Senior Ruby on Rails Developer
Own problems end-to-end and execute fast. Design systems, write production-grade code, and ship features quickly using AI tools to accelerate delivery.
About Keyhook
Keyhook is a modern, Kiwi-built property management platform used by agencies across Aotearoa. We are rebuilding what property management software should look like: fast, reliable, deeply automated, and genuinely enjoyable to use. We move quickly. We ship often. We care deeply about correctness, performance, and customer impact. If you like clean systems, real ownership, and solving messy real-world problems with good engineering — you'll feel at home here.
About the Role
We are hiring Senior Backend and Senior Full-Stack Developers who can own problems end-to-end and execute fast.
This is not a ticket-factory role. You will design systems, write production-grade code, ship features quickly and safely, use AI tools aggressively to accelerate delivery (especially on frontend work), and take responsibility for outcomes, not just commits.
You are expected to move faster than average without sacrificing correctness.
What You'll Work On
You will work across real, complex systems including:
- Financial and trust-accounting workflows
- Bank feed ingestion and reconciliation
- High-volume background job systems
- Permissions, auditing, and compliance features
- Large React frontends used daily by time-poor professionals
- Data migrations from legacy platforms
- AI-assisted workflows and automation
Key Responsibilities
Backend & Systems Engineering
- Design, build, and maintain scalable backend systems (primarily Ruby on Rails).
- Model complex business logic with clarity and correctness.
- Write clean, testable, maintainable code.
- Improve performance, reliability, and data integrity across the platform.
- Own features from idea → production → iteration.
Full-Stack Delivery
- Build frontend features in React when required.
- Use AI tools (Claude Code, Codex, etc.) to move faster, not sloppier.
- Deliver clean, usable UI without bikeshedding or gold-plating.
- Know when "good and shipped" beats "perfect and late".
AI-Assisted Development
- Generate scaffolding and boilerplate using AI tools.
- Speed up frontend implementation with AI assistance.
- Draft tests, migrations, and documentation efficiently.
- Explore solution options quickly.
Engineering Quality & Ownership
- Take responsibility for your code in production.
- Write tests where they add value (not for vanity coverage).
- Review PRs with intent — clarity, safety, and simplicity matter.
- Raise issues early and propose solutions.
- Leave systems better than you found them.
Our Tech Stack
You don't need to know all of this, but you should be comfortable learning fast.
- Ruby on Rails
- PostgreSQL
- ElasticSearch
- Redis
- React & React Native
- TypeScript
- TypeScript microservices
- GitHub, Linear
What Success Looks Like
- Features ship quickly and safely.
- Bugs are rare — and fixed fast when they occur.
- Customers feel improvements immediately.
- Engineering discussions are pragmatic and outcome-driven.
- You are trusted with bigger, messier problems over time.
About You
You are a senior engineer because of judgement, not years.
You will thrive in this role if you:
- Have strong backend experience in a production SaaS environment.
- Are comfortable owning complex business logic.
- Can move fast without breaking things.
- Use AI tools daily to accelerate development.
- Are pragmatic, not dogmatic.
- Care about customers, not just code elegance.
- Communicate clearly and directly.
- Don't need hand-holding or heavy process to be effective.
You are not a "frontend-only" or "backend-only" absolutist. You don't need perfect specs before starting, and you optimise for shipping over theoretical purity.
Why Join Keyhook
- Real ownership — your decisions matter.
- High trust, low bureaucracy.
- A team that values speed and correctness.
- The chance to build genuinely meaningful software.
- Strong product leadership and clear direction.
- Space to grow into Staff, Lead, or Principal roles over time.
If you want slow consensus and endless debate, this isn't it. If you want to build, ship, and own meaningful systems — this is it.
Note: Please include your CV, GitHub (if applicable), and a short note on how you use AI in your development workflow.
Apply Now
Interested in this role? Fill out our application form and attach your CV.
Please include your CV, GitHub (if applicable), and a short note on how you use AI in your development workflow.
Apply for this Role