Senior Backend Engineer

Air; Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 600 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A reputable tech company seeks a skilled Software Engineer to design and maintain scalable software products. The role requires extensive experience in building distributed systems and proficiency in Golang, with a focus on collaboration and the agile software development lifecycle. Candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and have a strong background in cloud environments.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Proven background building distributed systems, APIs, and cloud-based applications.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the full software lifecycle from design to maintenance.
• Write clean, maintainable code in Golang.
• Build and maintain APIs, microservices, and integrations.
• Deploy production changes following established procedures.
• Deliver solutions meeting regulatory compliance standards.

Skills

Golang

JavaScript / TypeScript

HTML

RESTful APIs

SQL

Git

Docker

AWS

Postman

Networking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering or related field

Postgraduate qualification (MSc / PhD)

Tools

GitHub Actions

MySQL

PostgreSQL

Job description

Role Overview

We are looking for a skilled Software Engineer to design, build, and maintain scalable software products and internal tools.

This role involves optimising development workflows, strengthening cloud and infrastructure security, and ensuring technical documentation and processes align with best practices.

You’ll contribute across the full software development lifecycle and collaborate closely with cross‑functional teams to deliver high‑quality, reliable systems.

The core stack includes Golang for building distributed, fault‑tolerant systems (NATS, JetStream, CQRS), MySQL / PostgreSQL for data storage, GitHub Actions for CI/CD, Docker for containerisation, and AWS for cloud hosting.

Key Responsibilities

• Analysis & Planning (25%)
• Participate in the full software lifecycle, from design and planning to deployment and maintenance.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to refine requirements into clear technical solutions.
• Architect reusable and scalable system designs.
• Research and evaluate new tools or frameworks to improve efficiency and maintainability.
• Create user stories, break down tasks, and provide accurate estimates.
• Manage dependencies, prioritise effectively, and adapt to changing requirements.
• Development & Testing (50%)
• Write clean, maintainable, and well‑documented code in Golang.
• Build and maintain APIs, microservices, and integrations.
• Configure and maintain CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Infrastructure as Code).
• Implement automated unit, integration, and performance testing.
• Diagnose and resolve system‑level issues, applying root cause analysis and permanent fixes.
• Deploy production changes in line with established procedures.
• Maintain comprehensive technical documentation, including release notes and system logs.
• Collaboration & Reporting (20%)
• Provide clear updates on progress, risks, and challenges.
• Contribute to peer code reviews and knowledge‑sharing sessions.
• Collaborate with product owners, analysts, and engineers across frontend, backend, mobile, and cloud.
• Share technical insights and suggest improvements to current systems and practices.
• Quality & Compliance (5%)
• Deliver solutions that meet regulatory compliance standards (SOC2, ISO, etc.).
• Apply secure coding practices and ensure data protection measures are followed.
• Keep supporting documents up to date and aligned with internal processes.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field (essential).
• Postgraduate qualification (MSc / PhD) in a technical discipline advantageous.

Experience

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Proven background building distributed systems, APIs, and cloud‑based applications.

Skills & Knowledge

• Programming & Frameworks: Golang (essential), JavaScript / TypeScript, HTML.
• APIs & Services: RESTful APIs, HTTP, microservices, authentication, logging.
• Databases: SQL, schema design, indexing, query optimisation (MySQL / PostgreSQL).
• CI/CD & DevOps: Git, GitHub Actions, Docker, automated testing, mocking, debugging.
• Cloud: AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda), Azure experience beneficial.
• Networking: DNS, IPs, ports, subnets.
• Testing: Unit, integration, and performance testing using Postman and other tools.