Full Stack Software Developer

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is a leading scientific and technology research organisation that researches, develops, localises and diffuses technologies to accelerate socio-economic prosperity in South Africa. The organisation’s work contributes to industrial development and supports a capable state.

CSIR is looking for a Full Stack Software Developer to join the Emerging Digital Technologies for Fourth Industrial Revolution (EDT4IR) Research Centre within the Next Generation Enterprises and Institutions Cluster. The incumbent will be responsible for developing and maintaining cloud‑based platforms and software solutions that power Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Extended Reality (XR) applications, building tools and platforms required to deploy foundational algorithms, immersive 3D modules, and intelligent automation systems that drive digital transformation for our partners in Pretoria.

The role reports to the Research Group Leader.

• Design, build, and maintain scalable full‑stack applications supporting AI‑enabled use cases such as visual inspection, predictive maintenance, and intelligent automation.
• Develop modern, responsive front‑ends for data exploration, dashboards, and information visualisation.
• Build and maintain robust backend services and APIs, enabling seamless integration of AI models and XR modules into production systems.
• Design and implement cloud‑native architectures, including microservices, event‑driven systems, and serverless components.
• Contribute to system and solution design, translating high‑level architectural concepts into working software.
• Rapidly prototype new ideas and evolve them into reliable, maintainable platforms.
• Work closely with cross‑functional teams to deliver trustworthy, secure, and impactful digital solutions.
• Contribute technically to large and complex projects using modern engineering tools and best practices.
• Where relevant, contribute to research outputs (e.g., conference papers, journal articles) aligned with the team’s technical work.

• Honours degree in computer science/engineering, information technology, information systems or related fields with at least three years of practical experience as a Full Stack Software Engineer/Developer.
• Master’s degree is an added advantage.
• Expert‑level knowledge of React/Angular/Vue.js, FastAPI/Node.js, and containerisation (Docker/Kubernetes) within an Agile/Git workflow.
• Strong proficiency in Python (for AI/Backend) and JavaScript/Type Script; familiarity with Java or C++ for high‑performance systems is a plus.
• Proven experience designing and building RESTful and event‑driven APIs within microservices and distributed architectures.
• Hands‑on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) and serverless computing.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Git Hub Actions, Git Lab CI).
• Data systems: proficiency in relational (e.g., Postgre
  
  SQL), No
  
  SQL (e.g., Mongo
  
  DB/Redis), and exposure to vector databases (e.g., Qdrant/Pinecone).
• Experience with message brokers (Kafka, Rabbit
  
  MQ, or AWS Event Bridge).
• Solid technical grounding in data structures, algorithms, and object‑oriented design.
• Strong communication, teamwork, and analytical problem‑solving skills.
• Experience with MLOps (deploying and monitoring machine learning models in production) is an added advantage.
• All international qualifications require an evaluation report or certificate issued by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

• Learning and development opportunities.
• Competitive and market‑related remuneration packages.
• Total guaranteed salary packages encompassing contributions to the pension fund, risk insurance and medical scheme.
• Recognition through the CSIR Excellence Awards.

PLEASE NOTE THAT FEEDBACK WILL BE GIVEN TO SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES ONLY.

For more information, please contact the CSIR Recruitment Centre at or email

The CSIR is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the Employment Equity Act. By applying, the applicant understands that the CSIR may request a credit and criminal report and may verify educational qualifications and employment history.

The CSIR reserves the right to remove the advertisement at any time before the stated closing date and may not appoint if a suitable candidate is not identified.