Senior Software Engineer - Protection

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, which manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Senior Software Engineer – Protection based in South Africa.

This is a high-impact backend engineering role focused on building and scaling the core systems that power global payment infrastructure. You will work on highly distributed, performance-critical services that require strong reliability, security, and scalability by design. The role sits at the heart of a fast-growing payments platform, where engineering decisions directly influence merchant experience and transaction performance worldwide. You’ll operate in a product-driven, remote-first environment alongside cross-functional teams solving complex technical challenges at scale. Expect ownership over key architectural decisions, with the autonomy to shape systems end-to-end. This is a role for engineers who enjoy deep technical problems, clean system design, and building infrastructure that must perform under global demand.

• Lead the design and development of core backend services powering distributed, high-performance systems with a strong focus on reliability, scalability, and security.
• Own critical technical decisions across system architecture, ensuring solutions are built for long-term scale and operational excellence.
• Develop clean, well-tested, and maintainable code while applying modern engineering practices such as TDD and BDD where appropriate.
• Collaborate closely with product, engineering, and cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, product-led environment to deliver impactful features.
• Conduct thorough code reviews and continuously improve engineering standards, development workflows, and system robustness.
• Produce clear and comprehensive technical documentation to support system understanding and team alignment.

Requirements:

• Strong experience designing, building, and maintaining complex backend systems in distributed environments with high performance requirements.
• Deep understanding of the full software development lifecycle, including design, development, testing, deployment, and production operations.
• Experience building developer-facing frameworks, APIs, or integration tools that simplify adoption for internal or external users.
• Proficiency in Python is a strong advantage, though adaptability across modern backend languages is expected.
• Solid understanding of system reliability, scalability patterns, and production-grade engineering best practices.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively in remote, cross-functional teams.
• Prior exposure to payments systems or financial infrastructure is highly valuable, with a strong focus on merchant or developer experience.
• Self-driven mindset with the ability to work autonomously and take full ownership of complex technical problems.

Benefits:

• Fully remote-first environment with global collaboration and flexibility.
• Competitive compensation package including equity or share-based incentives.
• Unlimited holiday policy with a generous minimum allowance.
• Private medical insurance coverage.
• Annual workations and company-wide retreats.
• Co-working space access worldwide.
• Budget for home office setup and high-quality engineering equipment.
• Dedicated learning and development budget to support continuous growth.
• Additional location-dependent perks and benefits.