Senior Full-Stack Developer: Internal Systems & Automation

Role/Vacancy

Location

Cape Town (Head Office)

Employment type

Full-Time

Work Policy

Hybrid

Who is GENFIN?

GENFIN is a proudly South African business that enables and supports businesses with flexible funding solutions, allowing them to unlock growth for sustainable success. We understand the needs of businesses and that access to affordable finance is critical for the growth, sustainability, and operation of any business.

We are backed by the GENFIN Holdings Group, an investment company specializing in SME and consumer lending in South Africa and the United Kingdom. Other strategic funding partners include RMB, Sanlam Investments, Ashburton Investments and STANLIB.
Click here to read more about us

Position Overview

The Senior Full-Stack Developer: Internal Systems & Automation is responsible for designing, developing, maintaining, and modernising internal business applications, automation tools, and data-driven workflows. The role spans over the full application lifecycle, from understanding requirements and existing processes through to development, deployment, support, and continuous improvement.

The role is responsible for modernising processes and systems to improve operational efficiency and deliver scalable, maintainable technology solutions that support business objectives across areas like client engagement, credit origination, collections, decisioning, reporting, and portfolio analytics.

Application Development & Delivery

Design, develop, and maintain internal web-based applications and business systems. This includes building new tools, improving existing tools, integrating with databases or third-party systems, and replacing manual or spreadsheet-driven processes with more robust applications:

Own end-to-end delivery: planning, development, testing, documentation, deployment, monitoring, and ongoing enhancements
Build and maintain integrations with databases, APIs, internal systems, and third-party platforms
Work across both backend and frontend layers – database design, API development, UI, validation, authentication, and error handling
Ensure all builds are version-controlled (Git/GitHub), documented to a handover standard, and supportable by another suitably skilled internal or external resource
Support systems after go-live: debugging, performance improvements, log review, and production support

Legacy Modernisation

A significant part of the role involves understanding and modernising existing internal tools and processes:

Reverse-engineer existing logic built in Excel, VBA, or SQL and understand why processes work the way they do before rebuilding or improving them
Preserve underlying business logic while modernising implementation into scalable, maintainable applications
Identify inefficiencies in current workflows and recommend practical improvements without gold-plating
Collaborate with existing system owners during transition to ensure continuity and correctness

Business Requirements & Analysis

Operate with sufficient business analysis capability to support development initiatives independently, reducing reliance on the dedicated internal BA resource:

Engage directly with business stakeholders to understand operational needs and translate them into clear functional specifications
Analyse existing business processes, identify gaps, and recommend suitable technical solutions
Challenge requests where the effort does not justify the outcome and escalate prioritisation decisions proactively
Produce lightweight, practical specs that align stakeholders without slowing delivery

AI-Assisted Development

AI-assisted development tools are expected to be used responsibly where they improve productivity, quality, documentation, testing, or learning. These tools should enhance, not replace, the developer’s technical judgement:

Use AI tools to support prototyping, code scaffolding, documentation, debugging, test generation, and learning unfamiliar technologies
Critically review AI-generated code: validate outputs, identify risks, test thoroughly, and ensure production-quality standards are met
Maintain full technical ownership – be able to explain, defend, and iterate on all code produced regardless of how it was generated
Contribute to Genfin’s internal AI development capability through builds, knowledge transfer, and practical adoption of emerging tooling

Governance, Documentation & Continuity

Apply appropriate data security, access control, and confidentiality practices, particularly when working with client, credit, financial, or commercially sensitive data
Maintain a live register of all systems owned: access, documentation status, dependencies, and refresh cadence
Ensure every production system has a named secondary and a first responder troubleshooting guide
Apply a consistent QA process before any deployment, including peer or AI-assisted code review
Support the upskilling of other internal resources over time through knowledge sharing and guided collaboration

Stakeholder Engagement

Communicate technical matters clearly to non-technical stakeholders, including Heads and Executives
Document work thoroughly and structure outputs to meet the needs of the intended audience
Collaborate across Credit, Finance, Operations, and BI teams to ensure builds reflect real business context
Contribute to internal reporting relevant to audit, compliance, or board-level visibility of technology risk where required

Essential:

Full-stack development capability – able to build and support end-to-end applications independently
Ability to understand business logic and translate it into maintainable system design, including data structures, workflows, validations, and audit requirements
Strong proficiency in Node.js and TypeScript, with the ability to develop, maintain, and extend production applications. This is the primary backend technology used within the organisation.
Strong proficiency in React and TypeScript, with the ability to develop and maintain modern frontend applications. This is the primary frontend technology used within the organisation.
Strong relational database skills: table design, SQL queries, joins, data integrity, and performance considerations; SQL Server experience and PostgreSQL advantageous
Solid understanding of APIs, authentication, file handling, data validation, error handling, and logging
Version control (Git/GitHub) as a non-negotiable working practice
Deployment fundamentals: understanding of how applications are hosted, monitored, maintained, and safely released into production

Advantageous:

Experience with other modern backend frameworks (e.g. Python/Flask, Python/Django, .NET, or similar).
Experience with AI-assisted development tooling used responsibly as a productivity aid, or a clear willingness to adopt such tools with appropriate judgement.
Familiarity with Microsoft 365 ecosystem (Excel, SharePoint, PowerBI)
Exposure to legacy modernisation: rebuilding Excel, VBA, or SQL-based processes into scalable applications

Behavioural Competence

The following competencies are considered essential for success in this role:

Applying Expertise and Technology – applies technical depth and continuously develops knowledge; uses technology purposefully to achieve business outcomes
Deciding and Initiating Action – self-directed and accountable; makes progress without needing every detail specified upfront; takes ownership through to completion
Delivering Results and Meeting Expectations – sets high standards for own output; works systematically and consistently achieves deliverables
Creating and Innovating – produces practical solutions and improvements; seeks opportunities to modernise and simplify without over-engineering
Analysing – able to break down complex business processes, identify patterns, and translate findings into technical decisions
Adapting and Responding to Change – comfortable with ambiguity; adapts approach to different stakeholders and evolving requirements
Learning and researching – rapidly learns new technologies and business domains; manages and shares knowledge effectively within the team
Planning and Organising – manages own delivery against deadlines and milestones; identifies risks early and adjusts accordingly
Working with People – collaborates well within a small team; listens to business users and communicates with empathy and clarity
Writing and Reporting – documents work clearly and structures outputs for the intended audience, whether technical or executive

Minimum Formal Qualifications and Training

NFQ Level: 7
Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related discipline.

Minimum Work Experience

8 years of software development experience, preferably gained within a financial services, fintech, credit, lending, insurance, or similarly regulated/data-heavy environment. Domain knowledge is strongly preferred, as the role requires an ability to understand credit, collections, and lending workflows with limited ramp-up time.
Demonstrated experience building and supporting internal business tools, workflow automation systems, reporting applications, or operational platforms is essential. Experience with legacy modernisation (particularly rebuilding or improving Excel, VBA, or SQL-based processes) is a significant advantage.
The role functions as the primary internal development resource within the company and requires a high degree of autonomy and ownership across the full technical lifecycle of systems.

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