428 Rails Developer jobs in South Africa

We're Hiring: Principal Software Engineer (Ruby on Rails)

Hybrid Role (3 Days in Office / 2 Days Remote)

We're looking for a highly skilled
Principal Software Engineer
with deep expertise in
Ruby on Rails
to take a
lead role
in designing, architecting, and delivering scalable, secure, and high-performing web applications. This is a
hands-on technical leadership role
, ideal for someone who enjoys both coding and guiding a talented engineering team toward excellence.

You'll collaborate closely with product owners and business stakeholders, shaping the technical direction and ensuring our products remain at the forefront of innovation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, coach, and mentor a team of software engineers, fostering a collaborative, high-performance environment
• Oversee and guide all architectural and design decisions with a focus on scalable, maintainable Ruby on Rails solutions
• Act as the technical authority and product advocate, ensuring systems stay aligned with the latest market, security, and compliance standards
• Drive best practices in cloud-native architecture, CI/CD, and agile delivery
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business requirements into robust, technical solutions
• Maintain oversight of infrastructure performance, cost efficiency, and operational excellence

Skills & Experience Required:

• Extensive hands-on experience with Ruby on Rails
  — designing, building, and scaling complex web applications
• Strong knowledge of cloud infrastructure (AWS or Azure) and containerisation technologies
• Solid understanding of PostgreSQL and database optimisation
• Proven track record in building and maintaining RESTful APIs
• Familiarity with C#, HTML5/CSS3, and modern JavaScript frameworks (React, Vue, or similar)
• Comfortable working in Linux or OS-X environments
• Demonstrated experience leading, managing, and mentoring technical teams

Are you a Full Stack Engineer with a passion for creating high-quality, scalable applications? We're searching for a skilled engineer to join a leading software provider focused on advancing technology for the automotive industry. This is an exciting opportunity to work remotely on an innovative product used by dealerships to drive efficiency and enhance customer relationships.

Position Overview

In this role, you'll lead the development, maintenance, and optimization of a sophisticated B2B application, contributing to its ongoing scalability and security. You'll collaborate closely with a talented team of product managers, designers, and engineers, focusing on expanding features and refining the platform's overall architecture.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development of a scalable, high-quality web application using
  Ruby on Rails
  .
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and launch new features across web and mobile platforms.
• Optimize frontend performance, leveraging
  JavaScript
  frameworks like
  Turbo
  and
  Stimulus
  .
• Integrate third-party services, including
  Twilio, SendGrid,
  and
  Stripe
  .
• Maintain infrastructure hosted on
  Heroku
  and
  AWS
  , ensuring stability, security, and scalability.
• Manage
  AWS Aurora
  databases for efficient data access and reliability.
• Enforce code quality and security standards, using tools like
  Brakeman
  and
  Dependabot
  .
• Champion CI/CD processes, including automated testing and robust deployment.
• Mentor junior engineers and participate in code reviews to maintain quality standards.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years as a Full Stack Engineer, with strong expertise in
  Ruby on Rails
  .
• Proficiency in
  JavaScript
  (jQuery, Stimulus) and frontend development.
• Experience with database management, particularly
  MySQL
  or
  AWS
  .
• Hands-on experience with
  Heroku
  ,
  AWS services
  , and
  infrastructure as code
  (Terraform).
• Proven experience with
  CI/CD pipelines
  , automated testing, and GitHub workflows.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work both independently and within a team.
• High attention to detail in maintaining code quality and security standards.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience with third-party integrations (Twilio, SendGrid, Stripe, etc.).
• Familiarity with
  Airbrake
  ,
  NewRelic
  , search technologies like
  ElasticSearch
  , and caching (Redis, Memcached).
• Knowledge of responsive design principles and mobile web app development.
• Background in Dealer Management Systems (DMS) integrations or vehicle data processing.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Flexible, remote-friendly work environment
• Opportunities for professional development and learning

Key Responsibilities:

Full-Stack Development

• 
  

  Design, develop, and maintain high-performance Ruby on Rails applications, handling both backend and frontend components.

  
  


• 
  

  Build and optimize RESTful APIs, database schemas, and user interfaces to ensure seamless functionality and user experience.

