Lead Engineer

Black Pen Recruitment

Cape Town

On-site

ZAR 1,000,000 - 2,000,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Black Pen Recruitment is seeking a Lead Engineer (Cyber security) in Cape Town to own and scale a cutting-edge AI security platform. This founding-level technical leadership role offers equity participation and significant ownership as the platform is hardened for scale and accelerated go-to-market execution.

You will work closely with the founder in a high-ownership, hands-on environment. Ideal candidates have 8+ years of software engineering experience, strong Python/TypeScript/Node.js,

Qualifications

8+ years of software engineering experience.
Strong TypeScript, Node.js and Python experience.
Solid PostgreSQL knowledge with complex database interactions.
Experience with authentication, OAuth, API integrations and secure systems.
Strong cloud experience, with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) desirable.
Ownership of production codebase and pragmatic decisions.
Startup-mindset and ability to work independently with the founder.

Responsibilities

Own and maintain the production codebase with founder oversight.
Hardening, scaling and extending the platform.
Collaborate across teams to drive architecture and implementation decisions.

Skills

Python

TypeScript

Node.js

PostgreSQL

OAuth

REST API

Gunicorn

Tools

Flask

Jinja2

Express

React

Drizzle ORM

PostgreSQL

Docker

Terraform

Job description

Lead Engineer (Cyber security)

Our client is an AI security platform that acts as a security gateway between AI agents and databases. As companies increasingly allow AI agents to interact directly with systems and data, our client helps prevent sensitive data exposure, destructive queries, compliance violations and operational mistakes. The platform inspects and controls database interactions in real time through policy enforcement, threat detection and comprehensive audit logging. The product is already built and operational, and the business is now entering its next phase of platform hardening, product acceleration and go-to-market execution.

Role Overview

This is a founding-level technical leadership role with significant ownership and equity participation. The Lead Engineer will take ownership of the production codebase, work closely with the founder and play a key role in hardening, scaling and extending the platform.

Overall Candidate Profile

Our client is looking for high-calibre, self-starting individuals who can operate with full ownership in a founder-led, early-stage environment. The successful candidates should be motivated, pragmatic, ambitious and comfortable working closely with the founder during an intensive build-and-launch phase.

Strong ownership mentality with the ability to work independently without constant direction.
High integrity, sound judgement and a practical problem-solving approach.
Comfortable in a lean startup environment where priorities can move quickly.
Able to contribute strategically while also remaining hands-on and execution focused.
Preference for a small number of exceptional, carefully vetted candidates over a high-volume shortlist.

Job Type

Full Time/Independent Contractor

Location

Cape Town

Work Place

Onsite

Requirements

8+ years of software engineering experience.
Strong TypeScript, Node.js and Python experience.
Solid PostgreSQL knowledge, including the ability to work with complex database interactions.
Experience with authentication, OAuth, API integrations and secure systems.
Strong cloud experience, with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) highly desirable.
Comfortable taking ownership of a production codebase and making pragmatic technical decisions.
Startup-minded, self-motivated and able to work independently alongside the founder.

Bonus Experience

Cybersecurity experience.
Fintech or payments experience.
Database internals, performance optimisation or secure data access expertise.

Tech Stack

Two web apps that work together: a Python/Flask marketing & database-protection site, and a React + TypeScript AI Gateway portal, both backed by PostgreSQL. The ideal hire moves comfortably between Python and TypeScript - someone strong in only one half will struggle.

The Three Services

Landing & DB Protection

Python / Flask
Landing pages, pricing, registration, billing checkout, database-protection login & dashboard.
Jinja2 templates, session auth, bcrypt / TOTP.

AI Gateway Portal