Software Engineer, Associate, Salesforce Platform

Aceli Africa is a market catalyst that aims to mobilise $2 billion in private-sector lending for agricultural SMEs and improve livelihoods for 5 million farmers and workers by 2030. To achieve this goal, Aceli provides financial incentives to increase the risk appetite of 50 financial institutions and to enable them to make loans ranging from USD $10K to $1.5 million to high-impact agricultural SMEs. Complementary technical assistance builds capacity for lenders and SMEs while data and learning drive engagement with partners to strengthen the policy and regulatory environment.

Since launching in 2020, Aceli has mobilised $400M in lending to SMEs, providing market access for 2M smallholder farmers across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. To date, Aceli Africa has secured US$115M+ in funding from leading bilateral and philanthropic donors, including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gates Foundation, Global Affairs Canada, IKEA Foundation, Norad, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Aceli is completing an initial five-year phase (2020-25) and positioning for ambitious growth and influence in Phase Two (2026-30). With a donor-funded model and complex multi-country operations, Aceli Africa manages several mechanisms to achieve this objective, including performance-based incentive payments and innovative capital mobilisation strategies.

We are seeking a driven Software Engineer to build and scale Aceli’s Salesforce-based platform. You will design, develop, and maintain system features, translating complex business processes into scalable, user-friendly solutions. While Salesforce experience is a plus, strong Java or object-oriented programming experience is sufficient to transition into Apex.

This role is suitable for a Software Engineer who is interested in working on enterprise systems and experienced in building complex integrations and scalable business systems. Prior Salesforce experience is helpful but not required; strong software engineering fundamentals and solid object-oriented programming experience, particularly in Java.

Key Responsibilities

1. Feature Development

• Build and maintain features on Aceli’s Salesforce-based platform using Apex, SOQL, Lightning Web Components, Flow, validation rules and other platform capabilities. Core platform logic is written in Apex, which shares close structural similarities with Java; prior Java experience maps directly.

• Build configurable solutions using custom metadata and other framework patterns or dynamic logic engines that minimise hardcoding and allow business users to manage logic through configuration where appropriate.

2. System Design & Problem Solving

• Analyse complex operational processes and design system solutions that are efficient, user-friendly, and scalable.

• Design solutions that improve automation, reduce manual work, and improve user experience for internal and external partners; and improve system architecture, performance, and maintainability.

3. Code Quality & Code Review

• Actively champion code health by leading peer reviews and establishing automated testing standards.

• Maintain coding standards and best practices across the system.

• Conduct unit testing and support end-to-end testing and User Acceptance Testing.

4. Integrations & APIs

• Design, build, and maintain integrations between Salesforce and external systems using APIs.

• Support data integrations, automation tools, and reporting systems, ensuring data integrity across systems.

5. Documentation & Technical Support

• Document technical solutions, system architecture, and key workflows, including deployments and user guides.

• Support internal teams in troubleshooting system issues.

• Educational Foundation: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical field.

• Programming Mastery: 2-5 years of professional software engineering experience with a strong foundation in Java or another object-oriented language (Python, C#, Kotlin). Familiarity with frameworks such as Spring Boot and experience working with relational databases (SQL) are a strong plus. Apex and Salesforce experience are advantageous but not required.

• APIs & Integrations: Solid understanding of REST API design and integration patterns. Experience building or consuming APIs in a Java/Apex or similar environment is directly applicable.

• The Engineer’s Toolkit: Strong grasp of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including Agile methodologies, version control (Git), and robust testing and release processes.

• The Configurable Mindset: Inclination for building flexible, configurable systems that minimise hardcoding and support non-technical users in managing business logic.

• Problem-Solving: Curious troubleshooter with the debugging skills to navigate complex system issues and performance bottlenecks.

What you will gain

This role is a genuine career opportunity to develop the following:

• Salesforce expertise: You will develop deep, hands-on expertise in the Salesforce platform, including Apex, integrations, and system architecture. Salesforce is one of the most in-demand enterprise technology platforms globally, and hands-on engineering experience is a significant career accelerant. Aceli supports professional development, including Salesforce certifications.

• Real-world impact: Your work will directly enable lending to agricultural SMEs and smallholder farmers across Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia. The systems you build have a direct line to the $1.6B Phase 2 capital mobilisation target.

• Enterprise systems at scale: Multi-country operations, complex financial logic, API integrations, and high-volume data - genuine engineering challenges, not toy problems.

Aceli is an equal opportunity employer.

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply. Interested candidates should submit a one-page cover letter expressing their interest and qualifications for the role, along with an updated CV. Please note that applications without a Cover Letter will not be considered. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

Applications from candidates based in Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, and South Africa are also encouraged.