What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Software Engineer (Ruby on Rails - Core Scribd) position at Scribd, Inc.?
At Scribd (pronounced “scribbed”), our mission is to spark human curiosity. Join our team as we create a world of stories and knowledge, democratize the exchange of ideas and information, and empower collective expertise through our three products: Everand, Scribd, and Slideshare.
We support a culture where our employees can be real and be bold; where we debate and commit as we embrace plot twists; and where every employee is empowered to take action as we prioritize the customer.
When it comes to workplace structure, we believe in balancing individual flexibility and community connections. It’s through our flexible work benefit, Scribd Flex, that employees – in partnership with their manager – can choose the daily work-style that best suits their individual needs. A key tenet of Scribd Flex is our prioritization of intentional in-person moments to build collaboration, culture, and connection. For this reason, occasional in-person attendance is required for all Scribd employees, regardless of their location.
So what are we looking for in new team members? Well, we hire for “GRIT”. The textbook definition of GRIT is demonstrating the intersection of passion and perseverance towards long term goals. At Scribd, we are inspired by the potential that this can unlock, and ask each of our employees to pursue a GRIT-ty approach to their work. In a tactical sense, GRIT is also a handy acronym that outlines the standards we hold ourselves and each other to. Here’s what that means for you: we’re looking for someone who showcases the ability to set and achieve Goals, achieve Results within their job responsibilities, contribute Innovative ideas and solutions, and positively influence the broader Team through collaboration and attitude.
About The Team
Scribd.com is a globally recognized platform where users can upload, share, and access a vast array of documents and written content. From academic research to business resources, and everything in between, Scribd is an open space for individuals to contribute their knowledge and discover new perspectives. With hundreds of millions of documents covering diverse topics, Scribd.com empowers its users to share unique insights and find relevant information at their fingertips.
About The Role
As a Senior Software Engineer on the Core Scribd Team, you will play a key role in developing and maintaining the backend services and infrastructure that power Scribd.com. You will collaborate with front-end engineers, infrastructure teams, data platform teams, and AI/ML teams to build scalable, high-performing systems that enhance user experience, drive growth, improve engagement, and support ads monetization.
What You’ll Do
Benefits, Perks, And Wellbeing At Scribd
We want our interview process to be accessible to everyone. You can inform us of any reasonable adjustments we can make to better accommodate your needs by emailing accommodations@scribd.com about the need for adjustments at any point in the interview process.
Scribd is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply, and believe that a diversity of perspectives and experiences create a foundation for the best ideas. Come join us in building something meaningful.
We support a culture where our employees can be real and be bold; where we debate and commit as we embrace plot twists; and where every employee is empowered to take action as we prioritize the customer.
When it comes to workplace structure, we believe in balancing individual flexibility and community connections. It’s through our flexible work benefit, Scribd Flex, that employees – in partnership with their manager – can choose the daily work-style that best suits their individual needs. A key tenet of Scribd Flex is our prioritization of intentional in-person moments to build collaboration, culture, and connection. For this reason, occasional in-person attendance is required for all Scribd employees, regardless of their location.
So what are we looking for in new team members? Well, we hire for “GRIT”. The textbook definition of GRIT is demonstrating the intersection of passion and perseverance towards long term goals. At Scribd, we are inspired by the potential that this can unlock, and ask each of our employees to pursue a GRIT-ty approach to their work. In a tactical sense, GRIT is also a handy acronym that outlines the standards we hold ourselves and each other to. Here’s what that means for you: we’re looking for someone who showcases the ability to set and achieve Goals, achieve Results within their job responsibilities, contribute Innovative ideas and solutions, and positively influence the broader Team through collaboration and attitude.
About The Team
Scribd.com is a globally recognized platform where users can upload, share, and access a vast array of documents and written content. From academic research to business resources, and everything in between, Scribd is an open space for individuals to contribute their knowledge and discover new perspectives. With hundreds of millions of documents covering diverse topics, Scribd.com empowers its users to share unique insights and find relevant information at their fingertips.
About The Role
As a Senior Software Engineer on the Core Scribd Team, you will play a key role in developing and maintaining the backend services and infrastructure that power Scribd.com. You will collaborate with front-end engineers, infrastructure teams, data platform teams, and AI/ML teams to build scalable, high-performing systems that enhance user experience, drive growth, improve engagement, and support ads monetization.
What You’ll Do
- Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services that support hundreds of millions of users.
- Optimize system performance, ensuring reliability and efficiency at scale.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement new features and improve existing ones.
- Lead the development of robust APIs and backend infrastructure to support user-facing applications.
- Drive best practices in software development, including code quality, testing, and maintainability.
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues in a distributed system environment.
- 4 years of professional software development experience.
- Strong proficiency in Ruby on Rails.
- Experience building and maintaining high-throughput backend services (500 requests per second).
- Deep understanding of database architecture and best practices.
- Familiarity with other technologies in our stack, such as Airflow, Databricks, HTTP APIs, Go, AWS (S3, SQS, Datadog), MySQL, GitHub, and Terraform.
- Working knowledge of JavaScript and React (nice to have).
Benefits, Perks, And Wellbeing At Scribd
- Benefits/perks listed may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Scribd and the geographical location where you work.
- Healthcare Insurance Coverage (Medical/Dental/Vision): 100% paid for employees
- 12 weeks paid parental leave
- Short-term/long-term disability plans
- 401k/RSP matching
- Onboarding stipend for home office peripherals accessories
- Learning & Development allowance
- Learning & Development programs
- Quarterly stipend for Wellness, WiFi, etc.
- Mental Health support & resources
- Free subscription to Scribd gift memberships for friends & family
- Referral Bonuses
- Book Benefit
- Sabbaticals
- Company-wide events
- Team engagement budgets
- Vacation & Personal Days
- Paid Holidays ( winter break)
- Flexible Sick Time
- Volunteer Day
- Company-wide Employee Resource Groups and programs that foster an inclusive and diverse workplace.
We want our interview process to be accessible to everyone. You can inform us of any reasonable adjustments we can make to better accommodate your needs by emailing accommodations@scribd.com about the need for adjustments at any point in the interview process.
Scribd is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply, and believe that a diversity of perspectives and experiences create a foundation for the best ideas. Come join us in building something meaningful.
