RoR Developer for Software Consultancy

This software consultancy applies agile, iterative development methodologies and the best cutting-edge tools to enterprise web application development. They build software for clients in industries such as warehousing, manufacturing, and the entertainment industry - anyplace there is a particularly challenging set of problems to solve. Favored tools include Ruby + Rails, PostgreSQL, Ubuntu, and OS X.

A decentralized corporate structure means no pointy-haired bosses, you must be self-motivated and self-managing. They like to see personal projects and/or freelance projects as demonstration of those traits. You should have a love of and commitment to open source tools.

Agile design and development No waterfall design here - we cut any large project into small (1 - 3 week) chunks. Code reviews, pair programming, continuous integration, test-driven development - these aren't just buzzwords for us, we actually do this stuff.

Best tool for the job Right now we're excited about Ruby and Rails, but what really matters is that we want to use the best possible tool for the job. That means not only the tools which provide the most utility, but also the ones that are a joy to use. Python, Django, PHP, PostgreSQL, Ubuntu (server-side and on developer workstations), OS X, vim, TextMate, ssh, Firefox, Mochikit, and Subversion are a few of our other favorites - but we're always scanning the horizon for the next awesome technology.

We appreciate beautiful code We don't just want it to work, we want it to be right. We know that ugly hacks to get things working in the short term causes an accumulation of developer debt that you always pay for down the road. Well thought-out architecture combined with frequent refactoring build into the schedule keeps our product beautiful both inside and out.

Challenging projects We present ourselves to our clients as the best of the best. They come to us with the problems that the average software house can't solve. So forget about cute little apps with a couple of models and a few thousand rows in the database. No, we're grappling with the kind of heavy-duty problems that would make lesser developers break out in tears. Massively complex data relationships, multi-gigabyte databases, wireless device synchronization, and high-bandwidth video and audio transcoding are just a few examples. Of course there's plenty of CRUD and other more run-of-the-mill aspects of these projects, but the point is that there's always plenty to keep you challenged.

Freedom matters We are committed to open technologies. Not only open source, but also web standards and API-enabled applications. Our clients don't always understand the value of open source, but they trust us to guide them in their technology choices because they know we're the experts.

That's not to say that proprietary software is never a good solution - sometimes it is, best tool for the job after all. But all other things being equal, freedom and openness will always be better for everyone in the long run.

Truly flexible hours Work any time of day or night that you want. Really. We care what gets done, not when you do it.

Of course you'll want to collaborate with your team, but that only needs to be done a day or two a week. We usually find that between about 2pm - 7pm is when most of the action is happening at the office.

No dress code Pants would be nice, just to be courteous to your co-workers.

Quiet workspace and a fast workstation We maximize developer productivity (and, not coincidentally, happiness) by making sure everyone has a quiet, comfortable workspace and a top-of-the-line workstation. We have small offices (two or three people per room), with different environments according to taste. Want natural light? Sure, take a window office. Prefer a dark cave? We've got that too.

No more than 40 hours a week Constant overtime and death marches near the product ship date are counterproductive. We won't ask you to do it because it isn't good for anyone.

A meritocracy - and no boss Our corporate structure is highly decentralized. No whip-cracking boss is looking over your shoulder; instead you have a productivity target based on objective metrics and tracked in in our web-based (written by us, of course) workflow tool. So forget about pretending to laugh at your boss' stupid jokes or by some half-hearted display of company loyalty in order to secure that raise or promotion. The only way you'll get ahead here is by producing high-quality work and by earning the respect of your peers.

A skilled team We hire only the best and brightest. Are you used to being the smartest, most knowledgeable person at your company? If so, prepare to be humbled. We have some amazing talent here - talent you'll get the benefit from through code reviews, pair programming, workshops, and good old fashioned team collaboration. But don't worry, it's not competitive. Everyone is laid back, there are no big egos to contend with.

A place to learn We do weekly workshops on whatever topic anyone wants to present on. A sampling of past topics: atomic coding, refactoring, Mochikit, Django, Haskell, and TextMate.

Our developers keep abreast of new techniques and tools. That's right, reading programming.reddit.com, slashdot, or whatever other news source you like is a part of your job if you work here. Share with the team in our internal development blog, or suggest using that new tool you've been experimenting with for an upcoming project. If it works well, give a workshop to spread the knowledge and make it part of our standard practice.

Free beer Not in the office, but we do like treating the team to drinks at one of our local taverns every so often. And we're not talking some kind of crappy mass-market beer, either. Certainly not - microbrews only, if you please.