What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lead Ruby Developer position at VanderHouwen?
Lead Software Engineer
Our client is seeking a high-impact, senior-level engineering leader to take full ownership of our core software platform and engineering function. This role is designed for someone who can lead, architect, and execute - not just contribute. You will serve as the technical leader of the organization, responsible for driving platform evolution, leading a small team, and directly contributing to the codebase. This individual will play a critical role in modernizing infrastructure (Heroku to AWS), integrating AI into development workflows, and owning end-to-end system performance and delivery.
This role is fully remote. Applicants must reside in the Chicago, Illinois area to meet with teammates on occasion.
What You’ll Do
Technical Leadership & Ownership
- Own the end-to-end delivery of the core Ruby on Rails platform (architecture, performance, reliability, and scalability)
- Lead and mentor a small team of engineers while remaining hands-on in development
- Drive technical direction, system design, and engineering best practices
- Balance coding, coordination, and strategic decision-making
Platform & Infrastructure
- Lead migration from Heroku to AWS, including infrastructure design and implementation
- Own DevOps practices including CI/CD pipelines, deployments, environments, and monitoring
- Take responsibility for production systems, incident response, and system health
AI & Innovation
- Champion AI as a core part of the development process
- Lead efforts around implementing, integrating, and debugging AI-driven code
- Help establish structured workflows that incorporate AI tools into engineering practices
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with founders and business stakeholders to translate needs into technical solutions
- Improve operational workflows across purchasing, fulfillment, warehouse operations, and reporting
- Identify and execute on opportunities to increase efficiency, visibility, and automation
Hands-On Development
- Contribute directly to the codebase, especially for complex features and system design
- Troubleshoot production issues and optimize performance
- Modernize legacy components while maintaining business continuity
What We’re Looking For
- 10 years of software engineering experience
- Strong background in Ruby on Rails (7 years in production environments)
- Proven experience leading teams and owning delivery (not just contributing)
- Deep experience with AWS and DevOps practices (deployments, infrastructure, CI/CD)
- Experience with or exposure to platform/infrastructure migrations
- Strong experience with Postgres or MySQL
- Ability to operate with full ownership in a complex, production environment
Leadership & Working Style
- Demonstrated ability to lead small teams and mentor engineers
- Comfortable balancing hands-on coding with coordination and leadership
- Adaptable and effective in a fast-paced, evolving startup environment
- Open to and experienced with AI-assisted development workflows
Nice to Have
- Experience with logistics, warehouse, or inventory systems
- Background in React or modern frontend frameworks
- Experience modernizing legacy systems
- Exposure to hardware integrations (barcode scanners, automation, etc.)
- Experience working with large datasets
Salary : $150,000 - $165,000