Senior Software Engineer

Positions in: Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Africa (Remote)

Do you aspire to use your software engineering skills to drive meaningful change in Africa?

Code for Africa (CfA) has an immediate vacancy for a full-time Senior Software Engineer anywhere in Africa to join our civic Tech Lab to help build digital tools that strengthen our democracies and empower citizens.

The Tech Lab spearheads CfA’s design, development and maintenance of all digital services for the organisation, and its external human rights defending partner organisations.

Candidates must have demonstrable real-world experience in crafting high-quality (tested and documented) software in a team. Candidates must be fluent in English and candidates who are fluent in an additional international language, such as French or Arabic, and/or at least one local language from their country of residence will have an advantage.

The ideal candidate will have the ability to lead and mentor teams of software engineers.

The successful candidates will work as part of a multinational and multilingual team using digital collaboration tools to create content for a global audience and international media partners.

Required: minimum requirements include:

• At least four (4) years of relevant programming experience building and operating multi-tier web applications (including REST APIs),

• Expertise in Python & proficiency in SQL (Postgres) and either JavaScript or TypeScript,
• A deep understanding of computer science principles and the ability to evaluate and implement new technologies as needed,
• Working knowledge of modern software development practices and technologies such as CI/CD pipelines,
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills paired with excellent attention to detail,
• Ability to lead and motivate teams, and to work well in a collaborative environment
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

Preferred: candidates who are able to demonstrate the following will have an advantage:

• Bachelor degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Experience working in development organisations (NGOs/CSO/non-profit), technology/media organisations or high-growth startups.

Language and Location Requirements:

• Location: CfA has labs located in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. However the role can be performed remotely, and applicants across Africa will therefore be considered.
• Languages: English
• Preferred but not required: Arabic, French, KiSwahili and/or any other major language spoken in Africa.

About the Role:

The successful candidate will join CfA’s Tech Lab as a Senior Software Engineer. The Tech Lab is distributed across East/West Africa, and benchmarks itself on similar civic technology initiatives elsewhere in the world that build digital democracy solutions.

Within the Tech Lab, you will work closely with the Chief Technology Officer to decide on the architectural direction of systems and tools developed by the Lab. You will also work with the Product Manager to translate product features and specifications into simple, implementable designs. You will then work with your fellow engineers, designers and content team to deliver working products within the agreed timelines.

Some of the products that you may work with us on include: 

1. Our public-facing web apps (such as PesaYetu, FeedShield, sensors.AFRICA, and The Charter AFRICA Project)
2. Our tools/widgets (such as  BiscuitIndex, HURUmap and TaxClock) 
3. Our bots (such as DebunkBot)
4. Our machine learning  and natural language processing analysis tools (such as CivicSignal).

The CfA’s open-source work is available on GitHub.

Responsibilities: Your daily responsibilities will include:

• Lead the design, develop and deploy robust systems and infrastructure tools that will be used by the organisation and partners.
• Drive every aspect of the software development process including technological and architectural decisions.
• Collaborate with a geographically distributed team of product managers, designers, researchers, developers, and journalists to deliver high-quality software on time and within budget.
• Provide actionable feedback on the work of fellow technologists.

What We Offer:

• A competitive salary, subject to experience, with opportunities for performance-based growth, both in terms of career path and public stature.
• A dynamic workplace, with a transnational team, occasional international travel, and generous vacation benefits.
• Ongoing opportunities to learn new cutting-edge skills and techniques/technologies to future-proof yourself in a rapidly evolving industry.
• A chance to shine on a global stage, writing for international audiences and interacting with colleagues around the world