Senior Ruby Software Engineer

As a Senior Ruby Software Engineer at tastytrade, your primary responsibilities will revolve around developing and enhancing the technology that drives our retail brokerage operations. This includes modifying existing systems, leading small project teams, mentoring junior engineers, and creating production-quality code. You’ll also help in troubleshooting issues and evaluating new technologies, ensuring our architecture scales effectively while maintaining its performance and stability.

To be considered for the Senior Ruby Software Engineer role at tastytrade, you should have a mastery of at least one programming language and framework, as well as a familiarity with others like C++, Java, and JavaScript. We’re looking for candidates with a minimum of 5 years of professional experience as a software engineer, ideally with some technical lead or mentoring experience. Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to quickly adapt to new technologies are also essential.

At tastytrade, support for professional growth is a cornerstone of our culture. As a Senior Ruby Software Engineer, you will have access to an annual educational stipend that can be used for conferences or training. Furthermore, the role allows for mentorship opportunities, not only by leading project teams but also by providing guidance and constructive feedback to junior colleagues which helps enhance technical proficiency and leadership skills.

Senior Ruby Software Engineers at tastytrade will work with a wide array of technologies across our tech stack. While Ruby is a primary language, there is also engagement with C++, Java, and JavaScript among others. This diverse environment allows engineers to actively participate in both front-end and back-end system development, tackling various challenges as our architecture continues to evolve.

Working as a Senior Ruby Software Engineer at tastytrade comes with a host of fantastic benefits. You’ll enjoy performance bonuses, stock purchase options, a 401k retirement plan, generous paid time off, and even gym membership reimbursement. Additionally, we foster a collaborative work environment with onsite amenities and wellness programs designed to promote a sustainable work-life balance.

Your response should highlight specific projects where Ruby was used, discussing the challenges faced and how you addressed them. Focus on demonstrating your proficiency with Ruby, any frameworks you've used like Rails, and how you ensured code quality through testing and peer reviews.

Emphasize the structured approach you take toward troubleshooting, such as reproducing issues, isolating variables, and using debugging tools effectively. Share an example where your problem-solving skills led to a successful resolution.

Discuss your philosophy on mentorship, which should include providing constructive feedback, promoting open communication, and encouraging independent problem-solving. Mention any relevant experiences where you've led or guided junior engineers successfully.

Provide a clear narrative on the new technology you decided to implement, your rationale behind the choice, how you planned the implementation, and the eventual impact it had on the project or team. Success stories resonate well here!

Focus on your practices surrounding code reviews, pair programming, the importance of testing (unit, integration, etc.), and maintaining documentation. Mention any quality standards or frameworks you adhere to in your work.

Discuss challenges related to rapid technological change, managing project timelines, or ensuring performance under pressure. Illustrate your answer with an example that shows your adaptability and competence in handling stress.

Articulate your understanding of scaling in terms of both software performance and infrastructure. Share relevant experiences where you had to refactor code or change architecture to improve performance under increased loads.

If you have experience with agile, talk about your role in scrum or sprint planning and how it fostered team communication and productivity. Point out any improvements that agile practices brought to the efficiency and quality of your projects.

Describe your experience with tools like Git, discussing best practices such as branching strategies, commit messages, and code collaboration. Share how version control has positively influenced your team's workflow.

Mention your approach to professional development, such as reading industry blogs, attending conferences, participating in forums, or taking courses. Discuss how you've applied new knowledge to your work to improve processes or software.