83 Principal Engineer jobs in South Africa

nCino offers exciting career opportunities for individuals who want to join the worldwide leader in cloud banking.

Leads planning, designing, development and testing of complex software systems or applications for software enhancements and new products including cloud-based or internet-related tools. Guides team to support clients' project objectives. Troubleshoots client issues as they arise. Exhibit exceptional mastery of industry-leading software engineering practices, encompassing a deep understanding of advanced technical concepts, architectural design, and the ability to drive innovation. Expertise should span multiple programming languages, frameworks, and technologies relevant to the software stack of multiple teams. Expected to be a key influencer in shaping our company's technical strategy, participating in cross-functional collaborations, and leading critical initiatives to ensure the continuous advancement and success of our software development endeavors.

Essential Functions

• Bring a broad perspective to multiple teams, ensuring efficient delivery of critical features, providing technical guidance, and promoting higher performance within the group.
• Actively participate in process improvement and mentor emerging technical leaders while contributing to new technical initiatives.
• Advise on selecting the appropriate technology stack, considering scalability, maintainability, performance, and integration capabilities.
• Contribute to defining new code standards and development processes, lead cross-team, framework-level projects.
• Maintain interactions with customers to help streamline project requirements.
• Bring experience and knowledge of industry best practices to ensure the proposed ideas align with the latest advancements in technology and software design principles, as well as the organization's business objectives.
• Develop optimal automation strategies for the team. Help the team make informed architectural decisions on by providing insights into trade-offs of different solutions.
• Architect services and systems using well-accepted design patterns to allow for iterative, autonomous development and future scaling.
• Anticipate future use cases and makes design decisions that minimize the cost of future changes.
• Review epics and initiatives critically and ensures they're appropriately broken down, prioritized, and understood by the team.
• Anticipate and communicate blockers, delays, and cost ballooning within team projects before they require escalation.
• Ensure expectations with their team and external stakeholders are clarified between all parties involved.
• Develop a strategic launch and release plan with cross functional teams.
• Promote cross-team collaboration focused on taking end to end solutions to market and supporting Go-live activities.
• Analyze adoption of product and lead how to improve customer journey by applying solutions to address new enhancement requests.
• Lead by example in setting and maintaining best practices in coding, documentation, and code reviews. Focus on creating learning opportunities for multiple teams to help reduce new system hygiene issues in feature development.
• Provide guidance and mentorship on managing dependencies at an organizational level, promoting consistent practices and version control.
• With a strategic mindset, align hygiene initiatives with broader goals, foster cross-departmental collaboration, and contribute to sustainable best practices for robust software ecosystems.
• Identify proof-of-concepts to demonstrate key functionality or validate critical technical aspects.
• Exhibit exceptional mastery of industry-leading software engineering practices, encompassing a deep understanding of advanced technical concepts, architectural design, and the ability to drive innovation. Expertise should span multiple programming languages, frameworks, and technologies relevant to the software stack of multiple teams.
• Serve as a technical visionary, staying at the forefront of emerging industry trends and leveraging this knowledge to guide our technology roadmap
• Ability to mentor and lead developers

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or a related field with 8+ years of related experience or a combination of education and experience
• Expert knowledge in one or more programming languages and strong experience with multiple technology stacks.
• Expert knowledge of web application development
• Specialized ability to create enterprise-scale application designs using proven industry patterns and best practices
• Exceptional problem solving, decision-making, and interpersonal skills
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and effectively collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Desired

• "Experience with Ruby on Rails, React, REST and an automation framework
• Expertise in Agile/SCRUM and TDD development methodologies

If you thrive in a high-energy, entrepreneurial environment, we invite you to share your passion, ideas and excitement at nCino.
nCino provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability, genetics or other protected groups. In addition to federal law requirements, nCino complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

nCino is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, nCino will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact us at

Our commitment to inclusion and equality includes a strong belief that the diversity of our team is instrumental to our success. We strive to create workplaces where employees are empowered to bring their authentic selves to work.

SPAN Digital is a growing premium software product and consulting services company headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional development offices in Cape Town, South Africa, and Guadalajara, Mexico. We have experience in a broad range of industries but are keenly focused on the technology, entertainment, and healthcare sectors. We strategize, design, and develop software solutions for our clients and customers from startups to global brands. We help engineering teams successfully overcome the challenges caused by the accelerating pace of change in software development, allowing them to build better digital solutions.

Our Services Teams work side-by-side with our client's engineering teams to develop prototypes, proof-of-concepts, production services, and major product enhancements.

Our Product Teams leverage our unique vantage point to develop category-defining products that enable our customers' teams to significantly outperform the competition.

We are currently looking for a Principal Engineer, based in Cape Town, to join our engineering discipline and play a key leadership role in building our capabilities. In addition, this role will be responsible for the technical leadership of one or more of our premier client engagements and drive the successful execution of our software development projects.