  
  


• 
  

  Implement responsive, accessible frontend designs using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and frameworks like React, Vue.js, or similar.

  
  

Code Quality and Best Practices:

• 
  

  Write clean, efficient, and well-documented code following Ruby on Rails conventions and industry best practices.

  
  


• 
  

  Conduct code reviews to ensure consistency, performance, and adherence to coding standards.

  
  


• 
  

  Refactor legacy code to improve maintainability, scalability, and performance.

  
  

Test-Driven Development (TDD):

• 
  

  Develop and maintain comprehensive test suites using tools like RSpec, Minitest, or Capybara to ensure robust code quality.

  
  


• 
  

  Implement best-practice test cases, including unit, integration, and end-to-end tests, to minimize bugs and regressions.

  
  


• 
  

  Advocate for and enforce a culture of TDD within the development team.

  
  

Leadership and Management:

• 
  

  Lead and mentor a team of developers, providing technical guidance and fostering a collaborative, high-performing environment.

  
  


• 
  

  Manage project timelines, delegate tasks, and ensure on-time delivery of features and releases.

  
  


• 
  

  Collaborate with product managers, designers, and stakeholders to translate requirements into technical specifications.

  
  

System Optimization and Scalability:

• 
  

  Optimize application performance through efficient database queries, caching strategies, and server-side improvements.

  
  


• 
  

  Ensure applications are secure, scalable, and maintainable, adhering to best practices for cloud-based deployments.

  
  


• 
  

  Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues in production environments.

  
  

Collaboration and Communication:

• 
  

  Work closely with cross-functional teams to align development efforts with business objectives.

  
  


• 
  

  Communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders, providing updates on progress and risks.

  
  


• 
  

  Contribute to Agile/Scrum processes, including sprint planning, stand-ups, and retrospectives.

  
  

Qualifications and Skills:

Education:

• 
  

  Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

  
  

Experience:

• 
  

  8+ years of professional experience developing Ruby on Rails applications, with at least 2 years in a senior or lead role.

  
  


• 
  

  Proven full-stack development experience, including frontend frameworks (e.g., React, Vue.js, or Angular) and backend systems.

  
  


• 
  

  2+ years of technical leadership or management experience, including mentoring developers and managing projects.

  
  

Technical Proficiency:

• 
  

  Expert-level knowledge of Ruby on Rails, including MVC architecture, ActiveRecord, and Rails 6/7 features.

  
  


• 
  

  Strong experience with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and query optimization.

  
  


• 
  

  Proficiency in frontend technologies: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and modern frameworks.

  
  


• 
  

  Familiarity with testing frameworks (e.g., RSpec, Minitest, Capybara) and best practices for TDD/BDD.

  
  


• 
  

  Experience with version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Heroku, or Azure).

  
  

Code Quality:

• 
  

  Demonstrated ability to write clean, modular, and efficient code with a focus on maintainability.

  
  


• 
  

  Deep understanding of design patterns, SOLID principles, and RESTful architecture.

  
  


• 
  

  Familiarity with code testing applications such as Circle CI and Code Climate.

  
  


• 
  

  Bug identification via Airbrake.

  
  

Soft Skills:

• 
  

  Strong leadership and mentoring abilities, with a track record of building cohesive teams.

  
  


• 
  

  Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

  
  


• 
  

  Effective communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts to diverse audiences.

  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• 
  

  BSc Computer Science.

  
  


• 
  

  Familiarity with DevOps tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes, Ansible) and infrastructure as code.

  
  


• 
  

  Contributions to open-source Ruby/Rails projects or a strong GitHub portfolio.

  
  


• 
  

  Agile/Scrum certification (e.g., Certified Scrum Developer) or experience leading Agile teams.

  
  

Step into a Principal Engineer role with a global product team that’s scaling next-generation ERP and business management platforms used across automotive, retail, and wholesale distribution worldwide.

