Lead Developer (JavaScript)

StaffSelect | IT Select Recruitment; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

A proptech company in Cape Town is seeking a Lead Developer (JavaScript) to spearhead technology for their innovative platforms. You will lead project development and collaborate with a UK team while setting technical standards for the new engineering hub in Cape Town. The role offers substantial responsibilities and the chance to drive impact in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Deep JavaScript expertise – React/Redux essential.
• Proven leadership experience in small teams or solo development.
• Comprehensive AWS DevOps skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of Laravel + React web app from concept through deployment.
• Own and optimise AWS infrastructure and DevOps pipelines.
• Provide technical leadership across web and mobile platforms.

Skills

JavaScript expertise

React/Redux

PHP & Laravel

AWS DevOps

RESTful API design

Git (GitHub/Bitbucket)

Modern CSS (SASS, CSS Modules)

Database (MySQL via AWS RDS)

Mobile development (React Native)

Job description

Lead Developer (JavaScript) – Woodstock, Cape Town.

Cape Town – Office-Based | Exciting PropTech Opportunity | Includes UK Travel.

Seasoned JavaScript lead developer ready to take the lead in building cutting-edge technology to spearhead our next-generation platforms for the property sector.

As the first hire in our new South Africa engineering team, you’ll be the sole technical lead on the ground, working independently at first while onboarding with our UK-based external developers.

This pivotal role will see you take full ownership of projects end-to-end, and over time, help shape and grow the Cape Town engineering team, setting the technical standards that scale.

Work in a small, agile environwhere your decisions have direct impact, while collaborating with our UK product and tech leads on an ambitious proptech roadmap.

What You’ll Bring

• Deep JavaScript expertise – React/Redux essential; Vue.js or Angular a plus.
• Strong background in PHP & Laravel (or Python/Django, Node.js).
• Proven leadership experience in small teams or solo development.
• Comprehensive AWS DevOps skills: CI/CD, Terraform/CloudFormation, scalable infrastructure design, and AWS security best practices.
• Monitoring, logging, and alerting (CloudWatch mastery) to ensure top performance.
• Backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning experience.
• RESTful API design & integration.
• Git (GitHub/Bitbucket).
• Modern, scalable CSS (SASS, CSS Modules).
• Database experience (MySQL via AWS RDS).
• Mobile development (React Native, iOS/Android) a bonus.
• Willingness to travel to the UK (including an extended onboarding period).
• Excellent communicator, proactive problem-solver, and team builder.

What You’ll Do

• Lead development of our Laravel + React web app from concept through deployment.
• Own and optimise our AWS infrastructure and DevOps pipelines, ensuring security, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Provide technical leadership across web and mobile platforms (supporting our React Native iOS app when needed).
• Establish coding standards and best practices; lead technical decision-making.
• Produce clear, maintainable technical documentation.
• Collaborate with UK IT Lead to define product strategy and technical roadmaps.
• Take ownership of strategic projects from day one, such as reviewing PHP and Laravel versioning to ensure long-term stability, security, and upgrade readiness.

Why Join Us?

This is more than just a development role — it’s an opportunity to lead innovation in the proptech space with a company that’s redefining how property marketing works. You’ll be part of a dynamic, international team that has been established in South Africa for over 20 years, and now you’ll help build the foundation of our new Cape Town engineering hub.