Associate Software Engineer | Job in Rwanda

## 🎯 Responsabilités
Associate Software Engineer TERMS OF REFERENCE Recrutement of: ASSOCIATE SOFTWARE ENGINEER Individual Consultant Position title: Associate Software Engineer Contract type: Individual Consultant (Full -Time) Job Level: Associate Duration: Fixed Term, One year renewable Location: Kigali, Rwanda Deadline: 30 April 2026 at 11:00PM Kigali time (GMT+2) 1. Context and Background Smart Africa is an alliance of over 40 African countries, international organizations, and global private sector partners committed to accelerating Africa’s digital transformation. Launched in 2013 by seven Heads of State and now representing over one billion people, the Alliance drives sustainable socio-economic development through ICTs and affordable broadband, with a shared vision of creating a single digital market in Africa by 2030. Under its Technology-Driven Entrepreneurship Program, Smart Africa coordinates the Smart Africa Network of Incubators and Accelerators (SANIA) – a pan-African platform connecting incubators, accelerators, startup support organizations, governments, investors, and development partners to strengthen and scale Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. The SANIA digital platform serves as the operational backbone of this initiative, enabling collaboration and knowledge sharing across the ecosystem. The platform requires continuous technical maintenance, feature development, and user support to ensure reliability, scalability, and an optimal user experience. Visit https://smartafrica.org/ and https://sania.smartafrica.org/ for more information about Smart Africa and SANIA 2. Duties and Responsibilities of the Associate Software Engineer The Associate Software Engineer will ensure the technical performance, security, and continuous improvement of the SANIA platform across the following areas: I. Platform Maintenance & Stability Perform day-to-day technical maintenance and monitoring of the platform hosted on AWS EC2 infrastructure Monitor system performance, uptime, and security across production environments Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve bugs and technical issues in a timely manner Execute regular updates, patches, backups, and server-level maintenance Enforce data protection and cybersecurity best practices II. Development & Feature Upgrades Develop new modules and functionalities aligned with the SANIA platform roadmap using the Laravel (PHP) framework Optimize and refactor existing modules for performance and maintainability Implement platform upgrades, performance enhancements, and scalability improvements Maintain well-structured, documented, and secure codebase following best practices Development of a mobile version of the platform (iOS and Android) III. UI/UX & Product Improvement Enhance the user interface and overall user experience through iterative improvements Ensure cross-device responsiveness, accessibility, and compliance with web standards Apply user-centered design principles to all platform features Translate user feedback and behavioral analytics into actionable feature enhancements IV. User Support & Community Interaction Respond promptly to user technical inquiries and support requests Collect, structure, and prioritize user feedback for development planning Support community management functions in coordination with the SANIA team Contribute to strategies for improving user engagement and retention V. Documentation & Reporting Maintain comprehensive technical documentation of the platform architecture and codebase Document all updates, new features, deployments, and system changes Provide periodic technical reports on platform status, performance, and development progress Coordinate with external service providers and vendors as required 3. Key Qualifications a. Education & Experience Requirements Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field Minimum two (2) years of proven hands-on experience in full-stack web development Proven track record of maintaining and scaling live digital platforms in production environments Experience with UI/UX improvement, product iteration, and user-centered development processes Experience working within multi-stakeholder or ecosystem-driven platforms is a strong advantage b. Technical Skills The candidate must demonstrate strong proficiency in the following areas: PHP development with the Laravel framework (required – the SANIA platform is Laravel-based) Front-end technologies (HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Vue.js or React) Database management systems (MySQL, PostgreSQL) RESTful API development, integration, and documentation Version control using Git (GitHub/GitLab workflows) AWS cloud services, particularly EC2 instance management, deployment, and server administration (required – the platform is hosted on AWS EC2) CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment workflows (e.g., GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins) Cybersecurity fundamentals and data protection standards Familiarity with analytics and user behavior tracking tools is an asset Certification or working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics is an added value C. Core Competencies Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities Ability to work independently and manage deliverables with minimal supervision Detail-oriented with structured documentation and reporting practices User-centered and product-oriented mindset Effective communication of technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders Basic understanding of community engagement and platform management principles Confidentiality and Integrity d. Languages Fluency in English is required; proficiency in French is an advantage 4. Duration and Duty Station The assignment is full-time for an initial period of one (1) year, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and conduct as well as and availability of funds. Duty station: Kigali, Rwanda. The duties shall be performed for on-site at Smart Africa’s Office to ensure effective coordination and collaboration. 5 .Reporting Line The Associate Software Engineer will report directly to the MIS and IT Operations Officer. 6. Application Instructions Interested candidates fulfilling the position requirements should send the following application documents to the email address: hr@smartafrica.org , with mention of “Associate Software Engineer” in the email subject line: Motivation letter Curriculum Vitae Copies of academic and professional qualification certificates The deadline for submitting applications is 30 April 2026 at 11:00PM Kigali time (GMT+2). Note: Only selected candidates for interview will be contacted. = = = = END Apply Click on the APPLY button to send your application documents: Your application will be sent to the employer immediately (Allowed formats: .doc .pdf .txt .docx) A confirmation email will be sent to you few minutes afterwards You can request any documents archived from our website (ex: a job description, a CV, a cover letter...) Please bear in mind that you should never be requested to pay to get interviews, or to pass extra certifications etc... Get in touch Job in Rwanda - (J.I.R Ltd) KG 611 St #10 Gishushu P.O. Box 4062 Kigali, RWANDA (+250) 788 300 952 info@jobinrwanda.com Our services Advertisement Shortlisting Recruitment Marketing Labour Market Data Jobs elsewhere jobinuganda.com jobintanzania.com jobinkenya.com jobinburundi.com jobincamer.com jobenrdc.com Copyright 2026 Job in Rwanda - Site owner. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Site administration