About You and The Role 

Zipline’s Nest Applications Software team builds and manages the fulfillment, maintenance and flight systems that power our operations in Africa. We are responsible for the software that manages medical inventory, order processing, and flight coordination for automated delivery at scale. Our work spans internal platforms that streamline supply chain, and financial workflows, as well as external-facing applications that allow customers to place and track orders. By connecting every corner of the business through software, we ensure Zipline can operate efficiently, intelligently, and globally.

What You'll Do  

• Deep dive into your users’ problems to simplify operational workflows which enable the business to move efficiently 
• Architect simple, modular, flexible software systems that evolve with fast changing business needs.
• Lead backend and frontend development of major projects across all aspects of a modern tech stack.
• Establish strong automated testing practices across unit, integration, and system layers.
• Improve reliability, observability, and operational robustness of production systems.
• Systematize AI-assisted workflows across development, testing, and operations.
• Maintain clear engineering patterns, code quality standards, and review discipline.
• Mentor junior engineers through direct coaching, pairing, and design reviews.
• Increase team throughput by reducing friction, simplifying architecture, and eliminating waste.

What You'll Bring 

• 8+ years building and operating production-grade distributed systems.
• Deep experience developing full stack software using Python, Go, or a similar object-oriented language.
• Frontend experience using React or similar Javascript frameworks.
• Experience architecting distributed and event-driven systems using Kafka or similar technologies.
• Database modeling and performance tuning experience with Postgres.
• Demonstrated history of designing systems that are simple, flexible, and resilient.
• Proven implementation of comprehensive automated testing strategies.
• Experience driving architectural decisions in fast-changing environments.
• Track record of mentoring and growing junior engineers.

Nice to Haves

• Experience building modern fulfillment, logistics, or warehouse systems.
• Willingness to spend significant time in Kigali, Rwanda, via travel or relocation.
• Production experience with Kubernetes and AWS.

What Else You Need to Know   

The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; overtime pay; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!

ABOUT ALU

At the African Leadership University (ALU), we are more than an academic institution, we are a launchpad for Africa’s next generation of leaders. Our mission is bold: to develop ethical, entrepreneurial changemakers who will shape Africa’s future. Through an innovative curriculum, hands-on learning, and a vibrant pan-African community, we equip our students to tackle complex challenges, connect the dots across diverse perspectives, and create solutions that drive lasting impact. We don’t just teach; we nurture adaptable, globally minded problem-solvers ready to thrive in ambiguity, build from scratch, and lead Africa into a prosperous 21st century.

African Leadership University is incorporated in Rwanda as The African Leadership University (ALU) and in Mauritius as the African Leadership College of Higher Education (ALCHE). Each entity is separately accredited to offer qualifications by the Council of Higher Education in Rwanda and the Higher Education Commission in Mauritius. The ALU School of Business (ALUSB) is the engine of education in business, leadership, and entrepreneurship for both campuses. 

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The BSc Software Engineering programme is a three-year degree programme with the aim of developing Software Engineering graduates at scale who are well prepared to leverage technology as the first hand solution to solve relevant problems in the continent and beyond and also who are ready to meet the needs of employers globally. This innovative and scalable programme prepares graduates not only with relevant technical skills but also problem solving and leadership skills missing in our tech graduates and promotes learning with a purpose.

The role  of the  SE Specialisation Coach - Full Stack Web Development entails the responsibility to successfully deliver the learning components of the programme in the Full Stack Web Development Specialization track or other SE modules adhering to the principles of our ALU’s Learning Model.

