Oddball

Senior Backend Engineer (Rails)

Remote

Not SpecifiedCompensation
Senior (5 to 8 years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
NoVisa
Federal Government, Software DevelopmentIndustries

Requirements

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States, with potential requirements for U.S. citizenship and a federal background investigation or security clearance for certain roles. A Bachelor's degree is required. Extensive expertise in Rails, Sidekiq, Redis, and PostgreSQL is necessary, along with experience diagnosing and resolving production issues. Familiarity with the VA ecosystem, including VA Platform One, enterprise GitHub practices, VA.gov standards, or DevSecOps models, is a plus. Excellent communication skills and experience in Agile development environments are also required.

Responsibilities

The Senior Backend Engineer will enhance mission-critical digital services for the Department of Veterans Affairs by building and maintaining scalable backend services using Rails. They will utilize Sidekiq for background job processing and Redis for caching and queue handling. Responsibilities include designing PostgreSQL schemas, optimizing queries, tuning database performance, and diagnosing/resolving production issues to improve system reliability. The role also involves bridging technical and non-technical stakeholders, prioritizing tasks, managing dependencies, and delivering in complex environments. Other related duties as assigned are also part of the role.

Skills

Ruby on Rails
Sidekiq
Redis
PostgreSQL
Database schema design
Query optimization
System reliability
Agile development
Communication skills

Oddball

Digital modernization for federal services

About Oddball

Oddball focuses on modernizing digital services for federal agencies, ensuring that these services are user-friendly and effective for citizens. Their approach involves creating software solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of both the public and the federal workforce. The company employs a team of skilled professionals, including developers and designers, who work collaboratively throughout the entire process, from the initial design phase to the final deployment of the software. Unlike many other digital agencies, Oddball emphasizes a human-centered design approach, which means they prioritize the needs and experiences of users in their solutions. The goal of Oddball is to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of federal services, ultimately improving the experience for citizens and the effectiveness of government operations.

Washington, District of ColumbiaHeadquarters
2015Year Founded
VENTURE_UNKNOWNCompany Stage
Government & Public Sector, Enterprise SoftwareIndustries
51-200Employees

Benefits

Remote Work Options
401(k) Company Match
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Paid Holidays

Risks

Competition from firms like Booz Allen Hamilton threatens Oddball's market share.
Maintaining remote-first culture may challenge team cohesion as Oddball scales.
Over-reliance on government contracts risks exposure to federal budget changes.

Differentiation

Oddball is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) with federal focus.
The company excels in human-centered design for government technology projects.
Oddball offers a remote-first workforce, enhancing flexibility and talent acquisition.

Upsides

Oddball secured growth investment from Falfurrias, boosting expansion potential.
Increased demand for remote-first solutions aligns with Oddball's operational model.
Government initiatives favoring veteran-owned businesses benefit Oddball's market position.

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