Company

Kora is the marketplace for everything payments. We offer a robust payment API for payment collections, disbursements, and conversions for businesses anywhere in Africa. 

Our vision, which is at the core of what we do every day, is to create a world void of digital financial barriers. We are committed to delivering reliable, secure, and easy-to-use digital financial solutions to every single customer with a guarantee that it is improving their lives. To achieve this mission, we need people like you. 

We strongly believe in our ability to find Water in the Desert and pick the Sands in the Ocean.

We value positive energy and clear communication, and are committed to building an inclusive environment for people from every background.

Role Summary

We are looking for a Senior Full-Stack Engineer to join the Innovation Team and lead the technical execution of new products, prototypes, and innovation projects.

This person will coordinate both frontend and backend engineering, guide technical decisions, support the team’s delivery, and ensure products are built properly from idea to launch.

The ideal candidate should be a strong full-stack engineer with leadership ability, product thinking, and experience or a strong interest in emerging technologies such as AI, automation, blockchain, fintech, and payments

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the frontend and backend engineering direction for innovation projects.
• Build, review, and improve full-stack applications across web, APIs, databases, and integrations.
• Translate product ideas and business requirements into clear technical plans.
• Coordinate frontend and backend engineers to ensure smooth delivery.
• Define technical architecture, API structures, database design, and development standards.
• Support rapid prototyping, MVP development, pilot launches, and product improvements.
• Review code, unblock engineers, and improve engineering quality.
• Ensure products are scalable, secure, reliable, and easy to maintain.
• Explore and apply emerging technologies, including AI, blockchain, automation, and payment-related systems.
• Support sprint planning, task breakdown, documentation, testing, and release readiness.
• Mentor engineers and promote a strong culture of ownership, speed, innovation, and quality.

Required Skills & Experience

• Strong experience as a Full-Stack Engineer.
• Good frontend experience with tools such as React, Next.js, Vue, or similar frameworks.
• Good backend experience with Node.js.
• Experience building APIs, integrations, dashboards, internal tools, or customer-facing platforms.
• Good understanding of databases such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, or similar.
• Experience with cloud platforms, deployment, CI/CD, and modern development workflows.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, security, performance, and scalability.
• Ability to coordinate engineers and manage frontend/backend dependencies.
• Strong communication and documentation skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-moving innovation environment.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in AI, automation, blockchain, fintech, payments, or SaaS products.
• Experience working with LLMs, AI agents, RAG systems, workflow automation, or API orchestration.
• Experience with wallets, stablecoins, smart contracts, digital assets, or Web3 infrastructure.
• Experience leading MVPs, pilots, prototypes, or early-stage product development.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams, including product, design, data, AI, and business teams.

What Success Looks Like

• Innovation projects are delivered faster and with a better engineering structure.
• Frontend and backend teams are well coordinated.
• Products are built with clear architecture, documentation, and quality standards.
• Engineers are unblocked quickly and supported properly.
• MVPs and pilots move smoothly from concept to launch.
• The team adopts practical new technologies that create real business value.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a hands-on builder and technical leader who can turn ideas into working products.

They should be comfortable writing code, guiding engineers, making technical decisions, and working across product, AI, data, and business teams.

They should be curious, practical, innovative, and excited about building products at the intersection of AI, fintech, payments, automation, and blockchain.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Sponsored and tailored training
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time-off
• Flexible work style
• Low-interest loans
• Group Life Insurance
• Access to up to four therapy sessions monthly
• Day off on your birthday 🎂 🎁 🎉
• Employee interest groups that provide supportive communities within Kora
• Great company culture and the opportunity to work with a highly collaborative team building something great!

Note: We recognise imposter syndrome is real - any candidate who does not perfectly fit every characteristic of this role is still strongly encouraged to apply.