We are looking for an individual who can meet the requirements as mentioned in the profile below:

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the in-person experience for the programme including the academic orientation,  induction for the specialisation modules for each intake, including responsibility for its development, evolution and its delivery adhering to the internal and external quality assurance standards
• Design, evolve and deliver the specialisation modules, induction and re-induction of new and existing coaches, respectively.
• Review, validate and refine the current learning curriculum of the Full Stack Web Development Specialization tracks and revise the operational plans per trimester for an effective learning delivery based on continuous feedbacks.
• Audit and refine the experiential learning components for each trimester additional to the support in self-directed student learning. Organize academic activities including Live coding sessions, Peer Learning Days, Mock Interview sessions, Hackathons and any other events that encourages student engagement in both online and in-person learning environments
• Administration and coordination of the internship modules along with supporting teams (Coaches, SPD team and other stakeholders)
• Evaluate the possibilities of improving student learning experiences by leveraging partnerships with industries, draft concept notes and finalize relevant plans to include the identified learning activities as part of the learning content.
• Contribute to updated definitive documentation for the Software Engineering modules in the programme handbooks, policies and accreditation documents
• Participate in regular student-staff consultative group meetings and other feedback instruments to capture student feedback and to implement recommendations to enhance the quality of programme delivery.
• Assist the SE Programme Manager in the review and approval of course modifications made by external learning content partners, either independently or following ALU inputs.
• Engage with all developmental and performance management processes for academic teams.
• Contribute to the annual programme review to ensure content is up-to-date, valid, relevant and reflects current and future trends in Software Engineering, whilst giving consideration to pedagogical approaches suited for hybrid learning.
• Implement modifications to learning materials, assessments and other relevant components meet internal and external quality assurance requirements.
• Implement modifications to the academic components following the findings of the annual programme review, periodic review, student-staff consultative groups, student evaluations and other quality assurance & enhancement instruments.
• Other relevant activities to ensure successful delivery of the programme.
• Engage in institutional service through active participation in the Senate and its sub-committees as per their composition.
• Any other reasonable duties that may be allocated from time to time by the line manager.

Person Specification:

Essential

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a relevant field where Software Engineering and/or Programming is a significant component with at least 5 years of industry experience in Web Development Domain.
• Experience in core web development components -  HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JSON, BootStrap, Flexbox etc
• Experience working with React.js, React-native, Node.js, ES6, modern SQL/NoSQL databases
• Deep knowledge and experience in DevOps technologies 
• Expertise in managing and deploying services on the public cloud - e.g. AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure
• Practical experience building and consuming RESTful APIs
• Expertise in information retrieval using Python requests and APIs
• Strong understanding of and practical exposure to regular expressions 
• Experience in network configurations, load balancing on servers and firewalls
• Knowledge in CI/CD technologies such as CircleCI and Jenkins
• Experience using version control systems [preferably git] for software development
• Experience in linux based shell scripting 
• Strong debugging skills in the respective domain expertise.
• Experience designing experiential learning activities that promotes peer learning
• Experience guiding student undergraduate Projects
• Excellent coaching and adequate computing skills with the ability to support students in both remote and in-person learning environments
• Excellent communications (oral and written), interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with the ability to multitask, prioritise own work, and work independently.
• The ability to quickly analyze data and determine the appropriate academic support intervention required by the student or to redirect to other teams.
• A startup mindset to help us scale the programme to the order of thousands of students in the next 12 months.
• A strong, customer-service ethos
• An ability to work flexibly with remote team members if needed

Desirable

• Experience in Embedded programming  / Mobile Development / Machine Learning is a plus
• Strong regional or international network - Startup Incubators and accelerators, etc.
• Experience of programme management and leadership at a higher education institution.
• Experience in people management - managing a fast-growing team
• Experience of online teaching and learning delivery at challenger universities.
• Experience of teaching at higher education level.

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now. Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Start Date: Immediate

Duration : 7  months

Enrollment Type: Adjunct with assigned workload (4 - 5 months) for leave coverage

Number of openings : 1

The BSc Software Engineering programme is a three-year degree programme with the aim of developing Software Engineering graduates at scale who are well prepared to leverage technology as the first hand solution to solve relevant problems in the continent and beyond and also who are ready to meet the needs of employers globally. This innovative and scalable programme prepares graduates not only with relevant technical skills but also problem solving and leadership skills missing in our tech graduates and promotes learning with a purpose.

The role  of the  SE Learning Coach entails the responsibility to successfully deliver the learning components of the programme primarily in the Foundations phase and advanced pathways per team requirements, adhering to the principles of our ALU’s Learning Model.