Role And Responsibilities

As a Principal Engineer at SPAN, your role encompasses a high level of autonomy, influence, and complexity in your work. You would be expected to work under broad direction, often initiating and leading activities. Your responsibilities would include analyzing, designing, planning, executing, and evaluating work to time, cost, and quality targets. You would establish milestones and play a significant role in the assignment of tasks and responsibilities.

Initially leading the definition of goals and objectives for each initiative, then leading the definition of the solution that will deliver the required results. Principal Engineers are responsible for ensuring we deliver business outcomes within budget while maintaining and improving quality. Principal Engineers are all-round, problem solvers, who love to engage clients and other engineers.

Scope of Responsibility

Principal Engineers can integrate lessons learned and experience gained from their many years of practice into the problems they solve every day. They can apply their experience appropriately in a broad set of situations. They are seasoned professionals capable of scoping and designing entire systems. They are able to perform well continuously over an extended period of time and show improvement. They are expected to be able to tackle complex technical problems, troubleshoot issues, and propose effective solutions. This may involve analyzing system performance, diagnosing bugs, or resolving production incidents.

Growing Engineers and the Engineering Discipline

Principal Engineers are responsible for mentoring engineering staff and providing on the job training. They are expected to contribute to and drive the development of the engineering community at SPAN.

Engaging Stakeholders

Principal Engineers are experienced at engaging clients and customers. They are able to lead the scoping and design discussions and arrive at satisfactory solutions. Principals are able to explain risks and trade-offs and act as a trusted advisor to clients and customers. They collaborate with other teams such as product management, design, and operations to ensure alignment and successful delivery of projects. Effective communication skills are crucial for conveying technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Technical Mastery

Principal Engineers have experience in all aspects of the product development lifecycle, from inception through design, development, testing, deployment, and support. They can demonstrate working knowledge of a broad range of technical areas and deep expertise in a few. They have excellent problem analysis and solving skills with the ability to innovate and abstract detail into larger patterns and systems. They are responsible for designing and architecting complex systems or components. This involves understanding requirements, considering scalability, performance, security, and other factors, and creating solutions that meet these needs. They may conduct research and experiments to evaluate new tools or approaches that could benefit the organization.

Leadership

Principal Engineers provide leadership by taking responsibility for the technical aspects of major projects or products. They are responsible for overseeing the tasks of our engineers. This oversight involves planning, architecture and design, estimation, resource management, issue resolution and quality assurance.

Tolerance of Continuous change

Principal Engineers thrive in an environment characterized by its fast pace and its high level of collaboration. Principal engineers are typically assigned to multiple projects, and are constantly thinking of the business, and looking for new opportunities within the accounts they look after. They are often responsible for driving continuous improvement initiatives within the engineering organization. This may involve identifying areas for optimization, implementing process improvements, and fostering a culture of innovation and learning. It is required of the Principal Engineer to work remotely with developers in different organizations, as such, adapting to different methodologies and technologies is essential.

Technologies
Our full-stack polyglots are experienced in a combination of:

• TypeScript, NodeJs, ReactJs, and additional mainstream JS frameworks
• Python, Go, Java, Scala, C#
• PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis
• Kafka, RabbitMQ, Elasticsearch, and whatever else is required to satisfy our customers

Typical Activities

• Facilitate and lead solution and system architecture and design sessions
• Help our clients define their needs, goals and objectives
• Factor an understanding of our clients and customers needs into our solutions
• Become a strategic advisor to clients and customers
• Foster a trusting and collaborative relationships with our clients and customers
• Work with design and other disciplines to achieve the broad business goals
• Define development best practices and ensure they are followed
• Solve the hardest technical problems or find someone who can.
• Maintain and grow our culture
• Contribute to the development of the engineering discipline
• Remove technology blockers from the team
• Identify cases of bottlenecks and make changes to fix them
• Mentor engineering staff and help them execute their growth plans
• Create effective teams that maximise abilities, growth, collaboration and innovation
• 1:1s with tech team members
• Resolve conflicts in the team
• Attend and contribute in external technical forums

You'll love it here if:

• You are allergic to hierarchical, bureaucratic, business-card cultures
• You're sad many of the greatest minds in our generation are busy tricking people into clicking on ads
• You want to work with very smart people from different backgrounds
• You are a voracious learner & an eager teacher of others
• You want to be led from the front, not commanded from the rear
• You don't tolerate intra-office posturing or other douchebaggery
• You're excited to work on a broader array of interesting, challenging projects than you can anywhere else

What we offer:

• Flexible and generous work & leave schedule
• Hybrid-remote working model (the best of both worlds)
• Learning organization based on a reverence for expertise & craftsmanship (Meetups, Conferences, Lunch & Learning Fridays, TechRadar Sessions, journals, e-Learning)
• Friday catered lunches, on-site haircuts, pet-friendly workplace, ping pong (a home away from home)
• Charitable community initiatives, employee awards, and recognition
• MacBook Pro and home office allowance (to ensure you have all the tools you need and want to make you effective)

Description
Zutari: Co-creating an engineered impact.
Zutari is a well-established, management-owned engineering firm with almost 90 years' experience. As human-centred engineering consultants and advisors, we are trusted by our clients, business partners, communities, and other stakeholders across Africa.

