IT Application Subject Matter Expert

About the role

Airtel Africa is looking for an IT Application Subject Matter Expert to drive full-stack projects as an Individual Contributor within the OPCO Apps team. The role leads the design, development and deployment of scalable, secure and high-performance applications using Python, Node.js/JavaScript, Flutter and modern cloud-native technologies, covering backend services, APIs, mobile and web front ends, databases and containerized delivery.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of backend and full-stack solutions using Python, Node.js/JavaScript and Flutter, turning business requirements into technical designs, estimates and delivery plans.
• Build and maintain secure RESTful APIs, microservices and integrations with internal and third-party platforms.
• Design, develop and optimize database solutions across MongoDB, Postgres and Oracle, including data modelling, query tuning, indexing and data migration.
• Drive cloud-native deployments with Kubernetes, Docker and Rancher, and maintain CI/CD pipelines with monitoring, logging and alerting.
• Enforce coding standards, peer code reviews, unit, integration and automated testing, and produce technical documentation and runbooks.
• Mentor engineers through pairing, reviews and knowledge sharing.
• Support OPCO applications such as customer-facing web and mobile apps, business and operations apps, API and middleware services, microservices and data/reporting services.
• Apply secure coding practices (e.g. OWASP), follow change and release management, troubleshoot production issues and track technical debt.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Engineering or a related field.
• 8+ years of software development experience.
• Proven track record on major database-intensive projects and strong stakeholder management across Product, Technical, IT Operations, Security and other engineering teams.

Required skills

• Deep expertise in Python and JavaScript (Node.js), and hands-on Flutter mobile app development.
• Strong experience with Docker and Kubernetes (Rancher), and with MongoDB, Postgres and Oracle.
• Microservices, APIs, CI/CD, Git and DevOps practices; Linux systems and production troubleshooting.
• Certifications such as CKA/CKAD, Cloud Developer (AWS/Azure/GCP), MongoDB or Oracle are an advantage.