Senior Software Engineer (AI-Enabled)

Ozow; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Ozow in Cape Town is seeking a Senior Software Engineer (AI Enabled) to lead design and delivery of AI-powered fintech software, collaborating with cross‑functional teams to translate business problems into robust technical solutions.

You will drive AI-enabled replatforming, architectural decisions, data layer ownership including embeddings and vector search, and secure, scalable cloud deployments (AWS or Azure).

Qualifications

• At least 7+ years of experience as a Software Engineer or Software Developer, including leading technical delivery.
• Strong development skills in .NET 8 C#, JavaScript and ReactJs, with Python strongly beneficial.
• Proven experience developing against LLMs beyond basic prompt and response, such as context engineering, embeddings and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
• A track record of shipping AI-powered features to production, not only prototypes.
• Experience leading a migration or replatforming of a live, high-volume system.
• Strong system design and architecture experience, including relational, NoSQL and vector databases.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of software solutions with cross-functional teams, translating business problems into technical approaches that meet high-quality standards.
• Lead the replatforming of existing systems onto modern, AI-native services, defining the migration approach, sequencing and risk controls so current platforms stay live, stable and secure.
• Design and build features that integrate with large language models (LLMs) beyond simple request and response, including context engineering, embeddings and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
• Own the data layer behind AI features, including embeddings and vector search, alongside relational and NoSQL data stores.
• Write clean, efficient and maintainable code that sets the example for the team, using AI coding tools to move faster without lowering the bar on quality, security or testing.
• Define and maintain the team's standards and guardrails for using AI safely across the software development lifecycle, from design and coding to testing, review, deployment and documentation.
• Diagnose and resolve the most complex technical issues, including production incidents, and put fixes in place that stop them recurring.
• Own your services through to production: containerise services, improve CI/CD pipelines and deploy to cloud environments (AWS or Azure).
• Lead code reviews, including AI-assisted code, setting the bar for code quality and sharing knowledge across the team.
• Define the testing approach for your area, including unit and integration tests and test-driven development where it adds value.

Job description

Meet Ozow

Ozow is a leading fintech company that's redefining digital payments in South Africa and beyond. We're dedicated to making payments more accessible, secure, and convenient for both businesses and consumers. As a fast-growing player in the financial technology sector, Ozow fosters a culture of innovation, diversity, and inclusivity. We believe in pushing the boundaries of what's possible and are committed to making a positive impact on the world through our payment solutions.

More about this Ozow fantastic position

Ozow is seeking a Senior Software Engineer (AI Enabled) to join our development team. You'll lead the design and delivery of the solutions that power our digital payment platforms, with AI built into both what we deliver and how we deliver it. You'll shape how AI models are integrated as we replatform and modernise our systems, set the standard for disciplined use of AI tools across the software development lifecycle, and help the wider team adopt these ways of working.

This is a senior, hands‑on engineering role, not an agentic AI role. Your focus is building and modernising software with AI, rather than designing autonomous, long-running agent workflows.

Your role and responsibilities

Software Development

Lead the design and delivery of software solutions with cross-functional teams, translating business problems into technical approaches that meet high‑quality standards.

AI-Enabled Replatforming

Lead the replatforming of existing systems onto modern, AI-native services, defining the migration approach, sequencing and risk controls so current platforms stay live, stable and secure.

AI Feature Development

Design and build features that integrate with large language models (LLMs) beyond simple request and response, including context engineering, embeddings and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).

Own the data layer behind AI features, including embeddings and vector search, alongside relational and NoSQL data stores.

Coding

Write clean, efficient and maintainable code that sets the example for the team, using AI coding tools to move faster without lowering the bar on quality, security or testing.

Responsible AI Delivery

Define and maintain the team's standards and guardrails for using AI safely across the software development lifecycle, from design and coding to testing, review, deployment and documentation.

Ensure AI-generated output is validated, the non‑deterministic nature of AI models is accounted for, and sensitive and payment data is protected when working with AI tools.

Technical Problem Solving

Diagnose and resolve the most complex technical issues, including production incidents, and put fixes in place that stop them recurring.

System Architecture

Own the design and architecture of the systems you work on, including how AI components fit into them, making and documenting trade‑offs across scalability, security, performance and cost.

Ensure services handle high‑volume payment traffic, identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks before they affect customers.

Code Reviews

Lead code reviews, including AI-assisted code, setting the bar for code quality and sharing knowledge across the team.

Testing and Quality

Define the testing approach for your area, including unit and integration tests and test‑driven development where it adds value.^

Establish how the team tests and monitor AI features with non‑deterministic outputs, so they behave reliably in production.

DevOps and Deployment

Own your services through to production: containerise services, improve CI/CD pipelines and deploy to cloud environments ( AWS or Azure).

Apply and champion DevOps principles, owning the reliability and monitoring of what the team ships.

Agile Development

Work in an Agile environment, contributing to sprint planning, estimation and prioritisation, and helping the team improve how it delivers.

Documentation

Create and maintain technical documentation, including architecture decisions and the standards for using AI in development.

Technical Leadership and Mentoring

Mentor and coach engineers, including in effective and disciplined use of AI tools.

Champion AI-enabled ways of working across engineering, sharing what works and helping colleagues make the shift.

You are an ideal candidate if you have

• At Least 7+ years of experience as a Software Engineer or Software Developer, including leading technical delivery, ideally with an IT Diploma or Degree
• Strong development skills in .NET 8 C#, JavaScript and ReactJs, with Python strongly beneficial ( polyglots preferred)
• Proven experience developing against LLMs beyond basic prompt and response , such as context engineering, embeddings and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
• A track record of shipping AI-powered features to production, not only prototypes
• Experience leading a migration or replatforming of a live, high-volume system
• Strong system design and architecture experience, including relational, NoSQL and vec