We co-create engineering solutions that have a positive impact and improve people's lives. Zutari values inclusion and recognises the importance of a diverse, talented workforce, believing that people need other people to succeed.

What kind of talent do we pursue?
We employ people with the right attitude and a positive mindset, who are motivated by doing the right thing, getting things done and share a sense of urgency. People who have an impact in our teams and broader community. People who think differently and connect with those around them to co-create new opportunities and leave a meaningful legacy.

About the role:
Zutari is seeking to hire Principal Engineers to work on multi-disciplinary engineering projects in its water and wastewater treatment team. The roles will be based in Zutari's Cape Town or Tshwane offices and civil, mechanical, and chemical engineering candidates will be considered.

Responsibilities will include:

• Project and engineering management
• Building a relationship of trust with clients.
• Delivering engineering solutions in your engineering discipline, with a focus on enhancing efficiency through digital information management, workflows and delivery.
• Typical engineering work in the water and wastewater treatment field, delivered yourself or via others you supervise:
• Complex engineering tasks, investigations, studies, assessments, calculations and analyses.
• Water and/or wastewater treatment infrastructure design.
• Hydraulic design for water and wastewater treatment.
• Preparation of engineering reports
• Preparation of tender documentation and associated specifications.
• Contract administration and associated quality assurance during construction.
• Ensuring timeous and high-quality delivery of project work.
• Assistance with guidance and mentoring of a team of engineers, technologists and technicians.
• Collaborating with colleagues and clients across multiple engineering and other disciplines and across geographies.
• Ensuring that all work complies with Zutari's quality control procedures and that required quality standards are maintained.

Minimum Requirements:

• B Eng or BSc (Eng) in Civil engineering, Mechanical engineering, or Chemical engineering.
• Registration with ECSA (or equivalent) as a Professional Engineer. In special cases, candidates who are eligible for registration will be considered.
• 7 or more years of experience in water and wastewater treatment engineering projects. The successful candidate will be appointed to a position and role commensurate with his or her experience.
• Willingness to work in a team with the expectation that you will learn as well as share your knowledge with and mentor others.
• Strong time management and organisational skills, with the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• A valid Code EB driving license (or higher).

Advantageous Competencies:

• A master's degree in water and/or wastewater treatment or other post-graduate qualification in this field.
• Water and/or wastewater treatment process design and optimisation, and a foundational understanding of aquatic chemistry.

We believe that a diverse workforce is key to our business success. We seek the best people for our jobs based on their skills, qualifications, and experience. We embrace the principle of equal opportunity in employment and we work towards eliminating all forms of unlawful discrimination in our employment practices. In support of diversity and the equal opportunity principle, preference will be given to individuals from designated groups within South Africa.

Join us as a Reliability & Maintenance Principal Engineer, where you will champion a strong safety culture within the organisation, promoting adherence to the Oil Operating Management System policies, procedures, and standards.

This role will report to the Operations & Maintenance Manager (Oil Assets) with a dotted line to the Reliability & Maintenance Manager.

The main tasks and responsibilities include:

• Evaluate industry improvements in maintenance efficiency and turnarounds systems, processes and technology; recommend changes to Asset and Departmental Standards, practices and tools; develop implementation plans and support Assets where required.
• Develop and monitor appropriate maintenance efficiency and effectiveness KPIs at departmental level.
• Preventive and Corrective Maintenance: Implement preventive maintenance strategies, identify opportunities for corrective action, and ensure compliance with safety and environmental standards.
• Input and coach on contracting strategy for long-term maintenance and turnaround contractors.
• Develop Communities of Practice across Assets to support sharing of good industry practice for maintenance efficiency and turnarounds.
• Provide oversight and assurance of Glencore Oil Industrial Asset's maintenance execution processes, identifying and escalating risks to safe, responsible, reliable operations where appropriate.
• Own and implement the Glencore Oil Turnaround Standard across the portfolio, providing oversight and assurance for larger events: from planning to execution, including scope definition, scheduling, resource allocation, and cost control.
• Steward actions relating to implementation and improvement of our maintenance efficiency and turnarounds: identify areas for improvement and implement best practices.
• Act as the central point of contact for corporate communities of practice review of maintenance and turnaround aspects of Corporate Standards and Policies.
• Lead or participate in Incident Investigations for Tier 1 and 2 incidents where required.
• Participate in technical due diligence of new assets when required.

