Full-stack Software Engineer

Job Summary

We are looking for a Software Engineer III with experience building and maintaining data pipelines, developing generative AI solutions, and designing robust backend systems. You will participate in the discovery, design, and engineering of multiple cross‑functional projects, while troubleshooting complex business and production issues. You will uphold industry best practices and will help encourage our team to continuously improve. Above all, you care about delivering quality software in a sustainable and timely manner and about software craftsmanship.

• Lead technical design of applications and participate in larger system design efforts
• Design and implement generative AI experiences
• Write maintainable, performant code
• Refactor legacy code to improve maintainability
• Conduct exploratory and automated testing
• Efficiently debug complex problems
• Provide technical guidance and feedback to other team‑members

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent professional experience).
• 5+ years of professional experience in a data‑intensive environment, with a proven track record of building and scaling full‑stack applications.
• Proficiency in Python for backend development, data processing, and AI integration.
• Strong experience with React.js and the modern frontend ecosystem (Type Script, state management, and responsive design).
• Experience designing and developing AI applications
  , specifically working with Large Language Models (LLMs) and the OpenAI API.
• Proven experience leading cross‑functional initiatives
  , collaborating with product and design teams to take a feature from concept to production.
• Desired
  
  Skills:
  • Full‑Stack Architecture: Ability to lead the technical design of applications, ensuring performant communication between React frontends and Python backends.
  • Generative AI Implementation: Skill in building real‑time AI experiences, including handling streaming data and prompt engineering.
  • Cloud Infrastructure: Hands‑on experience with AWS services (S3, Lambda, SAM, Step Functions).
  • Code Quality: Expertise in writing maintainable, performant code and a passion for refactoring legacy systems to improve long‑term health.
  • Testing & Debugging: Proficiency in exploratory and automated testing across the entire stack to ensure high‑quality software delivery.

• AI/ML Depth: Familiarity with machine learning workflows, data modeling, and vector databases like Open Search
  .
• Modern Frontend Tooling: Experience with Tailwind CSS, Next.js, or Vite to streamline the development lifecycle.
• Mentorship: A natural inclination for providing technical guidance and constructive feedback to team members.
• Sustainability: A background in delivering software using Agile methodologies with a focus on long‑term maintainability over quick‑fix patches.
• Creative Problem Solving: The ability to efficiently debug complex, interconnected problems that span the UI, API, and data layers.

We offer comprehensive benefits (unique per country) and excellent work/life balance.

Full‑time, ZA benefits include:

• 2 complimentary Get smarter short courses per year
• Subsidised medical aid with Discovery Health Medical Scheme
• 4% 2U contribution towards Discovery Life Pension Fund and Group Risk Benefit
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Generous leave policy including time off to volunteer for non‑profit organization, study leave, sports leave and a company‑wide festive season break

At 2U, we are committed to building and sustaining a culture of belonging, respect, and inclusion. We are proud of the steps we’ve taken to bring together an employee base that embodies diverse walks of life, ideas, genders, ages, races, cultures, sexual orientations, abilities and other unique qualities. We strive to offer a workplace where every employee feels empowered by what makes us different, as well as by how we are alike.

2U is an equal‑opportunity employer that does not discriminate against applicants or employees and ensures equal employment opportunity for all…