Senior Software Engineer

Who are we?
Santam is the market leader in the general insurance industry in Southern Africa. We are a large, diversified, expanding and transforming company and whilst based in South Africa, we are rapidly moving into a number of emerging markets, both in Africa and Asia. Our success is rooted in our passion for our clients and everything we do is centred on our delivery of Insurance Good and Proper.

What will you do?
The Senior Software Engineer position is a critical role, responsible for guidance of the wider team and deliveringefficient software in a high trust, high-performance environment. Comprising a diverse team of skilled,motivated and curious talent from both local and international locations, the role can be fully remote, hybrid oroffice based. Our relatively flat organisational structure lends itself to open communication, agility andcollaboration. The role reports to a Technical Lead (who reports to the Chief Technology Officer).

Strategic delivery: Contribute to the team's technical trajectory, ensuring alignment with major technicaldecisions and contributing to shaping our strategic goals.

• Mentorship and Leadership: Enable the professional growth of more junior team members, nurturingtheir development into exceptional professionals while leading by example in our high-trust, high-performance culture.
• Code Excellence: Deliver high-quality code, upholding our commitment to excellence and customersatisfaction.
• Innovative Tech Stack: Utilize a modern, yet pragmatic Tech Stack to build a highly scalable distributedsystem, ensuring our technological capabilities remain relevant.
• Continuous Learning: Promote a culture of continuous learning and innovation, demonstrating thispersonally - to ensuring we remain agile and responsive to business needs and market trends.

What will make you successful in this role?
Qualification And Experience

• Degree or Diploma in Computer Sciences, IT
• 8 + Years of experience

Programming Languages & Coding

• Despite our language agnostic approach, proficiency in languages used in full-stack / back-end SoftwareDevelopment (Python, Java, C++ etc for example) is required
• Proficiency at reading, reviewing, understanding code
• Ability to articulate language differences, implementation and the build & execution process: For examplestrongly vs weakly typed, static vs dynamic, compiled vs interpretedData Structures, Algorithms & Algorithmic Problem Solving
• Ability to articulate the pros / cons of relevant data structures for the use of minimum memory space andexecution in the shortest possible time. This includes situations in which a data structure would beapplicable, and why
• Ability to suggests possible / relevant algorithms when developing and optimising solutions for time andspace complexity. This includes the ability to discuss options and trade-offs; also in instances where scopeincreases and solutions have to adapt

Engineering & Operational Excellence

• Understanding of scalability, robustness, operational visibility and agility
• Understanding of distributed systems and designing these solutions
• Experience working on projects involving the design and implementation of scalable systems
• Knowledge of services like AWS VPC, Auto Scaling, serverless computing, storage (EBS, S3), containers,DNS, etc) is preferred yet not a prerequisite. All experience with relevant Cloud-based technologies arebeneficial in this role
• Understanding of / experience in monitoring, metrics, visibility, health, fault toleranceExperience with / understanding of load balancing and health checking
• Experience with / understanding of APIs, auth
• Experience with / understanding of databases and persistence
• Experience with / understanding of scalable architecture for systems implementation

Technical Leadership

• Experience / a keen interest in mentorship, teamwork and collaboration

What will make you successful in this role?

• Develop deeper technical expertise in specific domains while maintaining a broad understanding of related technologies.
• Increase influence beyond immediate team boundaries.
• Improve ability to balance technical trade-offs with business needs.
• Enhance leadership skills through mentoring and leading small teams or projects.
• Begin contributing to cross-team initiatives and architectural discussions.
• Show increasing awareness of business context and how technical decisions impact business outcomes.
• Develop skills in breaking down complex problems into manageable components.

Our commitment to transformation
Santam is the market leader in the general insurance industry in Southern Africa. As a large, diversified, and expanding company, we are committed to transformation and growth. While our headquarters are in South Africa, we are rapidly extending our presence into emerging markets across Africa and Asia.

With a client base of over 1 million policyholders, Santam serves individuals, commercial enterprises, specialist business owners, and institutions—including 80 of the Top 100 companies listed on the JSE. Our commitment to Insurance, Good and Proper goes beyond just providing cover—we offer peace of mind, ensuring our clients can focus on living in the moment, not worrying about the unexpected. Because at Santam, we believe the freedom to seize every day is worth protecting.

People drive our business, and we are committed to attracting the best talent, whether for permanent roles or short-term opportunities.

Santam is committed to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including persons with disabilities. We are dedicated to neuro-inclusivity and fostering a workplace where everyone can thrive.

Take the next step in your career—apply now and be part of a company that's shaping the future of insurance. This is Freedom

The Sanlam Group is committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace as we believe that these are key components to ensuring a thriving and sustainable business in South Africa. The Group's Employment Equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the selection process.