Qualifications and requirements:

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering (preferred)
• Extensive experience (15+ years) in reliability & maintenance management within the oil and gas or petrochemicals industry, with a strong background in upstream, midstream, or downstream operation.
• Experience in developing and implementing long-term maintenance and service contacts would be advantageous.
• Experience in developing and executing audit and assurance plans and protocols is desirable.

Our ideal candidate disposes of:

• In-depth knowledge of oil business operations, maintenance practices, safety regulations, and industry standards.
• Proven experience in driving operational effectiveness, reliability and continuous improvements across multiple assets.
• Demonstrated leadership skills in operating and coaching maintenance efficiency and turnarounds.
• Ability to work well under pressure.
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office tools, especially Excel.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written and communication skills with proven experience of engaging and influencing a range of stakeholders.
• Advanced English language ability, both written and spoken, able to engage effectively with teams and various groups.

How to apply:
Please apply on the Careers Portal: Applications Close: 12 September 2025

This vacancy will be filled in line with the Employment Equity Plan of Glencore. By applying for this position, you consent to Glencore collecting, storing, using, destroying, and processing in any other manner personal information for purposes of attending to this advertisement, and/ or all matters relating thereto, including the disclosure to third parties of such personal information for purposes of confirming such personal information. In the event you do not hear from the Company within 21 days after the closing date of applications, please consider your application to have been unsuccessful. The CVs of unsuccessful candidates will not be returned.

Who We Are
Glencore is one of the world's largest global diversified natural resource companies and a major producer and marketer of more than 60 commodities that advance everyday life. Through a network of assets, customers and suppliers that spans the globe, we produce, process, recycle, source, market and distribute the commodities that support decarbonisation while meeting the energy needs of today.

With over 150,000 employees and contractors and a strong footprint in over 35 countries in both established and emerging regions for natural resources, our marketing and industrial activities are supported by a global network of more than 50 offices.

Glencore's customers are industrial consumers, such as those in the automotive, steel, power generation, battery manufacturing and oil sectors. We also provide financing, logistics and other services to producers and consumers of commodities.

Glencore is proud to be a member of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and the International Council on Mining and Metals. We are an active participant in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

We will support the global effort to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement through our efforts to decarbonise our own operational footprint. We believe that we should take a holistic approach and have considered our commitment through the lens of our global industrial emissions. Against a restated 2019 baseline, we are targeting to reduce our Scope 1, 2 and 3 industrial emissions by 15% by the end of 2026, 25% by the end of 2030, 50% by the end of 2035 and we have an ambition to achieve net zero industrial emissions by the end of 2050, subject to a supportive policy environment. For more information see our Climate Action Transition Plan and the About our emissions calculation and reporting section in our 2023 Annual Report, available on our website at

Note*: All applications will be subject to potential background checks. You will be informed if this will be the case. Further information about the processing of your personal data will be made available during the application process. We'll seek your explicit consent prior to processing the data.

About The Company
SLR is in the process of growing our footprint around the globe, and as such we are continuously looking for talented people to join our team and who would add value to Our Business.

We are recognised as one of the global leaders in environmental and advisory solutions, helping our clients to achieve their sustainability goals. SLR has over 100 offices in 13 different countries across the world and we actively encourage collaboration and learning between the many disciplines and services we offer globally.

At SLR you can expect a flexible and supportive 'One Team' culture that sits at the heart of our business and ensures that we offer a rewarding place to work. You will have the opportunity to work alongside industry leaders and specialists on interesting projects and being part of a team that makes a difference.

Job Purpose
Our Africa based team has a need for a Principal Tailings Engineer to complement our existing Engineering and Mine Waste teams and to support and drive various growth initiatives. SLR has a significant and longstanding profile across Africa in tailings management and mine waste services for a number of mining clients, from junior to top tier.

Minimum Requirements

• Relevant qualifications in civil engineering (e.g. Bachelor of Engineering).
• Postgraduate qualifications in geotechnical or water engineering will be favourably considered.
• Professionally registered civil or geotechnical engineer with a minimum of 15 years of relevant experience
• Proven track record in project and technical delivery

Key Responsibilities

• Team management and mentoring.
• Development and implementation of company strategy and growth initiatives.
• Client relationship development, both current SLR clients and prospective clients using your established networks.
• Technical leadership and project oversight, often in multi-disciplinary teams.
• Technical review of feasibility studies and designs of mine waste facilities (tailings dams, heap leach pads and related infrastructure) and associated investigations and analyses (geotechnical investigations, stability analyses, water balances, deposition planning etc.).
• Undertake dam safety evaluations and risk assessments.
• Undertake mine waste facility audits and inspections.

