Embedded Firmware Engineer

Communicate Recruitment; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Communicate Recruitment is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to lead the design, development, and operation of scalable data platforms and services. You will mentor team members and drive AI-assisted development practices to deliver reliable, high-impact solutions.

You will own data pipelines, APIs, and infrastructure while collaborating with analysts, data scientists and engineers. This role emphasizes scalable, maintainable systems and fast, reliable delivery.

Qualifications

• Deep proficiency in Python for building applications and data pipelines.
• Strong SQL skills and experience with large datasets.
• Extensive data/back-end engineering experience with end-to-end ownership.
• Ability to make sound architectural trade-offs.
• Experience mentoring engineers and leading initiatives.
• API/service development experience.
• Experience with AI-assisted development tools.
• Collaborative, fast-paced work environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead data pipelines and backend services using Python.
• Write efficient SQL for data extraction and analysis.
• Develop and maintain APIs and services (e.g., FastAPI/SQLAlchemy).
• Own design decisions for data systems.
• Collaborate with analysts, scientists and engineers to understand data needs.
• Drive infrastructure for data workloads (containers, orchestration, provisioning).
• Monitor, troubleshoot and improve data systems; incident response and root-cause analysis.
• Mentor engineers and lead code reviews.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data engineering

Backend engineering

Mentoring

APIs

AI tooling

Tools

FastAPI

SQLAlchemy

Job description

Senior Software Engineer

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will lead the design, development, and operation of scalable data platforms, services, and infrastructure that power critical business outcomes. Working closely with analysts, data scientists, and engineers, you will drive technical excellence, mentor team members, and help shape the future direction of the Data Engineering function. This role offers the opportunity to combine strong engineering fundamentals with AI‑assisted development practices to deliver reliable, high‑impact solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, build, and maintenance of data pipelines and backend services using Python.
• Write efficient, well‑structured SQL for data extraction, transformation, and analysis, and set standards for query and schema design across the team.
• Develop and maintain APIs and services (e.g. using FastAPI and SQLAlchemy) to expose data to internal and external consumers.
• Own technical design decisions for data systems, balancing scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
• Collaborate with data analysts, scientists, and other engineers to understand data needs and deliver reliable solutions.
• Drive the design and upkeep of infrastructure supporting data workloads (containers, orchestration, provisioning).
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and improve the performance and reliability of existing data systems, including leading incident response and root‑cause analysis where needed.
• Mentor other engineers, lead code reviews, and help raise the technical bar across the team.

Requirements

• Deep proficiency in Python for building applications, pipelines, or services at scale.
• Strong SQL skills, writing performant queries, designing schemas, and optimizing for large or complex datasets.
• Significant experience working in a data engineering or backend engineering environment, including owning systems end‑to‑end.
• Demonstrated ability to make sound architectural and technical trade‑off decisions.
• Experience mentoring engineers and/or leading technical initiatives.
• Comfort working in a fast‑paced, collaborative team setting.
• Experience developing and maintaining APIs and services.
• Experience working with AI‑assisted development tools and supporting team adoption of AI capabilities.

Work in a Way That Works for You: We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organisation. We offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous wellbeing initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance and sabbaticals, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long-term goals.

We are an equal opportunity employer: qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, disability status, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.