Software Developer at Absa Bank Limited

Job Summary

This position will require an understanding of configuration and a foundational level of experience on a Cloud based platform. Working alongside a Strategic Lead and Specialist Configurators, ensuring optimal operation of the overall platform. It will include but not be limited to complex testing, business process design, process implementation, analysis, and maintenance in the light of best practice recommendations and creating reports.

Overall Job Purpose

• The Senior. Software Engineer will execute Absa’s Digital Strategy. Ensuring Digital Assets respond to customer needs intuitively and provide Customers an excellent Experience.
• The Software Engineer will be responsible for the design and implementation of processes and tools to enable continuous integration and continuous delivery. Maximizing the speed and quality of delivery across Teams.
• This position is responsible for the development and operations of all Absa Kenya Digital Assets, including but not limited to, websites, mobile applications, and platforms, including Absa Mobile Banking, Internet Banking, Absa Sure, Novo FX, Timiza etc.
• To oversee the development and maintenance of new software systems.
• To determine and identify high-level functional and technical requirements from interactions with the business users and knowledge of enterprise architecture, testing automation, performance tuning, security.
• Drive convergence of technologies, ensure delivery of technology projects associated with Applications and liaise and negotiate with internal customers and technology vendors.

Key Activities

• Design software, hardware and communications architectures that support the requirements gathered from business users and provide for current and future requirements and interfaces.
• Conducting feasibility studies for upgraded software systems.
• Designing new software programs, websites, and applications.
• Develop Restful APIs’.
• Develop SOAP APIs’.
• Develop software to integrate with internal back-end systems and databases.
• Managing the software development lifecycle.
• Develop software to integrate with internal back-end systems.
• Direct software programming initiatives.
• Meet and interact regularly with business leaders to actualize their ideas or resolve a business problem through software development or automation.
• Developing technical documentation to guide future software development projects.
• Apply relevant research methodologies, tools, and techniques to gather information effectively and purposefully.
• Understand and apply existing best practice frameworks to assist in the implementation of identified subject matter processes and standards.
• Provide specialist advice and support in area of accountability to ensure that identified solutions and recommendations are appropriate and effective.
• Deliver IT Digital analysis services as per agreed performance contract
• Understand and apply existing best practice frameworks to assist in the implementation of identified subject matter processes and standards.
• Identify and recommend new innovative ways of achieving quality results
• Communicating key project data to team members and building cohesion among teams.
• Develop and execute project plans.
• Apply best practices and standard operating procedures.
• Create simple innovative solutions to meet our organization’s technical needs.
• Organize and maintain a regular process reviews with both key business and IT representatives.
• Agree appropriate actions to maintain or improve processes by providing automation solutions.
• Determine the opportunities for automations and their requirements from the business for new or enhanced IT applications.
• Participate in Change Control meetings to assess and authorize changes from an availability perspective.
• Assist in SLA negotiation efforts from an availability capability standpoint.
• Design solutions that are highly resilient and scalable.
• Design for zero operations.
• Stay abreast with current and future technology trends.

Test Management

• Responsibility is to ensure that proper testing occurs for all Application changes released into the production environments

Key Activities

• Work closely with Release Analysts.
• Review releases and assign appropriate release testing tasks.
• Compiles and Review the Testing Deliverables.
• Conduct installation procedure tests.
• Oversee / Review functional, performance, and integration testing results.
• Coordinate user acceptance testing.
• Coordinate back out testing.
• Conduct supporting documentation review.
• Compile test results.
• Conduct release test review.
• Coordinate post release testing.

Business Liaison

• Single point of contact for one or more business units to represent IT services.

Key Activities

• Identify service needs for the Business Units.
• Escalate Business unit service issues to the Service Manager.
• Communicate service status on service issues to the Business Unit.
• Co create Time to Market SLAs for digital propositions.
• Assist in SLA negotiation efforts with Business Unit(s).
• Report on quality of services rendered to Business Unit(s).

Risk Management

• Build relationship with country Technology Risk and Compliance team and provide support wherever required.
• Ensure that processes and controls are executed in daily work and understand the reasons for the controls and the consequences for failing to adhere to prescribed processes.
• Test a sample of activities on a weekly basis by reviewing documentation and checking work completed by team members to see if control requirements are being adhered to. Coach the team members on areas for improvement and highlight major failures to the manager of the area
• Provide evidence/supporting documents to auditors or management assurance consultants during formal reviews
• Identify losses due to processing errors or internal fraud in the department. Escalate to the manager and provide all the required information to allow logging of the Risk and Loss events. Participate in the investigations
• Make team members aware of all changes to policies, processes and procedures that are being planned for the area and ensure that they can incorporate the changes on the effective date. Ensure that team members read circulars that are relevant to the area and answer questions they may have.
• Contribute and deliver to the improvement of the risk profile by delivering improved governance, risk management, controls, and compliance requirements.
• Devise and implement an effective plan to deliver a satisfactory risk and audit profile for Operations & IT and achieve audit and assurance targets.

People Management

• Other software engineers.

Controls

• Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise-Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Absa Policies and Policy Standards. Understand and manage risks and risk events (incidents) relevant to the role

Education and Experience Required

• Undergraduate or higher in Computer Science or any other Technology related field.
• Advanced knowledge of programming languages.
• 5 years IT experience.
• Experience in working with Financial Institution companies.
• Automation knowledge and experience.

Subject Matter Expert Qualifications

• Dev Ops experience will be added advantage.
• Certification in programming languages.
• Experience in agile ways of working including working in squads and delivering in sprint iterations.
• ITIL Certification.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in IT exposure.
• Minimum of 3 years’ software development experience.

Knowledge & Skills: (Maximum of 6)

• Translate Business Requirements to Tech Solutions (Solid)
• Software development skills (Solid)
• Negotiation Skills (Solid)
• Strategic Thinking (Solid)
• ITIL - Governance Framework (Solid)
• Communication Skills (Written and Verbal) (Solid)
• Subject matter expertise (Solid)
• Understand the IT service delivery within a corporate environment (Advanced)
• Conceptual thinking skills (Solid)
• Ability to analyse, make decision and initiate act (Solid)

Competencies:

• Able to build Apps or Web solutions with multiple frameworks.
• Two-way Integrations.
• Able to mentor and Train.
• Lead Project Team.
• Should be Full Stack.
• Apply Machine Learning in Perf. Tuning
• Agile ways of working (Meets all the requirements).
• Business Analysis (Meets all the requirements).
• Commercial mindset - (Meets all the requirements).
• Creative and innovative thinking (Meets all the requirements).
• Openness to change (Meets some of the requirements and would need further development).

Education

• National Diplomas and Advanced Certificates: Information Technology (Required)

Closing date; 21 April 2022