Search Software Engineer

Takealot.com, South Africa’s leading online retailer, is looking for a highly talented Software Engineer (Search) to join our team. We are a young, dynamic, hyper-growth company looking for smart, creative, hard-working people with integrity to join us!

Think you’ve been challenged before? Think again!

• Scale: Over 4 million happy shoppers shop online on takealot.com. Show them what you can do.

• Learn: We work with the best of the best. Code alongside industry leaders and up-skill in record time.

• Grow: Expand your career in the fast-growing Takealot Group: takealot.com, TFS and Mr D. We like to promote from within: Here’s your chance.

Who’s who in the tech space

This position reports to the Engineering Manager

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

As a Software Engineer, you will be someone whose expertise directly translates into developing robust software in the e-commerce domain. You will have the opportunity to implement best practices to improve existing software and participate in the development of new features. While we don't promote after-hours work as part of the regular workday, we run a 24/7 business with the need to keep systems up and running. Software Engineers are expected to provide after-hours support on a rotational basis to resolve critical system issues if needed.

The role is focused on maintaining our search stack. Experience with any kind of search technology (Solr, Algolia, etc.) is relevant.

• Design and build solutions to assist our business users and improve customer experience

• Architect and design solutions with your team

• Develop code, making major improvements to non-functional areas

• Develop high-quality production code for work of high complexity and scale

• Utilize and improve functional and non-functional testing practices

• Champion, challenge, and iterate on best practices within engineering

• Design solutions for complex problems with difficult decision trade-offs, typically system or domain-wide

• Participate in and collaborate on architecture proposals across engineering

• Support alignment of architecture across the organisation

• Respond to and resolve bugs in production for systems in your division

• Respond to alerts and support incident response within your division

• Investigate and drive the resolution of issues that impact multiple teams

• Support, challenge existing, and define new engineering processes and directives

• Review and contribute fixes and content to internal documentation

• React to technology trends, identifying risks and opportunities for your division's technologies, systems, and domains

• Share knowledge through blog posts, tech talks, and workshops across engineering

• Contribute to discussions and decisions in the division

• Challenge others to always produce work of the highest quality

• REST and RPC API implementation and maintenance (using Python)

• Develop and maintain automation tests

• Liaise with various internal stakeholders to discuss project requirements, progress, etc.

The skills we need:

• Solutions-oriented, can-do attitude, and high energy

• Strong analytical and critical thinking, using data to inform decisions

• Ability to dis-aggregate and structure solutions to ambiguous problems

• Solid quantitative skills

• Capability to present ideas succinctly, in writing and verbally

• Versatile and with the appetite to learn by doing

Qualifications & Experience

• • Bachelor’s degree or an Advanced Diploma in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)

• • 5 to 10 years in a software development role

• • Experience with search technologies (Elasticsearch, Vertex AI Search, Solr, Algolia, OpenSearch, Meilisearch, Typesense or any other major third party provider)

• • A thorough understanding of computer science fundamentals, including object-oriented design, data structures, and algorithms

• • Experience in writing robust, efficient production code

• • Proficient in a strongly typed open source language such as Python

• • Exposure to RESTful APIs and web services

• • Experience with SQL database systems

• • Experience with development in a Linux environment

• Experience in the following will be advantageous:

• • Familiarity with microservices architecture

• • Experience working in an Agile environment

• • MySQL, PostgreSQL, MS SQL

• • Memcached, Redis

• • Message Brokers, Queues, and PubSub systems (e.g., Kafka and RabbitMQ)

• • Containerisation (e.g., Docker)

• • Orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes)

• • GitHub, Travis CI, Jenkins

• • AWS, GCP, Azure

• • JavaScript, React, jQuery

• Let’s talk about life @ Takealot Group

• • The power is in your hands: We offer a market-related Total Remuneration Package that allows full flexibility according to your needs. Go on, be the master of your own destiny.

• • No doors: We aren’t fans of stuffy offices or siloed work environments. See someone you like, high-five, collab, and make something great.

• • Remote working: Enjoy the flexibility of working from home while having the option for in-office interactions. Takealot.com provides a fully remote setup with the choice to visit the office to relish in those water cooler moments when desired.

• • Mentorship programme: We aren’t kidding when we say the people with the best people win. Now’s your chance to be one of the best by learning from the best.

• • Naspers Tech Community & Online Learning: Share ideas and grow with global industry leaders who are all just a Slack message away. Love to learn? Up-skill with free access to courses on MyAcademy, Udacity, Coursera, and more.

• • Good times: Get to know the other extraordinary minds at takealot.com during regular social events and out-of-office activities (think hikes, think mini golf, think good times).

• • Staff discount: Takealotmore subscriptions and millions of products across 28 departments. What more could you ask for?

• • Birthday leave: Cake Day all the way. Enjoy your day off - you deserve it.

• • Right tools, right job: Mac or Linux, two monitors or one. Whatever your preference, you’ll work on the latest tech, off the latest tech.

• • Help when you need it most: Confidential counselling, legal support, and financial guidance, anytime, anywhere.

• • Tech stack (for days): ReactJS, Python, Scala, Kotlin, Swift, Google Cloud, Kafka, Redis, Kubernetes, and all things machine learning. If you build it, they will come.

• • Free parking: No more 5km fun runs to your desk (unless you want to).

• Like what you see?

• If you meet the above, you are an Extraordinary Mind. Apply today!!

• Takealot Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants from previously disadvantaged groups and people with disabilities will be given preference.