At Mara, your role as an engineer transcends feature development—you will construct the foundational “trust infrastructure” that guarantees every dollar is deployed where it’s needed most. This infrastructure empowers community-led organizations to execute hyper-proximate interventions, directly benefiting women and girls who require critical support.
Drive foundational engineering initiatives by establishing and maintaining critical engineering pillars that align with organizational objectives. Implement robust frameworks to enhance system reliability, scalability, and maintainability while fostering innovation and operational excellence. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure engineering practices are optimized, consistently applied, and continuously improved. Oversee the integration of cutting-edge technologies to support scalable solutions and drive long-term technical sustainability.
Developing a unified Fintech platform tailored to government procurement standards, this initiative establishes a single-contract solution that optimizes capital reallocation across diverse geographic regions.
Leveraging artificial intelligence and the established Tito platform, we automate data collection and validate real-world impact, transitioning from manual, high-cost auditing to real-time, high-integrity data verification.
Crafting an ecosystem-wide architectural framework entails developing a platform capable of catering to the entire sector, extending beyond Tito’s current scope to accommodate diverse organizations and funders within a cohesive, transparent ecosystem.
Managing highly sensitive health and educational data with rigorous security protocols, this role upholds data integrity to ensure philanthropic initiatives adhere to the principle of “paying for what works” as a worldwide benchmark.
We are currently seeking qualified candidates residing in South Africa or Kenya for this opportunity.
The Job
Our Java Engineering Team Lead oversees and mentors a team of software engineers while overseeing the development and upkeep of the Mara Impact software. Key responsibilities encompass leading engineering initiatives, fostering team collaboration, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality software solutions. Additionally, the role involves guiding architectural decisions, streamlining development processes, and maintaining robust system performance to meet evolving business needs.
Mentor and cultivate the professional growth of your team members, fostering both individual and collective development.
Design, implement, and maintain innovative features for the Mara Impact software to enhance its functionality and user experience.
In alignment with our agile framework, you will actively participate in the team’s ceremonies and methodologies.
The role involves orchestrating the tasks assigned to the software engineering team, ensuring seamless collaboration and efficient execution of projects.
We employ software engineering methodologies to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate our software solutions, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.
You are responsible for implementing robust security measures to protect data integrity and confidentiality within the software you develop, ensuring compliance with data protection standards and mitigating potential vulnerabilities.
You ensure thorough documentation of your work, crafting clear and comprehensible materials for future reference by colleagues.
About You
You possess extensive development expertise in Java and the ability to design software solutions from inception. With a logical mindset and innate problem-solving abilities, you are driven by a desire to leverage your technical capabilities to drive meaningful outcomes.
We seek a candidate with a minimum of five years of relevant experience in a similar role, along with a proven track record of success in project management and strategic planning. Proficiency in industry-standard software tools and a strong understanding of regulatory compliance are essential requirements. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, are necessary to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders. The ideal applicant will demonstrate exceptional problem-solving abilities and a commitment to continuous professional development. Additionally, a bachelor’s degree in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
With a minimum of eight years of specialized experience in backend engineering, particularly in JVM language development, candidates should demonstrate deep expertise in building and maintaining scalable, high-performance systems.
With a minimum of three years of proven leadership experience, you will have overseen a team of Java backend engineers, taking full responsibility for conducting their performance reviews.
Proven expertise in developing and managing Microservices architectures, coupled with hands-on experience in leveraging AWS cloud services to design, deploy, and optimize scalable, resilient applications.
You bring a wealth of hands-on experience with the Spring framework and a broad range of complementary Java backend technologies and libraries.
Proficiency in Salesforce CRM constitutes a valuable asset for this role.
You are seeking more than a coding role; you aim to engineer robust, scalable systems that uphold the highest standards of quality.
You will be based in either Kenya or South Africa.
You possess strong proficiency in English, both written and verbal, coupled with exceptional communication abilities.
Qualifications
BA/BSc/HND
Experience Required
8 years
