{"id":160796,"url":"https://alion.io/job/scrums-com-principal-software-engineer","title":"Principal Software Engineer","company":{"id":57427,"name":"Scrums.com","domain":"scrums.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/scrums-com","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"services","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Schema","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":95,"open_postings":40,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0.025,"time_to_fill_p50_days":155,"computed_at":"2026-11-08T05:47:12Z"}},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"board_field","remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":["ZA"],"hiring_countries_total":1,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":25000,"max_usd":74000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":2257},"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Django","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-21T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-07-21","last_verified_at":"2026-11-08T15:12:36Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":110,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":110},"description":"The Role\nWe are looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join the Scrums.com talent network. This is a technical leadership role. You will set architectural direction, make technology decisions that stick, and write the code that proves them out. Client teams will look to you for the kind of judgement that only comes from years of building and maintaining production systems.\nWhat You Will Work On\nDefine system architecture for complex web applications built on Python and Django\nMake build-vs-buy and technology selection decisions with long-term maintainability in mind\nWrite production code in critical areas: data models, API design, integration patterns, performance-sensitive paths\nConduct architecture reviews and provide technical guidance to senior and mid-level engineers\nIdentify and address systemic technical debt before it becomes a delivery blocker\nCollaborate directly with client CTOs, engineering leads, and product owners\nWhat We Look For\n8+ years of software engineering experience, with significant time in Python and Django\nTrack record of making architectural decisions on systems that scaled (not just prototypes)\nDeep understanding of distributed systems, API design, database modelling, and caching strategies\nExperience mentoring engineers and elevating the technical standard of a team\nStrong opinions held loosely. You can defend a technical position and change it when the evidence shifts.\nComfortable working directly with client leadership across timezones\nWhy Scrums.com\nScrums.com is not a job board. It is a talent network that connects African engineers with international client projects across the UK, US, and Europe. You join the platform, get vetted, and get matched to real engagements with companies that need your specific skills.\nWhat that looks like in practice:\nWork with global clients from where you are. No relocation required.\nLong-term engagements, not one-off gigs. Some of our engineers have been embedded with the same client for over two years.\nA dedicated talent specialist who knows your skills, matches you to the right projects, and supports you through onboarding and beyond.\nInterview preparation and the ability to pursue multiple opportunities at once.\nNo fees, no subscription. The platform is free for engineers.\nYou bring the engineering. We handle the sourcing, the vetting, the matching, and the client relationship. Apply once, get considered for every relevant project that comes through.\nSkills\nPython, Django, System Design, Technical Leadership","description_format":"text","description_chars":2524,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"South Africa","iso":"ZA","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Cybersecurity","Design & Creative","Digital Design","Custom Software Development"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-07-21T00:00:00Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":49,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.813,"p_room":0.6,"age_days":110,"expected_fill_days":155,"reasons":["conf:4","win:late","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-11-08T05:47:12Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/scrums-com-principal-software-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/scrums-com-principal-software-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-08T17:43:38Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":37188,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-09T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":57427},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=57427"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fscrums-com-principal-software-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":2,"usd":0.2},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fscrums-com-principal-software-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fscrums-com-principal-software-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/scrums-com-principal-software-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fscrums-com-principal-software-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":160796}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"scrums.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":160796},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}