as the code - people who simplify, reduce risk, and build software that lasts.

You'll work across our stack - Rails 8, MySQL, Heroku, AWS, and limited React (as we transition toward Hotwire) - and contribute to decisions that directly impact product direction.

We prefer candidates who can comfortably collaborate within CET or US time zones.

What you'll do

Design and build secure, maintainable features in Ruby on Rails

Work from problem -> design -> implementation -> delivery

Keep solutions simple, safe, and easy to evolve

Translate business needs into clear technical approaches and tradeoffs

Contribute thoughtfully to architecture discussions

Write concise technical specs when needed

Collaborate async (Slack, GitHub) while communicating clearly and proactively Our tech stack

Ruby on Rails 8

MySQL

Heroku (deployments & ops)

AWS

React -> Hotwire (new development direction)

RSpec, Sidekiq What we're looking for

Strong experience building real, production Rails applications

Someone who owns problems - not just assigned tasks

Ability to make pragmatic engineering decisions with tradeoffs in mind

Strong communication - explaining why matters as much as what

Interest in understanding the business and customer impact

Comfortable working independently, yet collaborative when decisions matter Nice to have

Experience with Hotwire

Heroku or AWS familiarity

Experience simplifying or refactoring complex systems

Prior independent contractor or project-based work experience Why this role might be a great fit

Project-based, meaningful ownership - you see the impact of your work

100% remote, with preference for CET / US overlap

Full-time contractor scope

A practical engineering culture: clarity, simplicity, and maintainability

Direct collaboration with decision makers, not layers of management

Realistic expectations - we care about quality, not heroics How to apply

Send a short note with:

links to projects or GitHub (do not worry if you do not have any, we know busy professionals might not have a lot on public GH)

a brief description of your experience with Rails

one example of a problem you simplified instead of over-engineering

(And feel free to mention availability, timezone, and rate expectations.)

Remote