Senior Software Engineer

Ontra • Concord, CA

11d • Hybrid

About The Position

Ontra is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to design innovative prototypes, develop intuitive user experiences, and collaborate with cross-functional teams. The role involves taking loosely defined problems, determining an appropriate approach, making trade-offs, and delivering solutions that work for users and the business. The engineer will use AI tools in their own workflow and build AI-powered product features, with practical experience using AI and LLMs.

The position focuses on building, implementing, and maintaining web applications across the frontend and backend using Ruby on Rails and React. The engineer is expected to take ownership of project progress and outcomes, work independently or with minimal guidance, and improve solutions iteratively based on stakeholder feedback. The role reports to an Engineering Manager.

Candidates must be based in New York and work onsite at the New York office three days per week. Occasional travel is required, typically at least twice per year for team and larger-group offsites; additional travel may be required depending on the role and business needs.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience as a full-stack software engineer working with MVC frameworks such as Ruby on Rails, Python with Flask, or Java with Spring.
• Daily use of AI coding tools, with the ability to review, verify, and reject AI-generated output and recognize when it should not be trusted.
• A demonstrated history of building projects from inception to completion.
• Ability to work independently or with one other engineer, with strong project ownership and accountability.
• Skill in iterative development and incorporating stakeholder feedback to continuously refine and improve products.
• Must be based in New York and able to work onsite at the New York office three days per week.

Nice To Haves

• Production experience building LLM features, including RAG, agents, prompting, or evaluations.

Responsibilities

• Build and ship AI-powered product features and use AI tools throughout the workflow, including prototyping and code review.
• Build, implement, and maintain web-based applications across the frontend and backend using Ruby on Rails and React.
• Take responsibility for project progress and success, making key decisions and solving problems independently or with minimal guidance.
• Continuously ship and improve code by seeking stakeholder feedback, responding to suggestions, and implementing changes rapidly.
• Engage with stakeholders to understand their needs, gather insights, and incorporate feedback into product development.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teammates to align development strategies and integrate ideas and efforts in building prototypes.

Benefits

• Twice-yearly team offsites for in-person collaboration.
• Paid flexible time off policy.
• Paid parental leave and benefits.
• Employer-supported retirement contributions, varying by country.
• Monthly phone and internet reimbursement.
• Company-sponsored learning and development resources, department budgets for professional development, and a robust onboarding program.
• Various options for medical, dental, and vision insurance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed