Remote Backend Search Engineer: Scale & Impact

takealot.com; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Mentorship program

Learning resources

Job summary

Takealot.com is seeking a Software Engineer (backend, preferably with search experience) to join our fast-growing team. You will develop robust backend services for our e-commerce platform, focusing on search stack improvements and scalable architectures.

You’ll work in a 24/7 operational environment with after-hours support on a rotational basis. The role is remote with options to visit the office, and candidates with Elasticsearch/Vertex AI/other search tech will have a bonus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or Advanced Diploma in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• 5 to 10 years in a software development role.
• Experience building scalable backend systems.
• Proficient in Python, Java or Golang; strong CS fundamentals (data structures, algorithms).
• RESTful APIs and web services; SQL databases; Linux environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and build scalable backend solutions for e-commerce workloads.
• Architect and design team-backed systems and APIs.
• Develop high-quality production code for complex, large-scale features.
• Improve testing practices and deliver robust software with reliable downtime handling.
• Contribute to architecture discussions and cross-team alignment.
• Investigate and resolve production issues and incidents promptly.

Skills

Backend development

REST APIs

Python

Java

Golang

SQL databases

Linux

Distributed systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree or Advanced Diploma in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

Elasticsearch

Vertex AI Search

Docker

Kubernetes

Solr

RabbitMQ

Job description

Takealot.com is seeking a Software Engineer (backend, preferably with search experience) to join our fast-growing team. You will develop robust backend services for our e-commerce platform, focusing on search stack improvements and scalable architectures.

You’ll work in a 24/7 operational environment with after-hours support on a rotational basis. The role is remote with options to visit the office, and candidates with Elasticsearch/Vertex AI/other search tech will have a bonus.