Senior Software Developer (Team Lead) - C# / Backend Software Development

Introduction

Location: Durban (Preferred) | Pretoria (Second Preference)
Contract Type: 12-Month Contract
Start Date: 01 December 2026

About the Opportunity

An established international technology organisation is seeking an experienced Senior Software Developer to provide advanced technical leadership, architectural direction and engineering expertise across multiple software development teams.

This is a senior technical leadership position suited to an accomplished software developer with extensive experience in backend development, system architecture, distributed systems and modern software engineering practices.

The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping technical standards, driving architectural decisions, improving platform reliability and introducing innovative engineering approaches, including AI-assisted development and responsible AI governance.

The role requires someone who can operate beyond individual team delivery, influence technical decisions across multiple teams, resolve complex systemic challenges and mentor senior developers and other engineering professionals.

Duties & Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Software Architecture and Technical Leadership

• Architect and deliver highly complex software solutions and cross-service applications.
• Lead architectural reviews and technical assessments, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, maintainable and aligned with long-term business objectives.
• Define technical approaches, architectural standards and implementation guidelines across multiple engineering teams.
• Evaluate distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, microservices, RESTful APIs and event-driven solutions.
• Identify and address cross-team technical dependencies, integration challenges and architectural risks.
• Drive the resolution of systemic technical debt and platform-wide engineering challenges.

Backend Development and Engineering Excellence

• Provide advanced technical expertise in C# and backend software development.
• Oversee the development of complex software components and services.
• Promote clean code, secure coding practices and consistent engineering standards.
• Guide teams in implementing effective software development and testing practices.
• Drive testing strategies and quality governance across engineering teams.
• Ensure software solutions meet performance, scalability, security and regulatory requirements.

AI-Assisted Development and Innovation

• Champion the adoption of AI-assisted development tools and modern AI-augmented engineering practices.
• Establish responsible AI development standards, governance frameworks and critical evaluation processes.
• Guide developers in effectively using AI tools for code generation, testing, debugging and software development.
• Ensure AI-generated code and solutions are critically assessed for accuracy, security, quality and regulatory compliance.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, frameworks and development tools through technical assessments and proof-of-concept initiatives.
• Drive continuous engineering innovation and promote modern software development approaches across teams.

Technical Mentoring and Team Development

• Coach and mentor senior developers and other engineering professionals in advanced technical concepts and architectural thinking.
• Establish engineering standards, technical guidelines and knowledge-sharing practices.
• Provide technical guidance when teams encounter complex development, architectural or regulatory challenges.
• Promote collaboration, accountability and technical autonomy across engineering teams.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, architectural decision records and engineering standards.

DevOps, Production Support and Operational Excellence

• Drive improvements in CI/CD architecture, deployment processes and platform engineering practices.
• Provide technical leadership in resolving complex production incidents and systemic software issues.
• Support platform reliability, performance optimisation and operational resilience.
• Identify potential production risks and implement preventative engineering improvements.
• Promote effective observability, monitoring and incident management practices.
• Participate in production support and after-hours incident resolution when required.

Stakeholder Engagement and Compliance

• Collaborate with engineering managers, enterprise architects, product managers and compliance teams.
• Provide technical input into product roadmaps, development priorities and architectural decisions.
• Assess the security, regulatory and compliance implications of significant technical decisions.
• Ensure engineering solutions align with applicable regulatory requirements and organisational standards.
• Support technical decision-making by balancing business value, delivery requirements, cost implications and long-term sustainability.

Desired Experience & Qualification

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology or a related field.
• Approximately 6+ years of progressive software development and system design experience.
• Strong expertise in C# and backend software development.
• Advanced experience with PostgreSQL and relational database technologies.
• Extensive experience in software testing, automated testing strategies and quality assurance.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, distributed systems and complex multi-service applications.
• Experience with RESTful APIs, microservices, event-driven architecture and asynchronous communication.
• Strong knowledge of CI/CD, DevOps practices and modern software deployment methodologies.
• Experience with Git, version control and software development life cycles.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical leadership, mentoring developers and conducting architectural or code reviews.
• Experience resolving complex production issues and technical challenges.
• Strong understanding of application security and software development within regulated environments.

 

Advantageous Requirements

• Postgraduate Diploma or Master's Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence or Systems Design.
• Experience within iGaming, online gaming, financial services or other regulated technology environments.
• Experience with cloud platforms and cloud-native development.
• Exposure to Docker, Kubernetes and containerised applications.
• Experience with AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Cursor or similar platforms.
• Experience establishing AI governance frameworks and responsible AI development practices.
• Experience driving technical standards and architectural governance across multiple development teams.
• Experience with high-availability, high-performance and 24/7 production environments.

 

Required Skills and Competencies

• Advanced software development and architectural expertise.
• Strong technical leadership and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent analytical and complex problem-solving skills.
• Ability to influence technical direction across multiple teams.
• Strong mentoring, coaching and knowledge-sharing capabilities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strategic thinking and the ability to evaluate long-term technical implications.
• Strong focus on software quality, security, scalability and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to drive innovation and continuous engineering improvement.

 

Important: This position requires a technically strong senior developer with proven C# backend development, PostgreSQL and software testing experience, combined with advanced system architecture and technical leadership capabilities.

Package & Remuneration

R 75 000.00 - R 100 000.00 per month, depending on qualifications and experience