Skills And Experience

• Substantial experience in mine waste engineering in a consulting environment.
• Broad range of experience in planning, feasibility, design and construction phase services.
• Extensive experience in leading project teams.
• Good experience in the technical review of design works, reports and proposals.
• English speaking with excellent communication skills.
• Proactive, innovative, and take pride in producing quality work.
• Connected network across the Mining sector.
• Professionally registered (PrEng or similar) in South Africa. Relevant professional registration in countries outside of South Africa would also be considered.
• Detailed knowledge of global industry standards and guidelines is required.
• Good experience with and understanding of water engineering and closure needs and developments with particular reference to mine waste facilities and the Mining sector.
• Proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and specific software relevant to geotechnical and dam engineering.
• Strong technical background.
• Commercial acumen.

SLR's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. We actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply. SLR is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates, and values diversity & inclusion.

Company Description
De Beers Group
De Beers Group – The World's Leading Diamond Company

We are the world's leading diamond company – a unique, luxury business that thrives on the creativity, passion and knowledge of our people.

As we embark on a journey to accelerate the transformation of our business into one that is better positioned to realise the opportunities ahead of us, we welcome and encourage diverse perspectives from those individuals who spark fresh thinking and aren't afraid to challenge assumptions.

We'll provide you with the space and support to grow and achieve your ambitions and – working together – you'll help us realise our own ambition to be the pioneer of a new diamond world.

Job Description
The Principal Process Engineer will serve as the subject matter expert for Process Engineering within De Beers Group, leading technical initiatives and providing expert support across Managed and Non-Managed Joint Venture process plants. This role is pivotal in driving continuous improvement, modernisation, and strategic alignment of processing operations with the Group's long-term objectives.

The Principal Process Engineer Key Tasks Include
The Principal Process Engineer is a technical leader in the field of diamond processing and actively works to improve the discipline within the De Beers Group:

• Facilitates continuous improvement and modernisation at processing plants aligned to the defined priority areas based on the monitoring and review of operational performance across De Beers Group.
• Developments/reviews process designs for new growth projects as well as for brownfield projects.
• Drives technology initiatives at processing plants (as per the agreed functional initiatives to deliver the De Beers Group Strategy).
• Interacts with the De Beers Technology Group and assists towards implementation at operations.
• Executes defined initiatives using sound project management principles and practices, which includes technical investigations, techno-economic investigations, improvement studies, etc.
• Directs work of service providers and consultants for defined work packages.
• Performs internal project reviews for the Processing discipline for large capital investments.
• Assists with people development within the Processing discipline.
• Provides expert technical support for both Managed Operations and Non-Managed Joint Venture process plants:
• Supports the sites through investigations of highly complex critical / persistent processing issues.
• Provides expert input for improvement programmes within the process plants.
• Supports the development of production and services strategies focusing on the 1-5yr window, aligned to the Life of Asset Plans of the operations within Operating Model principles.
• Review inputs, activities, and cost (Capital and Operational cost) for Processing production and service strategies as defined by operational teams as an input into the business planning cycle.

• Takes an active part in first line governance & assurance activities at the operations, which includes:

• Development, roll-out, embedment and review of relevant technical standards, frameworks and best practices for the processing plants, while managing compliance issues within the relevant managerial and governance frameworks.

• Provides input to ensure / enable the processing plants run at optimum efficiencies and within the desired technical standards.
• Diamond Value Management (DVM) related reviews.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Metallurgical or Chemical Engineering
• Valid SA Driver's Licence
• Minimum of 10 years experience in mineral processing
• Extensive technical knowledge of diamond processing operations (Blue Areas)
• Familiarity with emerging processing technologies and Diamond Value Management

Additional Information
Who we are:
De Beers Group is a company with a sparkling future.

Our experts have searched the world for nature's most precious gem. Our diamonds bring beauty to the world. But we think they can do so much more. We want our diamonds, and our business, to make life brilliant – for our people, our customers and the world around us.

Safety
Safety first is a way of life for us. We are unconditional about the safety, health and well-being of our colleagues, at work and at home, and about that of the communities where we work. We aim to lead the industry by investing in innovation to protect people who are at the heart of our business. Our high performing teams take accountability for their own and others' actions, work collaboratively, and always show care and respect.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
As a global #HeForShe Thematic Champion, De Beers is committed to promoting an equitable, inclusive and diverse workplace where we value and respect every colleague for who they are. We provide equal opportunity to enable everyone to fulfil their potential. Please inform us should there be any special requirements that should be considered as part of your application.

Building Forever
Sustainability is at the heart of our decision-making – it is how we do business. Building Forever is key to our purpose as it represents our ambitious and holistic sustainability framework and is central to our ability to deliver long-term value to our communities and partners. This shapes how we protect our social and environmental license to operate, build a long-term legacy in our host communities and earn consumers' trust in our diamonds that they can wear with pride.

