Job Description

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Software Engineering Team Lead to join our dynamic development team. As a Team Lead, you will play a crucial role in guiding and mentoring a talented group of engineers, ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality software solutions. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, designers, and other engineering leads, to drive the execution of both technical and strategic initiatives. This role requires a balance of technical expertise, leadership, and communication skills, as you work to foster a collaborative and innovative environment while overseeing the development and maintenance of scalable, reliable systems.An exciting opportunity exists for a Software Engineering Team Lead to join our team based in Cape Town. Join one of Africa's leading fintech success stories and help shape the future of financial services on the continent.Mukuru is one of the fastest growing fintech companies in Southern Africa, providing safe, affordable, and accessible financial services to underserved communities across the continent and beyond. We're backed by the largest Africa-focused US private equity fund and operate in multiple jurisdictions. Our passion is to help facilitate safe, affordable, and regulated financial products using a myriad of innovative technologies.This is more than just a leadership role - it's about enabling people, shaping technical delivery, and building systems that help our customers move money securely and reliably across borders.What You'll Be DoingAs a Software Engineering Team Lead at Mukuru, you will:

• Lead and inspire a team of software engineers to deliver high quality, scalable, and secure solutions.
• Collaborate with the Engineering Manager, Domain Head, Product Owner, and Architect to align the team's work with the business and technical direction of the domain.
• Foster a high-performance team culture, focused on ownership, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Be a champion for agile ways of working, ensuring we iterate quickly and learn fast.
• Provide technical guidance and ensure that the team consistently delivers software that is maintainable, well-tested, and aligned to best practices.
• Remove blockers and create the environment the team needs to thrive.
• Support career growth through coaching, mentoring, and regular feedback.
• Help shape technical direction through input into architecture, tooling, and delivery practices.

What You BringWe're looking for someone who is as passionate about people as they are about technology.You might be a fit if:

• You love helping others succeed and take pride in building empowered, motivated teams.
• You have 8+ years of software development experience, and 2-3 years in a team or technical leadership role.
• You've led or contributed to the delivery of systems at scale, bonus points if you've worked with distributed architectures or in high-throughput environments.
• You know your way around modern development practices, including automated testing, CI/CD, monitoring, and security conscious development.
• You value agile principles and can help a team live them, not just follow a process.
• You're a strong communicator, comfortable aligning tech with product, and can bridge business and engineering needs.
• You're deeply collaborative - you know that great software is built by great teams, not heroes

Tech Stack & Tools We Work WithWe don't expect deep experience in everything, but exposure to some of the following would be beneficial:

• Languages: PHP (non-negotiable), plus experience in another modern backend language e.g. C#/.Net Core (advantageous)
• Practices: TDD, CI/CD, system design, and DevOps collaboration
• Tools & Concepts: AWS/Cloud concepts, Version control (Git), caching, message queues, monitoring, issue tracking, and scalable database good practices.

Qualifications & Experience

• Grade 12 / Matric (essential)
• Formal qualification in software development (advantageous)
• 8+ years in software engineering, with at least 2 years in a team or people leadership role
• Experience in developing, testing, and deploying production systems
• Experience working in agile teams

Why Join Mukuru?We're a growing African tech company that cares deeply about our people and our customers. We offer:

• Work on meaningful products that improve lives across Africa
• Join a passionate, diverse, and high-performing team
• Hybrid working model with flexibility and supportive leadership
• Competitive salary and benefits
• Culture of continuous learning and innovation

I am sure you are reading this job description and meet majority of the criteria BUT you may also still not be 100% comfortable in applying. We believe that there is a place for everyone under the Mukuru sun and we want YOU to contribute to our diverse tapestry of talent. So come on, take a leap of faith, and send your application if you meet majority of our requirements. Remember to include a snippet of how you will bring value and help us build a future of success that will help us determine where and how you may best be suited Maybe you are just the future Mukurian we need!!Should you be appointed in a remote/work from home role at Mukuru, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have uninterrupted internet connectivity and a 'work-like' environment at your home location, in order to deliver your best in terms of performance, productivity and service to our customers.If you do not receive any response after two weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful.NB: ALL STAFF APPOINTMENTS WILL BE MADE WITH DUE CONSIDERATION OF THE COMPANY'S DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION PLANS

Mukuru