Ruby on Rails Developer

Salary: $120,000 – $150,000 per year

Ruby on Rails Developer

12 Months fixed term with potential to extend

Your next career adventure awaits

Introduction

Have you dreamed of a job that combines your love of the outdoors and exploring New Zealand with meaningful work? Looking to join a thriving tourism company where your skills make a real impact? Want to work in a fun, supportive environment with a team that genuinely enjoys what they do? This could be your next adventure.

Who is Wilderness?

Wilderness is a New Zealand–owned family business that’s been at the forefront of tourism for over 20 years. We rent premium motorhomes to both locals and international visitors, and we’re also the exclusive New Zealand distributor for some of Germany’s top motorhome brands.

We’re here to help our customers create unforgettable journeys across Aotearoa in beautifully crafted European motorhomes. But it’s not just about the vehicles; it’s about the experience we deliver, which our glowing reviews speak volumes about.

With tourism in full swing and strong demand for our products and services, now’s a great time to join the Wilderness team.

What will you do?

In this role, you will be the primary driver of technical improvements for our proprietary booking engine. You’ll work 40 hours per week to enhance both customer UX and internal productivity.

● Develop High-Impact Features: Build and ship pre-scoped, secure, and practical improvements for our booking engine that meet the high standards of our existing codebase.

● Leverage AI for Velocity: Use AI-assisted coding tools responsibly to accelerate development while ensuring all code is well-reasoned and thoroughly understood.

● Maintain Technical Excellence: Produce clean, well-structured code, engage constructively in code reviews, and keep documentation current for future extensibility.

● Drive Continuous Improvement: Identify process efficiencies and work across teams to implement business enhancements that support our high-quality operations.

● Champion Culture & Safety: Foster an inclusive workplace, communicate openly across teams, and ensure all work aligns with our Health & Safety and sustainability goals.

What we need from you

● Proven Rails Experience: You have 3 - 5 years of commercial Ruby on Rails development experience with a track record of shipping production-quality features.

● Modern Web Skills: You have solid JavaScript proficiency, and experience with modern Rails front-end approaches like Hotwire and Turbo is a distinct advantage.

● AI-Savvy Engineering: You are experienced in using AI coding tools to move faster, but you have the deep engineering judgment to know when to trust them and when to ignore them.

● Education: A tertiary qualification in Computer Science or Software Engineering is preferred, though equivalent commercial experience is highly valued.

● Quality & Communication: You care deeply about clean, maintainable code and are a proactive communicator regarding progress and blockers in a hybrid/remote setting.

● Alignment with Our Values: You are passionate about New Zealand travel and are committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and high-performance workplace.

● The Essentials: You have a full, clean driver’s licence and the legal entitlement to work in New Zealand.

7 reasons why you would want to be part of our team

1. We have a strong sense of purpose - everything we do relates back to our mission and values

2. Everyone has a passion for what they do and you can feel it

3. You get to learn and grow in a fun and supportive environment

4. You get to work with people from different backgrounds and all walks of life

5. You will work with the customer service gurus in the tourism industry and have access to high performance coaching

6. We are performance-driven and reward you for your achievements

7. We actively encourage you to travel and explore using our motorhomes

Caring deeply about our people comes naturally to us. That’s why we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all team members are valued, respected, and given equal opportunities. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. Learn more by reading our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy at https://www.wilderness.co.nz/about-us/sustainability-promise/dei-policy.

If the above is you, apply now with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right fit for this role and why you want to join the team.

Only candidates who can work on-site in Christchurch can be considered for this role.