Important Note:
This role is ring-fenced for impacted employees as part of the current business transformation and re-organisation process within De Beers Group. Preference will be given to internal candidates who are directly affected by these changes.

Closing Date
: 2 October 2025

Business Unit: Vitality Life

Function: Development (Oracle/Delphi/Magic/etc)

Date: 21 Oct 2025

About Discovery

Discovery's core purpose is to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. We seek out and invest in exceptional individuals who understand and support our core purpose, and whose own values align with those of Discovery. Our fast-paced and dynamic environment enables smart, self-driven people to be their best. As global thought leaders, Discovery is passionate about innovating in order to not only achieve financial success, but to ignite positive and meaningful change within our society.

Key Purpose

Our Software Engineers play a critical role in Vitality's successful business model by building and maintaining software solutions, in line with quality and time parameters, to enable operation as a fully integrated composite business, offering brilliant products with seamless, intuitive customer journeys.

The Principal Software Engineer leads and plans development across large or multiple teams, providing expertise in many technical areas or specialisms with very deep knowledge in a particular technical area. They are fully competent in two specialisms and are working towards competency in a third specialism. This role is required to influence both internally and externally with 3rd parties based on Vitality standards and governance.

Key outputs:

The successful applicant will be responsible for but not limited to the following job functions:

• Deliver to standards: Understand, adhere to and apply Vitality's defined technical and process standards to ensure the effective management of risks and the protection of Vitality's data.
• Recognised as the subject matter expert on adherence to standards and champions a modern engineering standard approach at Vitality.
• Encourage and reinforce the correct application of standards and leading by example.
• Provide input into the development of new standards and documentation improvements plus develop and/or write inhouse standards as well as standards for third party tools.
• Actively keep up to date with industry standards and ensure in-house standards are aligned with industry standards.
• Review and sign off on new standards to ensure they are in line with the Vitality way of working and current leading practice.
• Provide integrated solutions: ensure solutions are user-focused, strategically aligned and effectively integrated across multiple teams and platforms to ensure the business needs are met.
• Coordinate build activities across systems, and undertake and support integration testing activities.
• Responsible for assuring that software changes and/or enhancements are in line with the overall architecture and ensure that low level designs or integrated solutions meet the definition of "ready".
• Work within and across teams to ensure seamless integration and get actively involved in complex trouble shooting if/when things go wrong.
• Contribute to design, taking into account information security and performance, to ensure that integration works, influencing planning and the management team to understand the impact on the delivery process.
• Engage stakeholders. Collaborate, work with and develop an understanding of the needs and requirements of both internal and external stakeholders in order to achieve the desired outcomes.
• Working with senior management, internal stakeholders and 3rd parties to understand the business requirements and technology design, discuss and agree product launch requirements and ensure integration across multiple journeys.
• Brief and make presentations to senior IT management, participate in and advise strategic and business planning processes.
• Define future requirements and identify opportunities for future optimisation.
• Identify and surface issues and solutions.
• Build and transfer skills and knowledge. Take responsibility for developing personal skills and expertise aligned to role.
• Identifies critical areas of future learning and development required by software engineers to remain current, and oversee the organisation of relevant training for software engineers.
• Coaches and mentors senior software engineers;
• Presents and participates in internal development sessions (lunch & learn / developer forum / case studies / learning circles) as requested by senior software engineers;
• Reviews available external programmes and makes recommendation;
• Puts Vitality forward for industry awards relating to knowledge and skills;

Collaborate within and across teams. Work effectively together with others across varying areas of expertise to achieve the required results.

Personal Attributes and Skills

• Ability to foresee problems and to code for these problems
• Ability to take ownership and accountability
• Ability to work under pressure and to multi-task
• Ability to take the Lead on Technical Initiatives.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate with cross-functional teams
• Drive and initiative to get things done

• Ability to deal with complexity and migrate between detail and high level requirements

• Team work

• Innovation and Creative

Education and Experience:

Education:

• Matric
• BSc (Information Systems)
• BCom (Information Systems)
• Professional Qualification Level 6
• Formal Java Qualification (BENEFICIAL)

Experience:

• Do you have 5+ years of experience in microservice and event-driven architecture
• Do you have 2+ years of experience technical lead, and support technical team members
• Do you have 5+ years of experience in Java, Databases (MS SQL/Oracle/Postgres), DevOps and Agile .
• Do you have 5+ years of experience in Containers, Elastic, AWS, CICD, code quality (sonarqube) and cloud technologies
• Has held technical responsibility for the development, implementation and testing of at least one major application.
• Has a good knowledge of a wide area of IS concepts and practice, including the systems development life cycle, with a deep knowledge of at least one area of specialisation.
• Experience using the different development methodologies used by the organisation.
• is a member of professional bodies / institutions where applicable to their role and as agreed to with their manager;
• is recognised as an expert in their field e.g., speaks at internal conferences / forums; guest lectures at institutions; participates in recruitment drives;

Knowledge:

Knowledge of multiple languages and/or technologies and in depth understanding of database structures

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

The Company's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.

