Senior Software Engineer

Ikhokha; Umhlanga Rocks; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Aid

Group Risk scheme

Hybrid, Remote and In-office options

Job summary

iKhokha is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to build and scale secure, high-availability FinTech systems. You will work on backend services, cloud-native architectures, and payment integrations, with opportunities to contribute to frontend using React.js, HTML5, and CSS where needed.

You will lead end-to-end development, architecture design, testing, deployment pipelines, and cloud operations, while mentoring junior engineers and driving code quality through reviews.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, with backend, cloud-native architectures, and ideally card payment integrations.

Responsibilities

• Build and scale secure, high-availability systems in the FinTech space, focusing on backend services, cloud-native architectures, and payment integrations.
• Contribute to frontend and backend development, supporting React.js, HTML5, and CSS where required.
• Own end-to-end development of FinTech systems including architecture, implementation, testing, deployment pipelines, and cloud operations.
• Design and implement secure card payment integrations (Card Present and Card Not Present) for reliable processing.

Skills

Backend development

Cloud-native

Card payments

APIs

System design

Agile methods

Code reviews

Mentoring

Leadership

Distributed systems

Education

B.Sc in CS/Engineering

Tools

GitHub

Datadog

Jest

VSCode

IntelliJ

Job description

iKhokha is a place where chance takers become change makers.
At iKhokha, we’re made to make it. As you'd expect, our pace is fast-moving and ever-changing. We like it that way. As one of the fastest growing Fintech's in Africa we've built a team of global change-makers who want to make an impact. If you believe that you are made to make it,be achance-taker and help us empower small businesses in South Africa.

Job Description

We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer who loves building great products, solving meaningful problems, and leaving systems better than they found them.

Join us to tackle complex engineering challenges, build at scale, and help shape the technology that powers thousands of businesses across South Africa.

So, what will you do?

• You will build and scale secure, high-availability systems within the FinTech space, with a strong focus on backend services, cloud-native architectures, and payment integrations.
• You will contribute to both frontend and backend development, with a primary focus on backend services, APIs, and system integrations, while supporting modern frontend applications using React.js, HTML5, and CSS where required.
• You will be responsible for the end-to-end development of FinTech systems, including architecture design, implementation, testing, deployment pipelines, and operating services in a cloud environment.
• You will design and implement card payment integrations (Card Present and Card Not Present), ensuring secure, reliable, and scalable transaction processing.

In addition to the above, you will:

• Working in an Agile environment within a collaborative, cross-functional team, reporting to the Software Development Manager.
• Exhibit strong communication skills, ownership, and the ability to collaborate effectively within and across teams.
• Design, build, and operate scalable backend systems and APIs, with a focus on reliability, performance, and security.
• Deliver high-quality software solutions in cloud-based environments (AWS preferred, but other cloud platforms supported).
• Lead the design and implementation of secure payment flows.
• Take ownership of systems in production, including monitoring, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and guide Level 1 and Level 2 Engineers, focusing on engineering best practices, code quality, security, and performance.
• Participate in and drive high-quality code reviews, ensuring maintainability and consistency.
• Debug and resolve complex system issues and implement enhancements across services.
• Contribute to and maintain technical and domain documentation.
• Drive both technical and domain knowledge sharing within the team.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional stakeholders to deliver impactful solutions.
• Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work on complex, distributed systems.
• Contribute to frontend applications where required, with a solid understanding of modern frontend practices.

Qualifications

The following would be advantageous:

• A degree in Computer Science or Engineering, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience

Deal Breakers:

7+ years’ professional software engineering experience, with a proven track record of delivering complex, high-quality systems in production, with the following:

• Experience must include backend development, cloud-native architectures, and ideally card payment integrations.
• Working within an Agile environment using Scrum or Kanban methods.
• Version Control experience whereby you have worked in Engineering Team (with 5+ developers of various levels) with a version control system such as GitHub.
• Development Environments experience whereby you have worked in Engineering Teams (with 5+ developers of various levels) within multiple environments for Development, Testing and Production, including Branching Strategies.
• Experience leading a Software Engineering Team (with 3+ developers of various levels) and involvement in Technical Leadership, Code Quality, Code Standards, Code Security, System and Code Performance.
• Leading and participating in Code Reviews for your own team as well as those in other teams.
• Experience with creating, maintaining and reviewing documentation.
• Experience with designing and implementing various architectural layers: for example, Presentation, Application, Service, Integration and Database layers.

In addition to the above, experience in the following technologies and best practices will make you a frontrunner for the role:

• Backend and Architecture:
  • Node.js
  • Microservices
  • Rest API design and Integration
  • Design Patterns
  • Solid Principles
  • Object Oriented Programming Concepts
• Cloud and Infrastructure:
  • Experience with cloud platforms (AWS preferred, Azure/GCP also considered)
  • Serverless compute (e.g. AWS Lambda or equivalents)
  • Managed databases (e.g. DynamoDB or other NoSQL databases)
  • Object storage (e.g. S3 or equivalents)
  • Compute services (e.g. EC2 or equivalents)
• Frontend:
  • React.js (preferred), or Next.js or Angular
  • TypeScript (preferred)
  • JavaScript
  • HTML5, CSS
• Integrations and Observability:
  • CMS API Integration (Sanity, Magento, or similar)
  • Telemetry Integration (Datadog, or similar)
• Testing:
  • Unit Testing frameworks (Jest, or similar)
• Tools:
  • VSCode / IntelliJ

Additional Information

Perks of joining the Tribe?

Work in a high-growth company with tangible results you're accountable for.

Enjoy hybrid,remote, and in officeworkmodels.

Competitive remuneration and benefits, including Medical Aid and Group Risk scheme contributions.

Be guided by visionary leadership.

Seize the opportunity for study leave.

Access to on-demand learning and development.

Experience a friendly, collaborative culture with a team of all-round-lekker humans(it’s true, we surveyed our Employees and they told us so).

If you find yourselfat HQ, coffee on tap and a selection of hot beveragesprovided by our very own onsite Barista.