Software Engineer

Founded in South Africa in 2007, Praekelt.org builds mobile technologies to improve the wellbeing of people in low and middle income countries.  We work with governments, international NGOs, foundations and social enterprises to create and deliver essential information and vital services.

We are looking for an exceptional Software Engineer, with experience in building open source software and leading a team, to help us build the next generation of transformational mobile products. If you're highly skilled with innovative, unique development ideas, and an analytical trouble-shooting mindset, we want you to join our development team.

You'll be kept busy implementing core product functionality and deploying world-class architecture, as well as engage with the different teams within our organisation. You should be passionate about clean, concise, readable code.

Responsibilities:

• As part of a software development team, to build on and extend our core technology stack on which all our programmes are built
• Adapt our core technology stack to serve the needs of our varied programme implementations in over 39 countries in the world
• Proactively contribute to Praekelt Foundation’s long-term vision for core technologies and architecture
• Proactively contribute to the open source communities that Praekelt is establishing around its various open source initiatives
• Advise on and/or contribute to new or emerging technologies that might be relevant to Praekelt
• Commit to writing software that meets a need, is maintainable, and allows itself to be tested
• Work well within cross functional teams in order to produce world class products and programmes that empower end users

What will set you apart from other applicants:

• Experience in, and knowledge of, software development process with experience of the scrum / agile methodologies being useful
• Passionate about the digital industry and an avid consumer of digital media - always in the know about the latest trends, technologies and platforms
• The ability to think strategically, act quickly, and work collaboratively in an environment that values creativity and flexibility
• Experience in Machine learning, Data analytics, Natural Language Processing or implementing large scale, high volume systems
• Experience with Go, Elixir or other event driven programming frameworks
• Experience with Wagtail or another Django CMS
• Experience in working remotely and using remote-working tools
• Experience with container orchestration systems using Docker like Kubernetes

Relevant Skills: (The ideal candidate combines most of these)

• A Computer Science or Engineering degree or equivalent practical experience
• At least 5 years experience as a developer with expertise in Python and Django development
• At least 1 year’s experience in building and leading development teams, with an interest in mentoring of team members
• Experience using revision control
• Commitment to test-driven software development methodologies and a willingness to write software that allows itself to be tested
• Passionate about the mobile space, enabling you to advise on and/or contribute to new or emerging technologies that might be relevant to Praekelt
• Ability to delegate tasks and responsibilities to internal and external partners
• Sees the bigger picture and must be a team-player
• Must possess good people skills, integrity, energy and creativity

This role has a large amount of autonomy, so applicants should be entrepreneurial in nature and comfortable managing their own work schedule. Please send your CV and cover letter telling us about your experience and why you think you’re a good match.

Given that Praekelt.org is a non-profit company, and it is best practice to offer fixed term employment contracts, this contract is a one year fixed term contract. However you will be eligible to receive standard company benefits (including Discovery benefits) which are more substantial than the minimum  prescribed in law for an employment contract.  Furthermore, with a long business development pipeline in place, we expect, subject to our usual probation and performance management processes, to be able to propose a further  contract, whilst still keeping it aligned to relevant project funding that has been (and will be) secured.

Praekelt.org is committed to creating a fully inclusive and diverse environment that embraces difference, cultivates inclusivity and is committed to people feeling like they belong within all teams in the organisation. We actively encourage applicants of all races, ethnicities, religions, ages, genders, sexual orientations and abilities however preference will be given to under represented groups in terms of the company’s Employment Equity plan.