Senior Developer

BackerKit enables thousands of creators worldwide to focus on doing what they love. For over a decade, our software has been the premier platform for crowdfunding backer management.

In 2022, we launched a complementary product : our own crowdfunding platform. We’re now a true one-stop shop for crowdfunding creators, and business is growing! As a company, our overarching goal is to empower crowdfunding creators to manage their creative projects with confidence.

On the inside, we’re a profitable, self-funded start-up of around 50 people with a diverse, close-knit team that prizes creativity, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn.

We have a small-yet-effective US-distributed engineering team. We are looking for a Senior level software developer (an individual contributor) to take us to the next level. Perhaps that is you!

Our tech stack

BackerKit is a Ruby on Rails majestic monolith deployed on Heroku. The codebase has been around since 2012, so it has seen some things.

Despite that, it is generally well-factored and well-tested - we’ve been tending this garden for a decade! We are on the most recent versions of Ruby and Rails, and have adopted some new technology in our recently-launched crowdfunding platform, such as Hotwire, Tailwind, and Stimulus, to leverage additions from the Rails ecosystem.

We’re all about finding the right tool for the job, while getting utility out of what we’re already using.

Our process stack

We prioritize fast iteration, shipping small experiments to make sure we’re constantly learning from our customers, and solving the problem in front of us.

To serve that, we are a pair-programming, test-driven-development, one-week-iteration type of shop. We have a mature continuous integration setup, and though we aren’t all in on continuous deployment, we do deploy multiple times a day.

We are small-a agile, which means no component of our process is sacrosanct. Weekly retrospectives (among other things) help make sure that our processes evolve as we do.

As one of our senior folks, we hope you’ll contribute thoughtfully to those discussions and experiments, bringing your unique experience to bear.

Our work style

None of the developers at BackerKit are expected to stay in their lane, particularly senior devs. We have a small team of product managers, designers, and developers who are jointly responsible for creating and improving the product.

Devs at all levels are often working directly with internal and external stakeholders, so experience working with people outside the development team is a must.

Strong communication and consensus-building skills - with all types of folks - are also essential.

Requirements for this role are :

• Deep knowledge of Ruby and Rails, typically 5+ years
• In-depth knowledge of relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL) preferred
• Extensive front-end development experience, gained through exposure to various tools and frameworks
• Extensive experience in pair-programming and open to pair for 80% of the time
• Experience using system monitoring tools (e.g. Datadog, NewRelic etc.) and automated testing frameworks
• Experience working on multiple such projects over time

The person who will succeed in this role :

• will have experience building a web product in an iterative, small-a agile environment,
• will be fluent in front-end best practices,
• will be able to monitor the application performance using tools and improve when required,
• will enjoy frequent pair programming and are excited to use it daily to learn and teach,
• will practice and encourage test-driving and automated testing in general and can have thoughtful discussions about when and how much to test code.

Some of the things a Senior Software Developer will do here :

• Develop both a macro- and micro-level understanding of the codebase
• Rotate through pair programming with all the members of the development team, to learn from and help level everyone up
• Mentor and champion less-experienced developers
• Make important technical decisions that have sweeping consequences for our customers and the business and gain consensus
• Communicate, communicate, communicate! This is not a role with lots of heads-down solo work
• Understand our users. Everyone at BackerKit is customer-facing, and we expect everyone to get to know the project creators and backers that we are serving (plus, they are awesome, just like you!)
• Take actual breaks and vacations - no off-hours or weekend work except when the app experiences unforeseen issues (which does not happen often)

Benefits :

• Remote-first position on a distributed team
• Competitive salary and stock option plan
• Stipends for supporting creators of your choosing
• Medical, dental, vision, and FSA benefits
• 401k plan (with employer match!)
• Family-friendly and focused on maintaining a healthy work / life balance
• Annual Learning and Development stipend to support your professional growth

Research shows that while men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other underrepresented groups tend to only apply when they check every box.

So, if you think you have what it takes but don't necessarily meet every single point listed, please apply - you could be exactly who we are looking for!

Please click here to learn more about our interviewing process.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We here at BackerKit will always respect pronouns and identities when addressing candidates who feel comfortable sharing theirs.

BackerKit is committed to a culture of inclusion and belonging. We believe that crowdfunding is for everyone, and strive to build a company that reflects the diverse backgrounds of the creators we currently serve and hope to serve in the future.