This is an opportunity for a seasoned engineer who loves elegant solutions, thrives on solving complex problems, and gets excited about building at cloud scale

What you’ll do

• Architect & build scalable, production-grade apps in Ruby on Rails .
• Design secure, high-performance RESTful APIs powering global platforms.
• Lead technical direction — mentor engineers, shape architecture, and influence decisions.
• Deploy and optimise cloud-native solutions in AWS (and/or Azure).
• Collaborate closely with stakeholders to deliver impactful, user-focused solutions

What we’re after

• Proven Ruby on Rails expertise on high-traffic systems.
• Strong AWS/Azure knowledge and hands-on Docker/Kubernetes containerisation.
• Advanced PostgreSQL skills, including query tuning and performance optimisation.
• Solid grounding in secure-by-design principles.
• Bonus points for exposure to:
• C# , modern JS frameworks (React , Vue , Angular , Ember )
• HTML5/CSS3 , Linux/OSX CLI
• AI/ML integration
• Ability to influence, simplify, and communicate technical direction clearly

The deal

• Ref: GZ60805
• Type: Permanent | Hybrid, based in Cape Town
• Compensation: Up to R1.5m per annum CTC (negotiable)

Apply:
Call:
More roles:
Referral bonus: Cash rewards for successful referrals.

Job Overview

Join a dynamic UK-based tech team seeking a highly experienced Senior Backend Developer with deep expertise in data engineering, BI, and backend development. This role offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge analytics and data platforms, using tools like Apache Spark, Scala, and Databricks. You'll be part of a fast-paced environment that values clean code, efficient data pipelines, and innovative BI solutions that power strategic decisions.

As a valued member of the team, you'll collaborate with global colleagues, contribute to critical backend services, and help shape robust data architecture. If you're passionate about big data, ETL processes, and BI tools – this is your chance to make an impact with a UK employer, from the comfort of your home in South Africa.Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable ETL pipelines using Apache Spark and Scala.
• Implement and optimise data models within Data Lakes and relational databases.
• Develop backend components for BI platforms, supporting tools like Power BI, Databricks, and Starburst.
• Ensure high-quality, testable code using static analysis tools (Sonar, Fortify).
• Execute data validation and manage structured/unstructured datasets in distributed environments.
• Collaborate with DevOps on CI/CD integration to ensure seamless delivery processes.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and performance tuning of complex data systems.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of 5 years' experience in ETL implementation.
• At least 3 years of hands-on experience with Apache Spark and Scala.
• Minimum of 2 years working with BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Databricks, Starburst).
• Strong experience in data model design and working with Data Lakes (e.g., Apache Hive, AWS S3).
• Proven expertise in SQL and relational database systems.
• Experience in unit testing and code quality tools (e.g., Sonar, Fortify).
• Familiarity with CI/CD processes and Agile delivery environments.
• Equipment required: Personal laptop/desktop, reliable high-speed internet connection.

Purpose of the Role:

At Dis-Chem Life, we are building systems that protect lives, accelerate innovation, and drive digital transformation at scale. As our Backend Engineer, you will design and build the core services, platforms, and APIs that power every product we deliver and every life we cover.

This is not a role for the average engineer. We are looking for someone who blends elite backend architecture with craftsmanship, operational excellence, and a startup-hardened mindset.

Your mission: to architect, implement, and operate secure, scalable, and high-performance backend systems that enable faster, safer, and smarter product delivery.

You will collaborate with product managers, frontend engineers, other backend engineers, data scientists, actuaries, and DevOps to deliver domain-rich services, enable event-driven integrations, and ensure our systems are observable, reliable, and built for change.

Role Summary

This role is responsible for designing, developing, and operating Dis-Chem Life's backend platforms and services to enable rapid, reliable, and scalable software delivery. The Backend Engineer will lead the implementation of domain-driven, cloud-native architectures; define and evolve service boundaries; and deliver high-quality APIs and data pipelines that underpin the resilience and efficiency of our technology landscape.

To succeed, you must be highly proficient in backend software design, test driven development, distributed systems, API development, and secure data handling. You will take full ownership of service performance, reliability, code quality, and production operations—ensuring our systems run at enterprise scale while enabling agility and innovation.

This role demands a technically strong, self-driven engineer with deep backend experience and the ability to collaborate across engineering, data, and product teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Backend Architecture & Development

• Design, build, and maintain scalable, secure, and high-performing backend services and APIs.

