Search Software Engineer

The Takealot Group, a titan of South African e-commerce and a rapidly expanding entity encompassing takealot.com, Takealot Fulfilment Services (TFS), and Mr D, is actively seeking a skilled Software Engineer to bolster its specialised Search team. As South Africa’s premier online retailer, Takealot operates at a significant scale, serving millions of customers and fostering an environment of continuous learning and professional advancement. This is an opportunity to contribute to a dynamic, hyper-growth organisation where innovation and technical excellence are paramount.

About the Programme

This role is centred around enhancing the search functionality that underpins the vast product catalogue available on Takealot’s platforms. As a Search Software Engineer, you will be instrumental in crafting and refining the systems that enable millions of shoppers to discover the products they need efficiently and effectively. You will be working within a team dedicated to optimising the performance, scalability, and user experience of the search engine, directly impacting customer satisfaction and business success. The Takealot Group champions internal growth, offering a fertile ground for engineers to expand their skill sets and build fulfilling careers within a forward-thinking enterprise. Collaboration is key, with opportunities to work alongside leading professionals and contribute to architectural decisions that shape the future of the company's technological landscape.

The responsibilities of a Search Software Engineer at Takealot are diverse and impactful, encompassing the full software development lifecycle. You will be tasked with:

• Designing, architecting, and building robust solutions that improve the customer experience and support business objectives.
• Developing high-quality, production-ready code, with a strong focus on non-functional aspects like performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Implementing and refining both functional and non-functional testing practices to ensure code quality.
• Architecting solutions for complex problems, often involving system-wide design trade-offs.
• Participating actively in team discussions, architectural proposals, and the alignment of technical strategies across the organisation.
• Troubleshooting and resolving production bugs and supporting incident response for systems within your domain.
• Investigating and driving the resolution of issues that may span multiple teams.
• Contributing to the evolution of engineering processes and best practices.
• Maintaining and developing REST and RPC APIs, likely utilising languages such as Python.
• Collaborating with various internal stakeholders to gather requirements, discuss project progress, and ensure alignment.
• Developing and maintaining automation tests to ensure the stability and correctness of search functionalities.

What They're Looking For

To excel in this role, candidates should possess a strong foundation in computer science principles, coupled with practical experience in software development and a particular interest or expertise in search technologies. The ideal candidate will have:

• A Bachelor’s degree or Advanced Diploma in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Between 5 to 10 years of experience in a software development role.
• Demonstrable experience with search technologies, such as Elasticsearch, Vertex AI Search, Solr, Algolia, OpenSearch, Meilisearch, Typesense, or similar major third-party providers.
• A thorough understanding of computer science fundamentals, including object-oriented design, data structures, and algorithms.
• Proven ability to write efficient, robust production code.
• Proficiency in a strongly typed, open-source programming language, with Python being a key requirement.
• Familiarity with RESTful APIs and web services.
• Experience working with SQL database systems.
• Experience in a Linux development environment.
• An aptitude for problem-solving, a willingness to challenge existing paradigms, and a commitment to producing high-quality work.

In South Africa, software engineering roles, especially those focused on specialised areas like search within a large e-commerce organisation, can attract competitive remuneration packages. The Takealot Group is a significant employer in the tech landscape, and career progression can be rapid, offering opportunities to grow into senior engineering, architectural, or management positions.

• Bachelor’s degree or an Advanced Diploma in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• 5 to 10 years in a software development role
• Experience with search technologies (Elasticsearch, Vertex AI Search, Solr, Algolia, OpenSearch, Meilisearch, Typesense or any other major third party provider)
• A thorough understanding of computer science fundamentals, including object-oriented design, data structures, and algorithms
• Experience in writing robust, efficient production code
• Proficient in a strongly typed open source language such as Python
• Exposure to RESTful APIs and web services
• Experience with SQL database systems
• Experience with development in a Linux environment