We are seeking an experienced Web Developer with strong Ruby on Rails expertise to support the New York City Civic Engagement Commission (CEC). This role focuses on upgrading, maintaining, and enhancing the agency’s Decidim-based digital civic engagement platform.

The developer will help improve and expand the technology supporting The People’s Money participatory budgeting program, which enables residents to propose and vote on community investment projects. The work will directly contribute to improving civic participation and engagement across New York City.

This is a long-term remote engagement supporting platform upgrades, new feature implementation, system performance improvements, and ongoing application support.

Key Responsibilities

• Upgrade and maintain the Decidim platform, a Ruby on Rails–based civic engagement framework
• Assist with upgrading the platform to the latest version and implementing new Decidim features
• Support the integration and configuration of platform modules and capabilities including taxonomy features, proposal management tools, and administrative controls
• Implement new features that improve how users submit, organize, and evaluate community proposals
• Improve spam prevention and account moderation functionality to reduce manual administrative workload
• Support bulk administrative actions for proposal evaluation and messaging workflows
• Enhance accessibility features, including improvements to the platform’s text editor and support for alt text on embedded images
• Modify and maintain site navigation including menu configuration, visibility controls, and content structure
• Troubleshoot bugs, resolve technical issues, and improve platform stability and performance
• Collaborate with internal teams to understand program requirements and translate them into technical solutions
• Maintain documentation of updates, configuration changes, and platform enhancements
• Support testing, deployment, and release management of platform updates

Required Qualifications

• Strong experience developing web applications using Ruby on Rails
• Experience upgrading and maintaining Rails-based applications in production environments
• Experience working with open-source platforms or civic technology tools (Decidim experience strongly preferred)
• Strong understanding of web application architecture and RESTful design principles
• Experience with PostgreSQL or other relational databases
• Proficiency with Git and modern version control workflows
• Experience debugging, troubleshooting, and resolving production issues
• Understanding of accessibility standards and web usability best practices
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment and communicate effectively with distributed teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience working with the Decidim civic participation framework
• Experience with civic technology, participatory budgeting platforms, or public sector applications
• Familiarity with front-end technologies such as JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS
• Experience improving moderation systems, spam prevention tools, or community platform features
• Experience working in Agile development environments

Project Impact

This role directly supports New York City's participatory budgeting initiative, helping improve the digital infrastructure that enables residents to submit ideas, collaborate on proposals, and participate in civic decision-making. The developer will play a key role in improving platform usability, scalability, and accessibility for thousands of community users.