We are looking for a Principal full-stack engineer with a strong backend bias to join the Platforms team. This role sits within a collaborative engineering function building world-class edtech solutions including the Impact Platform and AI Coach. This is not a people management role but the person will serve as the go-to technical voice on the team - contributing to system design, writing architectural documents, leading code reviews, and helping shape the technical direction of the product. Think pseudo team lead with a strong hands-on coding output. The ideal candidate has proven production experience in Python/Django and React/TypeScript, with a 70/30 backend-to-frontend working ratio. They will be comfortable owning complex data models, designing scalable systems, and contributing to the evolution of the broader architecture - not just executing tickets.A key requirement for this hire is a pragmatic and experienced approach to AI-assisted development. We are not looking for an AI-only engineer - we are looking for someone who has genuinely integrated AI tools into their development workflow, understands where AI creates leverage and where it creates risk, and can bring a fresh perspective to help the team evolve how they work with these tools responsibly. The role requires strong written communication skills. The client operates a writing-focused culture where collaboration, planning, and ideation happen largely in written form. The ability to communicate technical decisions clearly and contribute to documentation is as important as coding ability.Mentorship is a genuine expectation - this person will help junior engineers grow into more technically self-sufficient contributors.Timezone requirement: The candidate must be willing and able to align working hours with Eastern Time (ET). This is a firm requirement. South Africa (GMT+2) and Kenya-based candidates are considered provided they can demonstrate a genuine commitment to ET overlap hours

Responsibilities

Build

Ship high quality, testable, readable, and maintainable code iteratively and regularly in a Python/Django and React/TypeScript environment
Own complex data models and develop a deep understanding of how data flows through intricate, large-scale production systems
Design and implement solutions with scale, security, performance, and privacy as primary considerations
Use AI-assisted development tools (Claude Code or Cursor) responsibly to improve velocity without compromising code quality - able to articulate where AI creates leverage and where it creates liability
Contribute to the evolution of the broader system architecture - not just feature delivery but the long-term health and direction of the platform

Lead

Serve as the go-to technical voice on the team - the person others turn to for system design decisions, architectural guidance, and technical problem solving
Write and maintain architectural documents and technical specifications - able to communicate complex technical decisions clearly in written form
Lead and participate in code reviews, share learnings through presentations and documentation
Guide and mentor junior engineers on best practices, helping them become more technically capable and self-sufficient
Drive the team's approach to AI integration - helping define where and how AI tools fit into the development workflow to maximise productivity without quality deterioration
Propose and implement improvements to engineering processes, particularly as AI tooling continues to evolve rapidly

Collaborate

Contribute early in the product development process - review research on clients and learners and weigh in on product strategy and roadmap
Partner closely with Product Managers to provide multiple viable technical paths for new features and improvements
Participate in Design and Operational Reviews to guide technical decision-making and surface performance issues early
Collaborate effectively in a writing-focused, largely async culture - planning, ideation, and decision-making happen primarily in written form
Work within a remote-first, cross-timezone team - must be comfortable and effective operating with Eastern Time alignment

Deliver

Manage and improve complex production systems, including refactoring legacy code and resolving data consistency challenges without impacting customer experience
Contribute to observability and performance monitoring - familiar with tools such as Datadog or equivalent
Work within CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code environments (Terraform or equivalent)
Maintain high standards for security, reliability, and code integrity across all output

Experience and education

Required

7+ years of total software engineering experience in a professional production environment
Proven experience coding in a production Python/Django environment - candidate must have at least baseline proficiency and cannot be brand new to the stack
Experience with React and TypeScript in a production environment
Experience writing SQL queries and designing relational data models
Experience using AI-assisted and agentic development workflows - must be able to demonstrate practical, hands-on use of AI tools in a real engineering context
Experience as the go-to technical voice or pseudo team lead on an engineering team - does not need to have held a formal tech lead or management title but must have functioned in this capacity
Experience writing architectural documents, technical specifications, and contributing to system design decisions
Experience working in a remote-first, async, writing-focused engineering culture
Must be willing and able to align working hours with Eastern Time (ET) with a cross over

Preferred

Experience with infrastructure-as-code tooling such as Terraform
Experience with observability and performance monitoring tools such as Datadog or equivalent
Experience with tiered web application architecture including backend services, APIs, and frontend integration
Experience improving or refactoring complex production systems - particularly under conditions involving legacy code, tight synchronisation, or data consistency challenges
Experience working with Go or other backend-adjacent languages in addition to Python
Exposure to CI/CD pipelines and deployment workflows
Experience working with or alongside Product Managers in an agile, iterative delivery environment
Familiarity with AI coding tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent - and the ability to contribute to team-wide standards and workflows around these tools
Passion for mentoring and growing junior engineers

Education

No specific degree requirement - demonstrable experience and a strong engineering track record will be weighted above formal qualifications
Relevant certifications in cloud infrastructure, security, or software engineering are a plus

Important Calibration Note for AI Matching

Years of Python/Django experience is flexible - total engineering experience and overall profile strength are weighted above stack-specific years. A well-rounded senior engineer with strong related experience and baseline Python/Django proficiency will be considered.
The candidate must be backend-heavy in their recent and current work. Candidates whose recent experience is predominantly frontend will not be progressed regardless of broader full-stack history