Principal Software Developer ( Data Principal/ Practice Area Lead)

Location: Melrose Arch

Employment Type: Full-Time

Department: Software Engineering

Industry: Financial Services / Technology

About the Company

We thrive on innovation, collaboration, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with technology. As a Principal Software Developer, you'll be part of a dynamic team working on high-impact projects, surrounded by thought leaders and disruptive technologies. This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about emerging tech, thrives in open environments, and is eager to mentor and lead.

Role Overview

The Principal Software Developer is a strategic technical leader responsible for guiding software architecture, mentoring teams, and driving innovation. You'll play a pivotal role in shaping technical direction, ensuring delivery excellence, and aligning development efforts with business goals.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Solve complex technical challenges and lead architectural decisions.
• Provide hands-on expertise across full-stack development.

Team Leadership

• Mentor and coach developers across all levels.
• Foster a collaborative and growth-oriented team culture.

Architecture & Design

• Design scalable, maintainable systems aligned with cloud-first principles.
• Evaluate and recommend tools, frameworks, and technologies.

Code Quality & Assurance

• Conduct rigorous code reviews and enforce coding standards.
• Champion automated testing and quality assurance practices.

Project Management

• Lead project planning, estimation, and execution.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure timely and high-quality delivery.

Innovation & Research

• Stay ahead of tech trends and drive adoption of emerging technologies.
• Contribute to R&D initiatives and innovation sprints.

Communication

• Translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Strategic Planning

• Align development efforts with long-term business objectives.
• Influence technical strategy and roadmap execution.

Required Experience & Skills

• Education
  : Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent.
• Certifications
  : AWS Certified (SysOps, Solutions Architect); Terraform Associate (advantageous).
• Experience
  : 5–10 years in full-stack development; financial services experience preferred.
• Languages
  : C#, Java, Python, Go, JavaScript, Clojure, F#, Haskell.
• Frameworks
  : Angular, React, Vue, .NET Core, Express, React Native.
• Cloud & Architecture
  : AWS (Lambda, API Gateway, S3, VPC, RDS, DynamoDB, etc.), Kubernetes, Docker, Microservices.
• Data
  : SQL (MS SQL, MySQL), NoSQL (MongoDB), Graph (Neo4J), ML tools (SageMaker, Jupyter).
• Process
  : Agile methodologies (SCRUM, Kanban, XP).
• Soft Skills
  : Strong communication, conflict resolution, mentoring, delegation, budgeting.

Key Performance Areas (KPAs) & Indicators (KPIs)

• Technical Leadership
  : Architecture alignment, adoption of best practices.
• Team Leadership
  : Developer growth, satisfaction scores.
• Code Quality
  : Defect density, code review outcomes.
• Project Delivery
  : Timeliness, stakeholder satisfaction.
• Innovation
  : Successful tech adoption, R&D contributions.
• Communication
  : Clarity, reduction in miscommunication.
• Strategic Impact
  : Alignment with business goals, execution of strategic initiatives.

Why Join Us?

• Work with cutting-edge technologies and industry leaders.
• Be part of a culture that values learning, innovation, and impact.
• Competitive compensation and flexible work arrangements.

How to Apply

Click
Apply
and ensure your profile includes:

Detailed technical experience

Certifications and qualifications

Leadership and mentoring examples

Project outcomes and strategic contributions

Lycopodium is seeking a suitably qualified and experienced Principal Process Engineer to join our dynamic, growing team in Cape Town.

With offices in Australia, Africa, Canada, Peru and the Philippines,
Lycopodium
proudly delivers high quality professional engineering and project delivery services globally, across the resources, infrastructure and industrial processes sectors. By joining our global team and learning from renowned subject matter experts, we can offer you a diverse career that could take you anywhere in the world.

