EdTech Jobs
Learning Technologies Group

Senior Backend Engineer (Bridge)

Learning Technologies Group
🇺🇸In-Person - BudapestFt1.7M–Ft2.1M/mo3h ago
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Role Snapshot

Senior Backend Engineer role on the Voyager team responsible for maintaining and evolving a mission-critical Ruby on Rails monolith while integrating new Kotlin/Spring Boot services. You'll be the expert guardian of Bridge's core platform, ensuring seamless feature integration and system reliability across a global SaaS product.

Key Responsibilities: Maintain and enhance the Ruby on Rails monolith (~60% time), develop Java/Kotlin Spring Boot REST APIs (~40% time), manage PostgreSQL databases and AWS infrastructure, troubleshoot production issues, and ensure new features integrate seamlessly across legacy and modern systems. Collaborate with distributed teams across Hungary and the US on technical decisions and system architecture.
Skills & Tools: Expert-level Ruby on Rails and Java/Kotlin development with strong understanding of complex system architectures, legacy codebases, and microservices. Required soft skills include direct communication, high conceptual thinking, problem-solving without documentation, and comfort with technical friction and constructive feedback.
Qualifications: Proven experience navigating and maintaining large-scale monolithic applications in production environments with a polyglot technical background across multiple languages and frameworks. Demonstrated ability to handle critical production issues independently and work effectively in distributed, autonomous team environments.
Location: In-Person - Budapest
Compensation: Ft1.7M–Ft2.1M/mo

Job Description

People Matter Most!

We are a global team of Engineers, Product Managers, Designers, and Program Managers across Hungary, the US, and many other countries. We help our customers create work cultures that people love.

About the Product

Bridge is a software that people use for learning, self-development, and growing their careers. Our goal? Help organizations build a culture where people thrive. Curious about what it looks like? Here is a quick intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdelswTXQh8

The Reality of the Role: Voyager - Where Challenge Meets Ownership

At Bridge, our success is built on a massive, mission-critical Ruby on Rails monolith. While our strategic future is being built in Kotlin and Spring Boot, the 'engine' of our platform remains in Ruby.

As a member of the Voyager Team, you will be the guardian of this core. You won’t just be maintaining it; you will be the expert who understands its complexity, fixes critical issues, and ensures that new features – whether written in Kotlin or Ruby – integrate seamlessly into our ecosystem.

The Ideals & DNA of a Voyager Engineer

  • 'No Fear' Attitude: You have been in situations where there was no guide, no documentation, and no one else to fix the problem. You had to figure it out on your own. Because you’ve survived complex production crises before, you don’t panic when facing an ugly codebase—you just roll up your sleeves.
  • High Abstract & Conceptual Thinking: Navigating a massive, undocumented monolith requires an exceptional ability to see the 'big picture' through a foggy window. You can easily grasp high-level system architectures and connect the dots between messy legacy logic and modern microservices.
  • Polyglot & Diverse Background: You have a broad history with tech stacks. You aren't emotionally attached to a single language; you’ve worked with multiple technologies, understand their trade-offs, and treat them simply as tools to solve business problems.
  • Direct Communicator: Our team has a strong, opinionated engineering culture. We value honesty, constructive friction, and direct feedback. You aren't easily offended by sharp critique; instead, you look for the objective truth in every technical debate.

Our Tech Stack:

  • Complex Ruby on Rails Web Application ~60% of your time.
  • Java or Kotlin SpringBoot-based REST API development ~40% of your time
  • PostgreSQL database knowledge
  • Cloud Services:
    • AWS Aurora RDS Clusters
    • Apache Pulsar Messaging
    • Debezium Server-based ETL Data Pipeline
    • AWS Neptune Graph Databases
    • AWS OpenSearch
  • DevOps:
    • CI/CD - GitHub Actions, Spinnaker
    • Monitoring - DataDog
    • Terraform
  • Frontend (occasionally): React & TypeScript
  • Tooling: SAFe, JIRA, Confluence, Slack, GSuite
  • Laptop: MacBook Pro

What You Get

  • An async, trust-based culture: Work remotely, or come to our Allee office whenever you like.
    • True Autonomy, No Micro-management: We don’t track your hours or care when or where you log in; we focus entirely on your impact and results.
    • Design Your Own Workday: You have complete freedom to structure your day however it suits your life, whether you need to run errands, pick up your kids, or focus during non-traditional hours.
    • Trust & Availability: The only rules are simple: show up for your scheduled meetings, keep the team updated if you step away, and be there to support your teammates when they need a hand.
    • High Transparency, Low Friction: We operate on mutual trust—just drop a quick heads-up to the team when you're taking off, and you're good to go.
  • The 'Voyager Perks' – Why It’s Worth It:
    • Modern Dev Tooling: We embrace modern engineering efficiency—GitHub Copilot (and other AI assistance tools) are fully provided to help you navigate, map out, and accelerate your work.
    • Real Influence: We are frequently consulted on company-wide technical decisions because we understand the system better than anyone else.
    • Elite Mentorship: Our team is home to several Guild Leads and long-time contributors. If you want to learn how a large-scale SaaS platform actually works under the hood, there is no better place.
  • Financial stability:
    • We offer you a competitive salary package (1.7 - 2.1M HUF gross/month depending on your seniority),
    • Bonus (based on the performance of the company),
    • Benefits: a comprehensive healthcare package provided by Medicover, SZÉP card, and other fringe benefits.