Intermediate AI-Native Software Engineer (Fintech/ Payments)

Our client is a high-growth fintech company building the next generation of payment infrastructure across Africa. Their mission is to make money movement seamless, inclusive, and scalable across borders. They operate at the intersection of financial innovation and real-world impact, empowering businesses and consumers with tools to thrive in a rapidly digitizing economy.

Job Type: Full Time/Permanent

Location: Cape Town

Workplace: Hybrid (Onsite for the first 3 months of probation period)

Department: Engineering

Reports To: CTO

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Computer Science or a related field.
• 3 - 5 years’ experience as a Full Stack Engineer (preferably in fintech or payments).
• Solid backend development experience using Node.js and/or TypeScript (experience with Python or Java a plus).
• Frontend experience with modern frameworks such as React.js or Vue.js.
• Familiarity with both relational (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and NoSQL databases.
• API development experience (REST, GraphQL).
• Basic understanding of security best practices, data handling, and encryption concepts.
• Experience with version control (Git) and familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and containerization (Docker).
• Enthusiasm for learning about blockchain, Web3 APIs, and emerging payment technologies.
• Exposure to the African payments ecosystem, mobile money, or local payment APIs.
• Knowledge of blockchain fundamentals and working with Web3 APIs or SDKs.
• Interest or experience in FX, liquidity, or remittance platforms.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Understanding of Stablecoin or blockchain-based settlement flows.
• Cloud experience (AWS, GCP, or Azure).

Responsibilities

Product Development & Architecture

• Contribute to the design and development of scalable web/app applications for payments and settlements.
• Build and maintain APIs that support core business functions such as payment processing, KYC/AML, and partner integrations.
• Participate in code reviews and help improve performance, security, and reliability across the stack.

Integrations

• Support integrations with payment gateways, banks, and third-party services (e.g., compliance and blockchain partners).
• Assist in building internal tools for operations, reconciliation, and reporting

Security & Compliance

• Follow secure coding practices and ensure adherence to internal security guidelines.
• Collaborate with compliance teams to implement KYC, AML, and transaction monitoring features.
• Learn and apply best practices related to data privacy and platform security.

Collaboration & Growth

• Work closely with Senior Engineers, Product Managers, and Operations teams to deliver new features and enhancements.
• Take initiative in learning new technologies and improving existing systems.
• Contribute to a culture of quality and collaboration within the engineering team.

AI-Native Engineering

Our client expects engineers to be genuinely AI-native - not just familiar with AI tools, but actively using them to move faster, write better code, and solve harder problems. This role sits at the intersection of modern AI tooling and fintech infrastructure, and we want someone who treats AI as a core part of their engineering practice.

Mindset & Ways of Working

• Treat AI-assisted development as a default, not an afterthought - using LLMs to accelerate design, implementation, and debugging.
• Demonstrate strong prompt engineering skills: knowing when to delegate to AI, how to verify its output, and where human judgment is essential.
• Proactively identify opportunities to automate repetitive engineering tasks (e.g. boilerplate generation, test scaffolding, documentation) using AI tooling.
• Stay current with the rapidly evolving AI tooling landscape and bring new approaches to the team.

AI Tools & Skills

• Proficient with AI coding assistants such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude or equivalent.
• Experience using LLM APIs (e.g. OpenAI, Anthropic, or open-source models) to build or integrate AI-powered features.
• Able to evaluate and select appropriate AI tools for a given task - including understanding their limitations, cost, and latency trade-offs in production environments.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted code review, security scanning, or testing workflows is a plus.

Applied AI in Fintech

• Interest in applying AI/ML to payments use cases such as fraud detection, anomaly detection, transaction categorisation, or intelligent reconciliation.
• Understanding of responsible AI principles, including fairness, auditability, and explainability - particularly important in regulated fintech environments.
• Awareness of data privacy considerations when using AI tools with sensitive financial data.

Benefits

• Competitive salary + Bonus structure
• Opportunity to shape the future of cross-border payments in Africa.
• Work with an experienced, diverse team across fintech, payments, and blockchain.