About the Role

As a Mid-Level Java Backend Engineer, you will play an essential role in building the core systems that power Zeraki’s products across Africa. You are an established professional—capable of independently handling significant project components, improving our codebase, and ensuring our backend systems are scalable, reliable, and secure.

This role is ideal for an engineer who thrives in a high-growth environment, loves solving complex backend challenges, and is eager to contribute to Zeraki’s mission of transforming education through technology. You will work closely with cross-functional teams, mentor junior engineers, and help shape engineering best practices as Zeraki expands regionally and globally.

Scope & Impact

• Own and deliver critical backend components that directly impact product performance and user experience.
• Influence architectural decisions and system design as we scale to millions of learners and institutions.
• Improve team standards, engineering processes, and system reliability.
• Support production environments and ensure smooth, uninterrupted platform operations.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

1. Backend Engineering & System Design

• Design, build, and maintain high-performance backend services using Java and modern frameworks (e.g., Spring Boot).
• Lead segments of backend feature development, with minimal supervision.
• Refactor and optimize existing systems to improve performance, maintainability, and scalability.
• Contribute to Zeraki’s engineering standards, code review guidelines, and documentation practices.
• Participate in architectural discussions and begin to specialize in selected backend domains (e.g., distributed systems, integrations, messaging).

2. Production Operations & Quality Assurance

• Support deployment, monitoring, and maintenance of services in production environments.
• Ensure high availability and reliability of backend systems through proactive monitoring and incident response.
• Write and maintain comprehensive test coverage, including unit, integration, and performance tests.

3. Productivity & Execution

• Manage multiple tasks or project streams simultaneously with minimal oversight.
• Deliver project components that meet specifications, timelines, and quality expectations.
• Bring efficiency to workflows, identifying blockers early and proposing practical solutions.

4. Problem Solving & Innovation

• Independently troubleshoot complex backend issues, from logic errors to system bottlenecks.
• Anticipate future system constraints and contribute forward-looking improvements.
• Introduce innovative ideas to improve reliability, security, and developer productivity.

5. Collaboration & Mentorship

• Mentor junior engineers, assisting them with code reviews, debugging, and best practices.
• Work seamlessly with Product, QA, CX, and Ops teams to deliver high-quality features.
• Communicate clearly and contextually during project discussions, sprint reviews, and architecture sessions.

What We’re Looking For

Experience & Skills

• 3–5+ years of hands-on experience with Java backend development.
• Proficiency in Java frameworks such as Spring Boot, and experience building RESTful or microservices architectures.
• Strong understanding of relational and NoSQL databases.
• Experience with cloud platforms, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), and CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong debugging and performance optimization skills.
• Ability to handle complex technical challenges independently.

Mindset & Working Style

• A builder who enjoys creating scalable, resilient systems.
• A proactive problem solver who anticipates issues before they escalate.
• A team player who values collaboration, clarity, and accountability.
• Passionate about education and aligned with Zeraki’s mission to transform learning across Africa.

What we offer

• The opportunity to shape the next generation of education technology in Africa
• A dynamic, purpose-driven team committed to impact and innovation.
• Growth pathways within a fast-scaling engineering organization.
• Competitive compensation and benefits
• Hybrid/remote work options to support work-life balance.

• Design, build, and maintain high-performance backend services using Java and modern frameworks (e.g., Spring Boot).
• Lead segments of backend feature development, with minimal supervision.
• Refactor and optimize existing systems to improve performance, maintainability, and scalability.
• Contribute to Zeraki’s engineering standards, code review guidelines, and documentation practices.
• Participate in architectural discussions and begin to specialize in selected backend domains (e.g., distributed systems, integrations, messaging).
• Support deployment, monitoring, and maintenance of services in production environments.
• Ensure high availability and reliability of backend systems through proactive monitoring and incident response.
• Write and maintain comprehensive test coverage, including unit, integration, and performance tests.
• Manage multiple tasks or project streams simultaneously with minimal oversight.
• Deliver project components that meet specifications, timelines, and quality expectations.
• Bring efficiency to workflows, identifying blockers early and proposing practical solutions.
• Independently troubleshoot complex backend issues, from logic errors to system bottlenecks.
• Anticipate future system constraints and contribute forward-looking improvements.
• Introduce innovative ideas to improve reliability, security, and developer productivity.
• Mentor junior engineers, assisting them with code reviews, debugging, and best practices.
• Work seamlessly with Product, QA, CX, and Ops teams to deliver high-quality features.
• Communicate clearly and contextually during project discussions, sprint reviews, and architecture sessions.

• Java backend development
• Spring Boot
• RESTful or microservices architectures
• Relational and NoSQL databases
• Cloud platforms
• Docker/Kubernetes
• CI/CD pipelines
• Debugging
• Performance optimization

• 3–5+ years of hands-on experience with Java backend development.
• Proficiency in Java frameworks such as Spring Boot, and experience building RESTful or microservices architectures.
• Strong understanding of relational and NoSQL databases.
• Experience with cloud platforms, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), and CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong debugging and performance optimization skills.
• Ability to handle complex technical challenges independently.