Duma Works is looking to recruit an ambitious and analytical Chief Technology Officer for one of its clients to fuel the growth of their edtech platform and content design services across Africa and globally.
This is a full-time position with equity participation based in Nairobi.
About​ Us:
We are a Nairobi-based social enterprise making it possible for anyone to access the information and opportunities they need from the organizations they trust over any mobile phone. With us, people seeking to learn can freely access our chatbot using interactive SMS or smartphone chat apps to master new skills, discover a world of free educational content, and earn rewards from our partners whether or not they have internet or airtime.
The chatbot delivers personalized content designed in-house in close collaboration with our partners such as financial service providers, mobile operators, agribusinesses and NGOs.
Our partners use our platform to engage, train, and capture data on under served people across their value chains, especially hard-to-reach customers, retailers, and suppliers. Currently serving 600,000 learners in East Africa, We have demonstrated results increasing people’s income and access to impactful products and services while creating shared value for partners.
You will manage and work closely with software engineers, product managers, data scientists, and learning designers to drive our pioneering technical innovation agenda by applying machine learning, predictive analytics, behavioral science, and conversational agents to deliver personalized information and opportunity at scale.
Responsibilities
Develop a clear vision, objectives, and implementation strategy for the technology of the product
Attract, structure, lead, and inspire a high performing and ever-growing team of engineers, product managers, data scientists, algorithm developers, statisticians, system admins, dreamers, and designers;
Identify competitive advantages and technological trends for the benefit of the company;
Oversee the design, development, and deployment of a highly profitable and impactful learning platform in key expansion markets initially across Africa and then to Asia and Latin America;
Guide near term builds including the Android/iOS app, IVR app, advertising and licensing exchange, adaptive learning engine, predictive analytics, and partner API;
Provide perspective and guidance on long-term scalable architecture, strategy, investments and innovation drawing upon your depth and breadth of knowledge;
Publish technical white papers on the impact of our innovations and generate patent applications as appropriate;
Contribute thought leadership with industry executives at the organizations that we work with across financial services, agriculture, consumer goods, energy, health, telecommunications and other sectors;
Facilitate workshops, hackathons and seminars to position us as an edtech industry leader and attract top level talent;
Lead an ambitious research agenda to put us at the forefront of the application of artificial intelligence, mobile technology, remote sensing, and behavioral science;
Participate in community events, trade meetups, and industry workshops in Nairobi and globally.
​Qualifications
Master-level degree in Computer Science;
Practical experience applying AI/ML into product development;
10+ years of relevant professional experience with at least 5 years in a leadership capacity;
Track record of end-to-end mobile product development and deployment resulting in strong engagement KPIs;
Demonstrated ability to think strategically about how technology can advance business objectives;
Proven ability to design, coach, and lead a high performing and dynamic tech team;
Working technical knowledge in all areas relevant to the product: MVC, PHP, Java, MySQL, Android, Python,R, AWS, Bitbucket, CSS, SMS, HTML5, and Laravel;
Experience with DevOps, Continuous integration and deployment and micro-services architecture.
Experience with server and database frameworks and tools such as Ubuntu, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and MongoDB;
Ability to communicate with non-technical audiences;
Ability to live and work at least 50% in Nairobi, Kenya.
Extra points for the following:
Ph.D. in Computer Science;
Master’s degree in Business Administration;
Experience developing and applying for patents;
Strong understanding of and history working in East Africa.
Compensation​ ​and​ ​Benefits:
We aspire to be competitive on compensation although, as an early-stage social enterprise, many on the team work just below market rate. To make up for that, staff are able to participate in the employee share program. We also offer a comprehensive health insurance package and will cover the cost of a work permit for foreign staff. Other benefits include monthly airtime allowance, extra leave, a stocked kitchen, and unlimited ping-pong and foosball.
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