Software Engineer Intern

 Jem AI Academy: 2026 Intake

Jem is hiring six AI-native Software Engineer Interns as part of the inaugural Jem AI Academy: an elite engineering programme designed to develop South Africa's next generation of AI-native talent.

This is a 6-month full-time internship for recent graduates who want to learn by building production AI systems, not by watching tutorials. You'll work with AI coding agents every day, build AI-powered features end-to-end, and ship code that serves real frontline workers across the country.

The Jem AI Academy exists because AI-native engineering is the future and we want the best young talent building it with us. Top performers will be offered permanent roles as Software Engineers at Jem.

About Jem

We're building the HR and financial wellness platform for South Africa's deskless workers. Retail staff, security guards, cleaners, farm workers and drivers. These are the people who keep the country running, but they've been left behind by traditional systems. We're changing that.

We're proudly AI-native. We build AI agents that serve our customers directly through WhatsApp, handling everything from device purchases to leave requests to financial queries.

Role Overview

You'll work alongside senior engineers to build AI-powered features and develop with AI coding agents. By the end of your internship, you'll have hands-on experience building production conversational AI systems. Skills that are in massive demand globally.

This is not a 'make coffee and watch the pros work' internship. You'll ship code to production, work on real customer problems and be treated as a contributing member of the engineering team from day one. And you'll experience working alongside top professionals in Sales, Marketing, Operations and more at one of South Africa's leading startups.

What You'll Do 

Build with AI Coding Agents

• Use Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, or similar tools daily to accelerate your development
• Learn effective prompting strategies that multiply your productivity
• Understand when to rely on AI and when to step in with manual engineering
• Contribute to improving our team's AI-assisted development workflows

Build AI Features

• Develop conversational flows for our WhatsApp-based AI agents
• Work with LangGraph and LangChain to build agent logic
• Write and optimise prompts for production AI systems
• Build integrations between AI agents and backend services
• Test and debug agent behaviours across different scenarios

Learn Platform Fundamentals

• Write clean, tested Python code
• Understand how production systems work (APIs, databases, queues)
• Learn secure coding practices for enterprise environments
• Participate in code reviews and learn from senior feedback

Grow as an Engineer

• Receive dedicated mentorship from a senior engineer
• Participate in team standups, planning, and retrospectives
• Present your work to the broader team
• Build a portfolio of production AI work
  
  

Requirements

Must Have

• Recently completed a degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• Proficiency in Python (academic projects, bootcamp work, or personal projects count)
• Genuine curiosity about AI and LLMs - you've played with ChatGPT, Claude, or similar and wondered "how does this work?"
• Ability to learn quickly and ask good questions
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Nice to Have

• Personal projects using AI/LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
• Experience with any AI coding tools (Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code)
• Familiarity with LangChain, LangGraph, or similar frameworks
• Experience with Git and collaborative development
• Any experience with conversational AI or chatbots

Mindset

• You're comfortable being uncomfortable - learning new things constantly
• You take ownership and don't wait to be told what to do
• You're excited (not intimidated) by AI tools reshaping how we build software
• You want to build things that matter for real people
  
  

What We Offer

• Real Work: Ship production code serving real customers - not toy projects
• AI-Native Skills: Learn LangGraph, prompt engineering, and agent development hands-on
• Mentorship: Dedicated senior engineer mentor to guide your growth
• Career Launchpad: Top performers may be offered permanent roles
• Competitive Stipend: Fair compensation for full-time work
• Johannesburg Office: Work from our JHB office 4+ days per week with a collaborative team
  
  

Location & Commitment

• Location: Johannesburg (4+ days per week in-office required)
• Duration: 6-month full-time contract
• Start Date: TBD
  
  

Who Is This For?

You're probably right for this internship if:

• You've recently graduated and want to start your career building AI systems
• You've tinkered with LLMs or AI tools and want to go deeper
• You learn best by doing, not just reading
• You want mentorship from engineers working at the frontier
• You're based in or willing to relocate to Johannesburg

If you've ever built something with an AI API and thought "I want to do this professionally," this is your chance. We'll teach you the rest.