The tasks you'll perform

• Ensure that Process Engineering activities are conducted to the highest quality, ethical and in line with Company, Client and regulatory requirement.
• Establish design standards in areas of expertise for the process team.
• Coordinate the resources necessary to ensure that studies are completed on time, on budget and to the appropriate standard.
• Work collaboratively with personnel across all business units.
• Ensure overall process deliverables are achieved to a consistently high standard. Respond immediately to change to ensure projects are completed on time in accordance with the contractual scope of work and services.
• Utilise project reporting requirements in accordance with Company and Client standards to a high level of accuracy and professionalism.
• Responsible and accountable for all Process design functions carried out on designated Projects, whether handled personally or delegated to subordinate staff members.
• Deliver best practice process designs in accordance with project time, budget and technical requirements.
• Prepare and review study documents adhering to Company policies and procedures to a high level of accuracy and professionalism.
• Analyse data and its relationship to the process design.
• Manage the process components of scoping, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies to ensure they are correct and thorough, appropriate to the study phase.
• Carry out peer reviews of particular designs.
• Actively solicit new business and assist with established client maintenance.
• Suggest methods to improve operational efficiency within the Process Engineering team.
• Work in conjunction with a range of internal and external stakeholders to meet project design work criteria and deliverables.
• Develop and contribute to the delivery of improvement initiatives which support business priorities for continuous improvement.
• Contribute to engineers in training professional development by providing consistent mentoring and identify avenues of development.
• Proactively support other team members as required to ensure Project deliverables are met.
• Ensure a high level of communication is attained within the Process Engineering group.
• Provide leadership, guidance and direction to the Process Engineering group as required.
• Travel on an ad-hoc basis to suit the needs of the business and its operations.

The Expertise You'll Bring

• University degree in Metallurgy, Chemical Engineering or equivalent qualification.
• A minimum of 15+ years of experience in mineral processing and/or related industries and post graduate experience.
• Mix of process plant operations and project development roles, within mining companies, and contract engineering organisations.
• South African Citizen or Permanent Resident
• Cape Town based (or willing to relocate)

Commodity

• Gold and silver – free milling and refractory ores.
• Platinum group metals and chrome.
• Uranium
• Base metals (copper/lead/zinc/nickel/cobalt) – sulphides in particular, and oxides.
• Battery minerals (graphite/lithium).
• Iron ore (haematite/magnetite).
• Mineral sands (ilmenite/rutile/zircon/monatize).
• Industrial minerals (limestone/barite/talc/gypsum/potash/phosphates/etc).

Unit Process Focus

• Comminution – crushing and screening, HPGR, milling (SAG, ball, rod, attrition) and classification.
• Ore preconcentration – DMS, machine sorting.
• Gravity separation – spirals, centrifugal bowl, tables, jigs.
• Froth flotation – including alternative equipment technologies – Jamieson, Woodgrove, Concorde, etc.
• Electrostatic separation.
• Magnetic separation
• Dewatering – thickening, filtration, centrifuging.
• Hydrometallurgical operations – leaching, carbon adsorption/desorption, solvent extraction, ion exchange, electrowinning.
• Refractory ore processing – roasting, pressure oxidation, Biox, ultrafine grinding, Albion process.
• Heat exchange – process heating and cooling, crystallisers, dryers.
• Process plant instrumentation and control philosophy.
• Interpretation of mineralogical and metallurgical test work results.

Process Simulation/Digital

• IDEAS or similar software.
• Digital twinning.
• Scenario modelling.
• Solid technical aptitude, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Build and sustain positive relationships with all stakeholders, including clients, vendors and co-workers.
• Ability to work with people at all levels within an organisation and external providers.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to multitask and prioritise to a high standard of accuracy and professionalism.
• Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision whilst consistently producing a high quality of deliverables.
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility and commitment.
• Demonstrate a strict practice of confidentiality, personal responsibility and discretion.
• Exemplify and encourage the core values and ethos of the business.
• Provide mentoring and identify avenues of professional development and succession planning for personnel within your group.
• Intuitive leader with the ability to initiate, lead and manage change in a complex environment.
• Capacity to delegate appropriately.
• Capacity to evaluate work practices, implement systems and suggest alternatives and refinements where necessary.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve consistently high standards within both budgetary and schedule constraints.
• Well-developed business acumen with the ability to adapt to different business environments.
• High attention to detail and exceptional knowledge of contract law and contract document requirements.
• Ability to travel on an ad-hoc basis to suit the needs of the business and its operations.
• High degree of professional ethics.
• Highly developed negotiation, influencing, analytical and problem resolution skills.

The Benefits We'll Provide
Lycopodium has a strong company culture focused on career progression and technical skill development. You can expect to be involved in a wide range of large projects whilst working amongst a team of highly skilled professionals.

We recognise that everyone is different and needs may change over the course of your career.

That's Why We

• Invest in our people for the long-term, building a diverse and rewarding career, mentored by the best in the industry.
• Allow our people to balance work with other commitments, like family or study, offering flexible work arrangements.
• Are undertaking significant people and technology initiatives that will support the workplace of the future.

We encourage and value diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all backgrounds regardless of gender, age, disability and ethnicity.
Our commitment to equal opportunity is embodied in our values of Respect, Integrity & Diligence. They are inherent in who we are, as individuals, and collectively as a Company.
As part of our commitment to providing the best possible care and service to you the candidate, we commit to respond to every applicant.
Please submit your CV by clicking the 'Apply' button.