Senior Software Engineer (Java/Spring Boot)

About the role

Zeraki is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to strengthen its engineering capability and build scalable, reliable technology across its education technology ecosystem. This is a hands-on, on-site role in Nairobi focused on backend systems with Java and Spring Boot, working closely with Frontend, DevOps, Product and other engineering teams. Candidates with formal technical leadership responsibilities receive a Tech Lead allowance.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of scalable, secure backend systems using Java and Spring Boot, defining clear contracts between backend, frontend (Angular) and infrastructure
• Translate product requirements into technical designs and execution plans, and drive system design discussions on scalability, performance and maintainability
• Build and maintain production-grade code, RESTful APIs and backend services, and optimize performance, reliability and scalability
• Address technical debt, enforce code quality and testing best practices, and take ownership of multi-sprint projects
• Review code, unblock engineers, mentor junior and mid-level engineers, and contribute to hiring and onboarding
• Drive incident response and post-mortems, partner with DevOps on deployment pipelines, and align engineering decisions with product goals

Required profile

• 5+ years of backend engineering experience
• Strong ownership mentality, proven leadership ability and excellent communication skills
• Pragmatic decision-making and a passion for mentorship

Required skills

• Strong expertise in Java and Spring Boot
• Experience with distributed systems and system and API design
• Database experience (SQL/NoSQL)
• Familiarity with cloud services and CI/CD configurations
• Working knowledge of Angular frontend concepts