Senior Software Engineer

Zencargo; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 600,000 - 850,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading logistics technology provider in Cape Town is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join their feature squad. You will work with Kotlin and Spring Boot to deliver high-impact features and mentor team members. The ideal candidate has a solid understanding of scalable backend services and is comfortable leading technical discussions. Competitive salary and flexible working arrangements are offered.

Benefits

Generous annual leave

Flexible, remote, and hybrid working

Home equipment allowance

Private medical insurance

Annual L&D budget

Paid volunteering days

Pension scheme

Qualifications

• Professional experience with Kotlin (or Java with a strong willingness to work in Kotlin).
• Solid understanding and hands-on experience with Spring Boot 3 for building scalable services.
• Understanding of monitoring and observability practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and delivery of complex projects.
• Write high-quality, maintainable, and documented code.
• Facilitate technical discussions and make decisions.

Skills

Kotlin

Spring Boot

RESTful APIs

Microservice architecture

Relational databases

Automated testing

Agile environment

Technical mentoring

Job description

Description

Zencargo is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our core feature squad, working with Kotlin and Spring Boot to build and scale critical capabilities across our digital freight forwarding platform.

As a Senior Software Engineer in this team, you’ll be responsible for delivering high-impact features that sit at the heart of our customer experience, from booking and tracking shipments to streamlining operations for supply chain teams. You’ll contribute to designing and building robust, scalable services with a focus on quality, performance, and maintainability.

This is a hands-on role where you’ll own complex technical decisions, lead by example in code and design discussions, and support your teammates through mentorship and collaboration. You’ll work closely with Product, Design, and other Engineering squads to ensure we're building the right solutions in the right way, always keeping the needs of our users front and center.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and delivery of complex projects and features aligned with team and company goals.
• Write high-quality, maintainable, and well-documented code, setting a standard for others on the team.
• Identify and drive improvements to technical systems, processes, and team practices to enhance performance and quality.
• Facilitate technical discussions, communicate trade-offs effectively, and make decisions with a focus on scalability, performance, and long-term impact.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional partners and other engineering teams to deliver impactful solutions.
• Mentor peers through pairing, feedback, and knowledge sharing to support their technical and professional growth.
• Contribute to a healthy, inclusive team culture by role-modelling Zencargo’s values and building strong working relationships.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Professional experience with Kotlin (or Java with a strong willingness to work in Kotlin)
• Solid understanding and hands-on experience with Spring Boot 3 for building scalable, maintainable backend services
• Strong knowledge of RESTful APIs, microservice architecture, and integration patterns
• Experience working with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL or MySQL) and designing efficient, maintainable schemas
• Familiarity with automated testing approaches (unit, integration, E2E) and test-driven development
• Understanding of monitoring and observability practices, including logs, metrics, and alerts
• Awareness of system performance, scalability, and technical debt — and how to address them
• Comfortable leading discussions around technical trade-offs, design decisions, and long-term code maintainability
• Strong collaborator who can work effectively with product managers, designers, and other engineers to deliver features that align with business goals
• Able to mentor peers through code reviews, pairing, and informal guidance
• Experience working in an agile delivery environment, contributing to planning and estimation
• Proactive, ownership-driven approach to delivering high-quality software

Zencargo is a digital-first freight forwarder & logistics provider. Our platform allows customers to book, maintain, and keep track of their international freight as well as use analytics to drive intelligent supply chain decisions that help their businesses thrive.

While shipping is a complex trillion-dollar industry, you might be surprised to know that many of the processes that could be simplified with technology are currently done over the phone, by fax, email, or even on scraps of paper.

Our services include ocean, air, and rail freight, as well as trucking and cargo insurance. We deliver significant time, paper, and financial savings to our customers, offering instant quoting, easy booking, and an online dashboard to give them 360-degree, 24/7 visibility on their shipments. Shippers and their counterparts collaborate to oversee their logistics on Zencargo, and all their supply chain data is stored together in the cloud, making business analytics easier than ever.

At Zencargo, we believe that technology can simplify logistical complexity and tear down barriers to trade. Automating trade and logistics operations and providing access to data and analysis will help companies to trade smarter and more efficiently, freeing businesses to concentrate on key outcomes. Only by combining human endeavor and technology can we build smarter, borderless supply chains.

Life at Zencargo

What’s in it for me?

• Zencargo is where you come to do something you're passionate about, and learn new things. We are in scale mode at Zencargo, working towards realistic growth targets and metrics. You will thrive here if you enjoy working in a scaling environment. As we grow, we want you to grow with us.
• There is a huge opportunity to build your experience and grow your career. We want you to be part of the team for the long term, and we will help you reach your aspirations. We all have dreams and goals. As part of the Zencargo team, we ask you to deliver your best work and help us create real value for our customers and teams.

Work, Life, and Balance

At Zencargo, we work hard! We also recognize you have family, friends, interests, and life outside work. As a scaling business, we continually evolve our rewards and benefits approach.

Here are some highlights!

United Kingdom

• Generous annual leave
• Flexible, remote, and hybrid working
• Home equipment allowance
• BUPA private medical insurance
• Annual L&D budget
• Paid volunteering days
• Pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave & pay

Netherlands

• 33 days paid holiday annually, including statutory Dutch national public holidays
• Pension scheme
• Flexible, remote, and hybrid working
• Home equipment allowance
• Annual L&D budget
• Paid volunteering days
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave & pay

United States

• 33 days paid holiday annually, pro-rata, including national public holidays and Veteran’s Day
• Home equipment allowance
• 401K pension scheme
• Private healthcare scheme
• Annual L&D budget
• Paid volunteering days
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave & pay

Our Vision, Mission, and Values

Zencargo is driven by our Vision, Mission, and Values. We conduct values interviews during recruitment to ensure alignment with our core principles.

• Our Zencargo Vision - "A world with smarter trade"
• Our Zencargo Mission - "To make customers' supply chain their competitive advantage"

Our Zencargo Values

• We Learn Fast and Grow
• We Build Trust
• We Take Ownership
• We Deliver Outcomes

A Fair Chance

We welcome applications from all sections of society. We believe in the potential of everyone, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, physical ability, family structure, socio-economic background, age, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other differences. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment that cultivates belonging. We encourage applications from diverse candidates who share our motivations.