Job Description

Takealot Group is looking for a seasoned Head of Software Development to join the Engineering leadership team in Cape Town.


As South Africa’s largest ecommerce company, we are a very dynamic, hyper-growth organisation seeking smart, creative, hard-working people with integrity to join us. We offer exceptionally competitive compensation packages, flexible remote work options, a great company culture, and a promise that you won't be bored as long as you enjoy effecting change and making large impact.


Think you’ve been challenged before? Think again!


Scale: Over 2.5 million happy shoppers shop online on takealot.com. Show them what you can do.
Learn: We work with the best of the best, and then some. Code alongside industry leaders and up-skill in record time.
Grow: Expand your career in the fast-growing Takealot Group: takealot.com, Superbalist.com, and Mr D. We like to promote from within: Here’s your chance.


Who’s who in the tech space


This role, reporting to the Group’s CPTO, will oversee the engineering departments responsible for the application development of takealot.com and it's supporting operational verticals (supply chain, logistics, retail and merchant systems, customer service, etc) across all platforms.


Your responsibilities will include:


Serve as an active member of the Takealot Group Engineering Exco, working with the Heads of IT and Data divisions to define and deliver a cohesive Group-wide technical strategy that is in line with overarching business objectives.
Define and oversee software development ways of working with a focus on improving efficiency, stability, and security
Maintain a long-term view on the use of technology for innovation
Identify and manage risks (cyber security and business continuity) across software development teams
Ensure there is a target architecture and tech stacks are constantly evolving towards it
Maintain, grow, and evolve your division’s organisational structure as required
Define and oversee the standards and practices that drive a strong engineering culture
Support and ensure compliance with relevant legislation
Ensure your division’s budget is properly forecasted and monitored.


To achieve this, we're looking for someone who:


Is an expert at engineering processes such as change management, incident response, and quality assurance
Has a deep understanding of the software development lifecycle, and different approaches to development
Has a deep understanding of modern distributed computing systems at scale
Has a strong understanding of DevOps practices such as Infrastructure as Code, Automation, and Continuous Delivery
Has familiarity of modern data architectures, and AI capabilities
Has familiarity with cloud infrastructure and container-based environments
Has familiarity with security frameworks such as NIST, ISO-27001
Has ability to innovate, showing technical vision and thought leadership
Is a strong decision-maker with the ability to effect change through influence
Is self-managing with strong organisational and time management skills
Has high attention to detail, strong mathematical and financial skills


Qualifications & Experience:


Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Machine Learning, or any related area of study.
10+ years in a senior engineering role.
5+ years of hands-on software engineering experience
Proven track record of delivering systems and products for Web and Mobile devices


Let’s talk about life @ Takealot Group


The power is in your hands: We offer a market-related, Total Remuneration Package that allows full flexibility according to your needs. Go on, be the master of your own destiny.
No doors: We aren’t fans of stuffy offices or siloed work environments. See someone you like? High five, collab and make something great.
Remote working: Love water cooler chats and working from home? Takealot.com offers a hybrid working model for the best of both worlds.
Mentorship programme: We aren’t kidding when we say the people with the best people win. Now’s your chance to be one of the best, by learning from the best.
Naspers Tech Community & Online Learning: Share ideas and grow with global industry leaders who are all just a Slack message away. Love to learn? Up-skill with free access to courses on MyAcademy, Udacity, Coursera and more.
Good times: Get to know the other extraordinary minds at takealot.com during regular social events and out-of-office activities (think hikes, think mini golf, think good times).
Staff discount. Millions of products across 28 departments. What more could you ask for?
Birthday leave: Cake Day all the way. Enjoy your day off - you deserve it.
Right tools, right job: Mac or Windows, two monitors or one. Whatever your preference, you’ll work on the latest tech, off the latest tech.
Help when you need it most: Confidential counselling, legal support, and financial guidance, for free, anytime, anywhere.
Tech stack (for days): ReactJS, Python, Scala, Kotlin, Swift, Google Cloud, Kafka, Redis, Kubernetes and all things machine learning. If you build it, they will come.
Free parking: No more 5km fun runs to your desk (unless you want to).


Like what you see?


If you meet the above you are an Extraordinary Mind. Apply today!!


Takealot is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants from previously disadvantaged groups and people with disabilities will be given preference.

Quick response

Required Knowledge

• K0004   Knowledge of cybersecurity and privacy principles.
• K0005   Knowledge of cyber threats an`d vulnerabilities.
• K0295   Knowledge of confidentiality, integrity, and availability principles.
• K0009   Knowledge of application vulnerabilities.
• K0039   Knowledge of cybersecurity and privacy principles and methods that apply to software development.
• K0081   Knowledge of software development models (e.g., Waterfall Model, Spiral Model).
• K0082   Knowledge of software engineering.
• K0102   Knowledge of the systems engineering process.
• K0321   Knowledge of engineering concepts as applied to computer architecture and associated computer hardware/software.
• K0045   Knowledge of information security systems engineering principles (NIST SP 800-160).
• K0276   Knowledge of security management.

Required Skills

• S0031   Skill in developing and applying security system access controls.
• S0060   Skill in writing code in a currently supported programming language (e.g., Java, C++).
• S0149   Skill in developing applications that can log and handle errors, exceptions, and application faults and logging.
• S0367   Skill to apply cybersecurity and privacy principles to organizational requirements (relevant to confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication, non-repudiation).

Required Abilities

• A0047  Ability to develop secure software according to secure software deployment methodologies, tools, and practices.
• A0123  Ability to apply cybersecurity and privacy principles to organizational requirements (relevant to confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication, non-repudiation).