• Lead the adoption of domain-driven design (DDD), clean architecture, and SOLID principles.

• Implement robust data models and persistence strategies with strong consistency and performance characteristics.

• Build event-driven and asynchronous workflows using messaging/streaming platforms.

• Establish API standards, versioning strategies, and documentation practices.

• Reliability, Performance & Operations

• Drive performance optimisation through profiling, caching, indexing, and query optimisation.

• Embed observability across services: structured logging, metrics, tracing, SLIs/SLOs, and error budgets.

• Champion testing excellence: unit, property-based, contract, integration, and load testing.

• Own production readiness: blue/green or canary releases, graceful degradation, and robust rollback paths.

• Partner with SRE/DevOps to ensure secure, automated deployments and operational excellence.

• Security & Compliance

• Implement secure coding practices and threat-aware designs (input validation, least privilege, encryption in transit/at rest).

• Manage identity, auth, and access patterns (OAuth2/OIDC, JWT, mTLS, fine-grained authorisation).

• Ensure data governance and privacy controls aligned to regulatory and internal standards.

• Collaboration & Delivery

• Work closely with product and stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical designs and iterative delivery plans.

• Mentor engineers, conduct code and design reviews, and raise the quality bar across the codebase.

• Drive continuous improvement of engineering practices, tooling, and standards.

Technical Skills

• Essential:

• Strong proficiency in one or more backend languages and ecosystems (e.g., Java/Kotlin with Spring Boot, C#/.NET, Go, or Python/FastAPI).

• Deep experience designing and consuming RESTful APIs and building resilient, idempotent endpoints; exposure to gRPC or GraphQL.

• Strong understanding of distributed systems concepts: consistency, partitioning, resiliency patterns (circuit breakers, retries, backoff), eventual consistency.

• Data stores: relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and at least one NoSQL store (e.g., DynamoDB, MongoDB, Redis); schema design, indexing, and migration strategies.

• Messaging and streaming platforms (e.g., Kafka, Kinesis, SQS/SNS, RabbitMQ) and event-driven architecture.

• Testing: unit, integration, contract (e.g., Pact), end-to-end, and performance/load testing.

• Observability: metrics, logs, and tracing (e.g., OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, CloudWatch/X-Ray).

• Secure development practices, secrets management, and API security patterns.

• Comfortable with containerisation (Docker) and deploying to Kubernetes/EKS or equivalent.

• Beneficial:

• Experience with CQRS and event sourcing where appropriate.

• Knowledge of caching layers and patterns (Redis, CDN, application-level caches).

• Experience with feature flags, canary releasing, and progressive delivery.

• Exposure to serverless components (e.g., AWS Lambda, API Gateway, Step Functions) and microservices at scale.

• Familiarity with data pipelines and analytics integrations for downstream consumers.

• Understanding of financial services domains or actuarial/data integrations.

Soft Skills

• Ownership-driven, autonomous, and accountable.

• Thrives in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments; bias for action and outcomes.

• Exceptional problem-solving with a performance and reliability mindset.

• Strong written and verbal communication; able to collaborate across technical and non-technical teams.

• Passionate about craftsmanship, documentation, and continuous improvement.

Experience

• 6+ years' experience building and operating backend systems in production.

• Proven track record designing and maintaining high-scale, mission-critical services in cloud environments (AWS preferred).

• Experience delivering greenfield systems and evolving legacy platforms incrementally.

• Demonstrated impact in agile, product-led, high-stakes settings.

• Prior experience in regulated or financial services environments is advantageous.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent practical experience).

• Relevant certifications beneficial (e.g., AWS Certified Developer/Solutions Architect; domain-specific security certifications).

Nice-to-Have AWS Alignment

• Services: EC2, EKS, Lambda, API Gateway, ALB/NLB, RDS/Aurora, DynamoDB, SQS/SNS, Kinesis, ElastiCache/Redis, Secrets Manager, Cognito, CloudWatch, X-Ray.

• Practices: Infrastructure-as-Code collaboration with DevOps (Terraform/CloudFormation), cost-aware designs, and security-first architectures aligned to CIS and IAM best practices.

What Success Looks Like

• Measurable improvements in latency, throughput, and error rates against defined SLOs.

