Spencer Norman
Get in touch
Staff Engineer · Ruby on Rails

Complex workflows,
made simple.

I'm Spencer, a staff-level engineer with 11+ years building and leading Ruby on Rails apps. I love the majestic monolith: cohesive, server-rendered Rails with Hotwire, plus the data-intensive backends behind it. I also know different problems call for different tools, so I reach for what fits rather than forcing a favorite. At my best, I turn complicated, high-stakes workflows into software that feels simple.

See my work Get in touch
11+ yrs
On Ruby on Rails
Millions
Users served
9,800+
Locations scaled
Currently 2026

Software Engineer, Nava PBC

Building features end-to-end on the HealthCare.gov Marketplace — a Rails platform serving millions of users through open enrollment.

Ruby on Rails React TypeScript
Experience

Eleven years, shipped.

A through-line of Rails applications across healthcare, fintech, e-commerce, and AI, built at real scale. Tap any role to expand.

2025 — Now
2016 — 2025
2015 — Now
2015 — 2016
Core skills

The toolkit.

Deep on Rails, full-stack when it's warranted, and early to AI-augmented development.

Languages
RubyJavaScriptTypeScriptPythonHTMLCSS
Rails & Backend
Ruby on Rails (11+ yrs)Hotwire — Turbo & StimulusServer-rendered viewsREST & API-only servicesThird-party API integrationData pipelinesDocument parsing & extraction
Frontend & UX
ReactTypeScriptReact NativeResponsive UIPWAsInteraction design
Data
PostgreSQLMySQLLarge-scale / data-intensive systemsQuery optimizationData integrity
AI-Augmented Dev
Claude CodeAgentic workflowsLLM integrationAI document parsingLocal models (Ollama)
Leadership & Practice
Technical leadership & architectureMentoringCode reviewTDD — RSpec, MinitestCI/CDAgile
Cloud & Ops
AWSDigitalOceanHatchboxHerokuJenkinsGitNew RelicSplunk
Selected projects

Things I've built.

Products where AI does real work inside a clean, server-rendered Rails app.

Flexfit Adaptive AI Workout App
Independent product

An adaptive workout app that generates and adjusts workouts on the fly — adapting in real time when you're traveling or missing your usual equipment. Built as a cohesive Rails 8 + Hotwire monolith shipping as a PWA. Users converse with an AI assistant to set parameters instead of tedious manual entry — and AI drives the workout generation.

Rails 8HotwirePWAAI / LLM
Agent Eva AI Document Extraction
Norman Simplified

An AI-powered application that reads and parses documents, structuring the results into a database to streamline prescription-approval workflows for providers and manufacturers. Delivered through Norman Simplified alongside document-processing pipelines and LLM-integration work.

Ruby on RailsLLMsDocument parsingPostgreSQL
Education & certifications
Education
B.B.A., Economics
Southeastern Louisiana University
Certification
Ruby on Rails Engineering Bootcamp
The Iron Yard · Mar 2015

Let's build something
that lasts.

Open to staff and senior Rails roles, plus select consulting through Norman Simplified. If you've got a complex, high-stakes workflow that needs simplifying, I'd love to hear about it — drop a note using the form and I'll get back to you.