Ruby on Rails Developer at Pavago in South Africa, South Africa

💎 Ruby on Rails Developer (Ruby, Rails, PostgreSQL, APIs, Sidekiq)

Full-Time | Remote | U.S. Business Hours

🚀 About the Role

We’re hiring a skilled Ruby on Rails Developer to build, optimize, and maintain scalable web applications and APIs used in real-world production environments.

This role is focused on:

• Backend application development
• API architecture & integrations
• Database performance & scalability
• Rails application optimization
• Testing & clean code practices
• System reliability & security

You’ll work closely with product, design, and engineering teams to deliver reliable, high-performance applications while contributing to a clean and maintainable codebase.

This is an ideal opportunity for developers who enjoy building production-grade systems, solving performance challenges, and working deeply within the Rails ecosystem.

🔥 What You’ll Own

Ruby on Rails Application Development

• Build and maintain:
  • Ruby on Rails applications
  • REST APIs
  • Backend services
  • Internal tools
• Implement business logic using:
  • ActiveRecord
  • MVC architecture
  • Rails conventions
• Develop:
  • Scalable backend systems
  • Reusable services
  • Maintainable application workflows
• Integrate front-end frameworks such as:
  • Stimulus
  • React
  • Vue.js

Database Design & Performance

• Design and maintain schemas using:
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
• Optimize:
  • SQL queries
  • Indexing
  • Database performance
• Implement:
  • Caching strategies
  • Background processing
  • Asynchronous workflows
• Work with:
  • Sidekiq
  • Resque
  • Redis

API Development & Integrations

• Design and maintain scalable RESTful APIs
• Integrate with:
  • Third-party APIs
  • Payment systems
  • SaaS platforms
  • External services
• Handle:
  • Authentication
  • Rate limiting
  • Background sync jobs
  • Webhook processing

Testing & Code Quality

• Write and maintain:
  • Unit tests
  • Integration tests
  • System tests
• Use frameworks such as:
  • RSpec
  • Minitest
  • Capybara
• Maintain:
  • ≥80% test coverage
  • Clean code standards
  • Linting rules
• Work within CI/CD pipelines for automated deployments and testing

Security & Reliability

• Implement:
  • Authentication
  • Authorization
  • Role-based permissions
• Use tools such as:
  • Devise
  • OmniAuth
• Follow:
  • OWASP security best practices
  • CSRF protection
  • Secure input validation
• Support compliance requirements where applicable:
  • GDPR
  • HIPAA

Performance Optimization & Monitoring

• Improve:
  • API response times
  • Page load speeds
  • Background job throughput
• Monitor applications using:
  • New Relic
  • Datadog
  • Honeybadger
  • Rollbar
• Troubleshoot production issues and deploy fixes with minimal downtime

Collaboration & Agile Development

• Collaborate with:
  • Product Managers
  • Designers
  • Frontend Engineers
  • QA teams
• Participate in:
  • Sprint planning
  • Standups
  • Code reviews
  • Technical discussions
• Provide accurate development estimates and contribute to architectural decisions
• Maintain clear technical documentation for long-term maintainability

💻 Required Experience & Skills

• 3+ years of Ruby on Rails development experience
• Strong proficiency with:
  • Ruby
  • Rails
  • ActiveRecord
  • MVC architecture
• Experience with:
  • PostgreSQL or MySQL
  • Sidekiq or Resque
  • Git workflows
  • CI/CD pipelines
• Strong understanding of:
  • API development
  • Backend architecture
  • Scalable web applications

⭐ Ideal Experience

• Experience integrating:
  • React
  • Vue.js
  • Stimulus
• Experience deploying Rails applications to:
  • AWS
  • GCP
  • Heroku
• Familiarity with:
  • Redis
  • Memcached
  • Background workers
  • Caching systems
• Industry experience in:
  • SaaS
  • Fintech
  • Healthcare
  • E-commerce

🧠 What Makes You a Great Fit

• Deep understanding of Rails conventions and ecosystem
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills
• Passion for clean, maintainable, well-tested code
• Comfortable balancing speed, reliability, and scalability
• Strong collaborator and communicator in remote engineering environments
• Ownership mindset with attention to long-term system quality

📅 What a Typical Day Looks Like

• Review sprint tasks and pick up new feature tickets
• Build and maintain Rails features and APIs
• Optimize database queries and application performance
• Write automated tests and review CI/CD pipelines
• Collaborate with frontend and product teams on feature implementation
• Troubleshoot production issues and deploy fixes
• Monitor application health and improve system reliability
• Document updates and technical workflows

In short: You build and maintain scalable Rails applications that are secure, performant, reliable, and ready for production growth.

📊 Key Success Metrics (KPIs)

• Features delivered on time and aligned with requirements
• Application uptime ≥ 99.9%
• Test coverage maintained ≥80%
• Reduced system errors and technical debt
• Improved API and application performance
• Positive stakeholder feedback on feature quality and reliability

🌍 Why This Role Stands Out

• Work on modern production Rails applications
• Opportunity to influence architecture and backend scalability
• Exposure to:
  • APIs
  • Distributed systems
  • Cloud deployments
  • Performance optimization
• Strong growth opportunities into:
  • Senior Rails Engineer
  • Backend Engineer
  • Tech Lead
  • Platform Engineering
• Fully remote flexibility with collaborative engineering teams

🧪 Interview Process

• Initial Phone Screen
• Video Interview with Pavago Recruiter
• Technical Assessment (Build a small Rails API with models, endpoints, and tests)
• Client Interview with Engineering Team
• Offer & Background Verification

👉 Apply Now

If you:

• Love building scalable backend systems
• Enjoy writing clean Rails code
• Care deeply about reliability and performance
• Want to work on real production applications

This role is a strong fit for developers who thrive inside the Rails ecosystem and enjoy building secure, scalable, production-grade applications.