• Clearly defined and documented service boundaries with stable, versioned APIs.

• Robust test coverage and automated quality gates in CI/CD.

• Zero-trust principles applied across services with least-privilege access and strong auditability.

• Predictable, low-risk deployments and fast, reliable incident recovery.

• Design and build data stores with complex relationships (relational or NoSQL).
• Built/Designed distributed systems, back-end APIs, or microservices and cloud infrastructure, best practices, and security.
• CS fundamentals in object-oriented design, data structures, algorithm design and complexity analysis.
• Experience with continuous deployment technologies (CI/CD e.g., GitHub Actions).

• Golang & Typescript.
• Familiarity with Test-Driven Development (TDD), unit testing, performance, load, or end-to-end integration tests.
• Cloud infrastructure such as AWS and Azure.
• Infrastructure as Code (IAC), CDK, AWS CloudFormation, Terraform.
• Understanding of business processes and domains.

Company Description

CB Baby is a trusted provider of high-quality infant and toddler mobility systems, including strollers, car seats, boosters, ride-on toys, and selected accessories. As the sole importer and distributor of Peg Perego, a renowned Italian company with over 70 years of experience, CB Baby ensures your child's safety and comfort. The company is dedicated to offering personalized service to ensure each product meets your little one's specific needs.

Role Description

This is a contract role for a Backend Developer at CB Baby. The Backend Developer will be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining server-side web application logic. This includes integrating the frontend elements built by coworkers into the application, writing reusable, testable, and efficient code, and implementing security and data protection. This is an on-site role located in Benoni.

Qualifications

• Proven experience working with Shopify backend development (Liquid, Shopify APIs, and Admin API).
• Strong understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JSON for custom functionality.
• Experience with Shopify Plus, custom app development, or API integrations (REST or GraphQL).
• Knowledge of web performance optimization and debugging.
• Familiarity with version control systems (like Git or GitHub).
• Understanding of UX/UI principles and how backend logic impacts customer experience.
• Experience integrating third-party tools, such as CRMs, ERPs, or marketing automation systems.
• Problem-solving mindset with attention to detail and scalability.

Job Overview

We are looking for an experienced
Senior Backend Developer
to join a global banking technology team in
Málaga, Spain
. This role focuses on the design, development, and optimisation of backend solutions using
Banksphere (BKS)
and
Spring Boot microservices architecture
.

You will be responsible for maintaining existing BKS applications, supporting their migration to modern Spring Boot frameworks, and ensuring software quality, performance, and security. This position is ideal for a backend developer who thrives in complex environments, enjoys collaborating on technical design, and wants to play a key role in digital transformation projects within Corporate & Investment Banking.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and develop backend solutions under
  Banksphere
  and
  Spring Boot
  architectures.
• Carry out corrective and evolutionary development in existing BKS applications.
• Participate in the
  refactoring and migration
  of legacy BKS code to Spring Boot.
• Contribute to technical solution design in line with corporate architecture frameworks.
• Implement software quality and security controls, ensuring compliance with standards.
• Support Agile development methodologies, actively participating in ceremonies.
• Collaborate on the optimisation of development processes to improve efficiency and scalability.
• Manage application configuration and deployment through CI/CD pipelines.

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

Required:

• Proven experience in backend application development using
  Banksphere (BKS)
  and
  Spring Boot
  .
• Strong knowledge of
  Java (Java 17 preferred)
  .
• Familiarity with
  CI/CD pipelines
  , configuration, and deployment practices.
• Knowledge of
  microservices
  architecture and integration.
• Experience with
  Oracle databases
  and version control systems (GitHub).
• Agile methodology experience.
• Strong English communication skills.

Preferred:

• Familiarity with
  Spring Cloud, OpenAPI, Kafka
  , and
  functional/reactive programming
  .
• Knowledge of
  OpenShift/Kubernetes
  environments.
• Understanding of design patterns, data structures, and testing practices (Sonar, UrbanCode).
• Domain knowledge of
  cash products
  (payments, balances, transactions).
• Interest in emerging technologies and programming languages.

Other Requirements:

• Willingness to relocate to
  Málaga, Spain
  .