Lead Software Engineer - Cloud Platform

Placements24; Centurion; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first culture

Health insurance

Paid time off

Professional development budget

Job summary

Placements24 is recruiting a Lead Software Engineer to steer the design and delivery of a cloud-native platform. You will lead a team, define standards, and collaborate with product and architecture stakeholders to drive scalable, secure services.

You will mentor engineers, oversee deployments, and champion DevOps, CI/CD, and testing best practices in a remote-first South African environment.”

Qualifications

• 8+ years in software development, incl. 3+ years in lead/principal role
• Experience designing and building distributed systems and microservices
• Deep cloud platform expertise (AWS/Azure/GCP)
• Proficiency in Go/Java/Python/Node.js
• Strong knowledge of Docker and Kubernetes
• CI/CD experience and automated testing
• Solid SQL/NoSQL DB knowledge
• Agile development experience

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development and deployment of scalable microservices on cloud platforms
• Define and enforce coding standards, architecture principles
• Mentor engineers and guide technical growth
• Collaborate with product managers and architects
• Drive DevOps adoption, CI/CD pipelines and automated testing
• Ensure performance, scalability, and reliability of the cloud platform
• Conduct code reviews and performance tuning
• Shape the technical roadmap and technology choices
• Foster continuous improvement and innovation

Skills

Distributed systems

Microservices

Cloud platforms

Go

Java

Python

Node.js

CI/CD

Docker

Kubernetes

Education

Bachelors

Masters

Tools

Git

CI/CD tools

Job description

About the Role

Our client is revolutionizing the financial technology landscape and is seeking an exceptional Lead Software Engineer to spearhead the development of their next-generation cloud platform. This is a fully remote position, offering you the flexibility to work from anywhere within South Africa while making a significant impact on a global scale. You will be at the forefront of architectural design, driving innovation, and leading a talented team of engineers to build scalable, resilient, and secure cloud-native solutions. This role requires a visionary leader with a deep technical background in distributed systems, microservices, and cloud infrastructure. You will be responsible for setting technical direction, fostering a culture of engineering excellence, and ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality software. This is an unparalleled opportunity to shape the future of our client's technology infrastructure and mentor engineers in a collaborative, remote-first environment. The focus will be on creating robust, high-performance cloud services that will power our client's expanding digital offerings.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and deployment of scalable, high-performance microservices and distributed systems on cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Define and enforce coding standards, best practices, and architectural principles across the engineering team.
• Mentor and guide junior and senior software engineers, fostering their technical growth and career development.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, architects, and other stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Drive the adoption of DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing strategies.
• Oversee the performance, scalability, and reliability of the cloud platform, ensuring high availability and minimal downtime.
• Conduct code reviews, performance tuning, and troubleshooting of complex technical issues.
• Contribute to the strategic technical roadmap and technology selection for the platform.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the engineering team.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of experience in software development, with at least 3 years in a lead or principal engineering role.
• Extensive experience designing and building complex distributed systems and microservices.
• Deep expertise in one or more major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their associated services.
• Proficiency in one or more modern programming languages such as Go, Java, Python, or Node.js.
• Strong understanding of containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) and orchestration.
• Proven experience with CI/CD tools and methodologies.
• Excellent understanding of database technologies (SQL, NoSQL) and data modeling.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.
• Experience working in an agile development environment.

Benefits

• An industry-leading salary package, with an annual compensation of up to R .
• Comprehensive health insurance coverage.
• Generous paid time off and holidays.
• Professional development budget and opportunities for advanced training.
• The ultimate flexibility of a fully remote role, allowing you to work from your preferred location.
• Opportunity to shape the technical direction of a critical platform.
• A collaborative and inclusive remote work culture.