Principal Rails Engineer at Brightline - $240K Health Tech in Columbus

Welcome to Brightline! We are seeking a Full Stack Ruby on Rails Principal Software Engineer to drive technical direction across our platform, deepen our domain expertise in healthcare workflows, and raise the bar for the entire engineering team.

We are primarily a Ruby on Rails shop and we are bought into keeping our tech stack simple so that we focus on shipping fast and having fun. Instead of betting on exciting new technologies, we favor straightforward solutions and defining standards so that the codebase and ecosystem are a joy to work with.

We use Turbo, Tailwind, and ViewComponent to make beautiful UIs. Stimulus brings them to life and if we feel the need for it, we might sprinkle some React on top. We use TypeScript where we think it benefits us, and default to JavaScript otherwise. Our mobile apps leverage Hotwire Native to take advantage of existing web infrastructure.

Responsibilities:

• Drive collaboration on technical direction for complex, cross-cutting systems — data modeling, API design, clinical workflow architecture, and integration patterns
• Scope and shape work end-to-end: from identifying the right problem to solving it, collaborating closely with product and design to define what "done" looks like
• Write code across the entire stack (Ruby + Rails on the backend and Turbo/Tailwind on the frontend) with a focus on the systems and abstractions that other engineers build on
• Evaluate technical risk and tradeoffs clearly — know when to invest in architecture and when to ship the simplest thing that works
• Mentor and elevate the team through architecture discussions, pairing, code review, and setting high standards without gatekeeping
• Build deep domain expertise in our problem space and use it to challenge product assumptions, surface risks early, and advocate for provider and member experience
• Collaborate across engineering, product, design, and clinical/operations teams to ensure technical decisions serve business and clinical goals

Requirements:

• Excited about improving behavioral health for children, teens, and their families
• Significant professional software development experience, primarily Ruby + Rails, with a track record of influencing technical direction beyond your own code
• Ability to shape how the team thinks about systems — seeing how individual features connect to the broader architecture and articulating tradeoffs to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ownership mentality — you dig into the domain, question assumptions, and find the right solution even when it's not the obvious one
• Thoughtful and empathetic in decision making, execution, communication, and collaboration
• Raises the bar for the team through work, feedback, and willingness to make things better without being asked
• Thrives in a flat, self-managing team where influence comes from clarity and trust, not authority
• Developed your own workflow for building software with AI coding tools — with opinions about when agents help, when they hurt, and how to get the best out of them
• Cares about solving problems and isn't tied to particular solutions or technologies

Bonus Points:

• Healthcare experience — especially clinical workflows, scheduling systems, EHR integrations, insurance billing, or multi-clinic operations
• Complex data modeling and migration challenges (unifying systems, managing domain complexity)
• API development and integrating with third-party systems
• Working in Shape Up or similar appetite-based development methodologies

We offer several benefits, perks, and stipends:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Account, and 401k
• 12 Company Holidays, Holiday Shutdown, Paid Time Off, Parental Leave
• Health and Wellness Stipend, Home Office Reimbursement, Cell Phone & Internet Reimbursement, and Professional Development Reimbursement
• Stock Options

At Brightline we have built a total rewards philosophy that includes fair, equitable, competitive, geo-based compensation that is performance and potential based. Our strategy is based on robust market research, including external advisory specializing in national compensation, and thoughtful input from every level of our organization. It is a combination of a cash salary, equity, benefits, wellbeing, and opportunity. In compliance with the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, the annual base salary range for applicants is $215,000–$240,000.

Our Commitment to Building a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Workforce

At Brightline, we believe that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging are essential to the foundation upon which our mission is built. We are committed to:

• Building a future where all families can access inclusive, high-quality care
• Creating an environment that encourages employees to show up authentically, reach their highest potential, and have an equal opportunity to thrive
• Systematically evaluating and improving our inherent beliefs, observed behaviors, structures, and systems
• Ensuring that every employee, candidate, client, and family we serve is valued and respected

About Brightline

Brightline is a therapy and psychiatry practice that delivers expert pediatric, teen, and parental mental health care to families and kids up to age 18. Brightline's virtual and in-person outpatient services include diagnostic evaluation, therapy, psychiatry services (e.g. medication management), and psychological testing (to assess learning differences, school readiness, executive functioning difficulties [e.g. ADHD], and autism). In addition to Brightline's generalized support, we offer focused programs including those that support anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders, ADHD, and disruptive behaviors. Founded in 2019, Brightline has delivered care to tens of thousands of families with industry-leading results. We've been nationally recognized for clinical excellence and innovation for several years — recent awards include the Fast Company 50 Most Innovative Companies (2022) and Behavioral Health Business Companies to Watch Award (2024). Brightline is based in Palo Alto and is backed by investors including Boston Children's Hospital, Northwell Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Google Ventures, KKR, and Oak HC/FT.