Job Title: Principal Engineer (Full-Stack / Platform / Data)
Location: Cape Town, South Africa (Hybrid or On-site)
Open to relocation within South Africa for the right candidate
Role Overview
We are hiring a
Principal Engineer to lead the evolution of our platform across
infrastructure, data, backend, and frontend systems. This is a senior, hands-on role focused on solving complex technical challenges while shaping long-term architecture and engineering direction.
Key Responsibilities
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Define and drive system architecture across frontend, backend, data, and infrastructure
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Make high-impact technical decisions with long-term scalability in mind
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Contribute hands-on across the stack when needed (backend, frontend, data, infrastructure)
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Design and maintain cloud infrastructure and deployment systems
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Architect data models and pipelines that support both product and analytics
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Improve reliability, observability, and developer experience
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Mentor engineers and raise the technical bar across teams
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Partner with leadership on technical strategy and execution
Experience
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10+ years of hands-on software engineering experience
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Proven experience designing, building, and scaling complex, production systems
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Demonstrated experience working across backend, frontend, data, and infrastructure domains
Key Competencies
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Strong backend engineering experience (APIs, distributed systems, service design)
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Solid frontend engineering experience with modern frameworks (e.g., React) and performance optimization
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Proven experience designing and operating data systems (data modeling, pipelines, storage)
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Deep experience with cloud infrastructure, CI/CD systems, and observability tooling
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Technical Ability
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Strong technical judgment and ability to make high-quality tradeoffs
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Track record of influencing technical direction and mentoring engineers
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Clear and effective communication across technical and non-technical stakeholders
2. Leadership
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Strong technical judgment and ability to make high-quality tradeoffs
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Track record of influencing technical direction and mentoring engineers
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Clear and effective communication across technical and non-technical stakeholders
Nice to Have
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Experience in high-growth or scaling environments
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Experience building internal platforms or developer tooling
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Experience balancing product delivery with platform/infrastructure investment