We are looking for an individual who can meet the requirements as mentioned in the profile below:

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the in-person experience for the programme including the academic orientation,  induction for the specialisation modules for each intake, including responsibility for its development, evolution and its delivery adhering to the internal and external quality assurance standards
• Design, evolve and deliver the specialisation modules, induction and re-induction of new and existing coaches, respectively.
• Review, validate and refine the current learning curriculum and revise the operational plans per trimester for an effective learning delivery based on continuous feedbacks.
• Audit and refine the experiential learning components for each trimester additional to the support in self-directed student learning. 
• Organize academic activities including Live coding sessions, Peer Learning Days, Mock Interview sessions, Hackathons and any other events that encourages student engagement in both online and in-person learning environments
• Administration and coordination of the internship modules along with supporting teams (Coaches, Professional Development teams and other internal and external stakeholders)
• Evaluate the possibilities of improving student learning experiences by leveraging partnerships with industries, draft concept notes and finalize relevant plans to include the identified learning activities as part of the learning content.
• Contribute to updated definitive documentation for the Software Engineering modules in the programme handbooks, policies and accreditation documents
• Participate in regular student-staff consultative group meetings and other feedback instruments to capture student feedback and to implement recommendations to enhance the quality of programme delivery.
• Assist the SE Programme Manager and Leads in the review and approval of course modifications made by external learning content partners, either independently or following ALU inputs.
• Engage with all developmental and performance management processes for academic teams.
• Contribute to the annual programme review to ensure content is up-to-date, valid, relevant and reflects current and future trends in Software Engineering, whilst giving consideration to pedagogical approaches suited for blended learning.
• Implement modifications to learning materials, assessments and other relevant components to  meet internal and external quality assurance requirements.
• Implement modifications to the academic components following the findings of the annual programme review, periodic review, student-staff consultative groups, student evaluations and other quality assurance & enhancement instruments.
• Other relevant activities to ensure successful design and delivery of the programme.
• Engage in institutional service through active participation in the Senate and its sub-committees as per their composition.
• Any other reasonable duties that may be allocated from time to time by the managers.

Ensure the safety and well-being of all young persons and vulnerable adults with whom we deal,  by adhering to ALU’s comprehensive safeguarding policy, maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to any violations of safeguarding standards. 

Person Specification:

Essential

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a relevant field where Software Engineering and/or Programming is a significant component with minimum 2 years of experience in Full-Stack Web Development with advanced Python skills covering latest front-end and back-end technologies
• Experience in Core web development components -  HTML, CSS, JavaScript
• Experience in Client-Side and Server Side Scripting technologies 
• Knowledge in DevOps technologies 
• Expertise in managing and deploying services on the public cloud - e.g. AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure
• Knowledge in CI/CD technologies such as CircleCI and Jenkins
• Solid understanding of REST APIs 
• Expertise in information retrieval using Python requests and APIs
• Strong understanding of and practical exposure to regular expressions 
• Experience in network configurations, load balancing on servers and firewalls
• Experience using version control systems [preferably git] for software development
• Experience in linux based shell scripting 
• Strong debugging skills especially in a webstack
• Excellent coaching and adequate computing skills with the ability to support students in both remote and in-person learning environments
• Excellent communications (oral and written), interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with the ability to multitask, prioritise own work, and work independently.
• The ability to quickly analyze data and determine the appropriate academic support intervention required by the student or to redirect to other teams.
• The ability to quickly analyse data and determine the appropriate academic support intervention required by the student or to redirect to other teams.
• A startup mindset to help us scale the programme to the order of thousands of students 
• A strong, customer-service ethos
• An ability to work flexibly with remote team members

Desirable

• Subject matter expertise in Mobile Application Development
• Strong regional or international network Startup Incubators and accelerators, etc.
• Experience of online teaching and learning delivery at challenger universities.
• Experience of teaching at higher education level.
• Experience of online teaching and learning delivery.
• Experience of teaching and learning at challenger universities.