Context

The Systems Developer is part of the Digitalization Team, our information management (IT) unit. This role has the responsibility of supporting our work to explore, develop and maintain a portfolio of applications and systems. You can live wherever you like and some limited travel will be required. 

Seefar encourages applicants from a variety of backgrounds and locations, including those in developing countries, displaced persons, and/or those with physical disabilities.

Job Description

We are a social enterprise with a vision for a world where vulnerable people have more opportunities to advance themselves. We specialise in justice, migration and social inclusion. Our expertise is in strategic communications, counselling, consulting, monitoring and evaluation, and research. We work in East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, East Africa, North Africa, the Sahel and Europe. For more information about us, please visit http://seefar.org/about-us 

This role demands someone who is smart, driven to find solutions and interested in exploring new ways of doing things in the IT space.

The Digitalization Team has a track record in creating innovative products that meet the needs of our beneficiaries. Our products are built to be used by ‘people on the move’, by individuals who are looking to improve their lives and by humans who face significant life challenges. In 2020 we launched a website that provided risk assessments for migrants and an app that linked job seekers with employment opportunities. You will have the responsibility to build and maintain multi-platform applications that have an impact. 

Our Digitalization Team builds applications that: 

• Make a difference in the lives of individuals and communities.
• Take advantage of new technologies that have applications for the beneficiaries of our services. 
• Create data management systems that combine open-source information with new research. 
• Generate insights from live data and use the insights to offer solutions to migrants and other communities at risk. 
• Are not limited by corporate structures but instead seek to change the way people consume information. 

To get a sense of the services we specialise in at Seefar, please visit http://seefar.org/services 

Priority countries and regions for our products are Ukraine, Syria, the Sahel Region, Central Asia and South Asia. But our scope reaches beyond these locations: the users of our technology products travel across Europe, North America and the Middle East. Funding for product development comes from United Nations Agencies, foundations and national governments. We create products alone and in partnership with other humanitarian and aid agencies.

Responsibilities

The following are the primary responsibilities of the role, with estimated allocations of time and attention.

Create: Product Development 

Approximately 40 % of your time and attention:

• Collect product specifications, generate user stories, user journeys and acceptance criteria. 
• Participate in Scrum sessions with external teams to complete projects in production.
• Participate in planning sessions with external teams to develop a new project or   deployment.
• Generate code to meet product specifications and provide advice on state-of-the-art approaches. This will likely be done in collaboration with internal and external teams. 
• Participate in the launch of alpha and beta products and monitor the initial feedback by users. 

Maintain: Support Applications and Systems

Approximately 50 % of your time and attention: 

• Participate in Scrum sessions with internal teams to identify improvements to launched projects leading to new versions of a product or deployment. 
• Participate in Scrum sessions to maintain applications and address system issues. 
• Participate in regular efforts to trouble-shoot bugs and  address back-end issues. 
• Find and propose product improvements, help to develop plans for deployment and integrate into post-launch versions.
• If required, travel to beneficiary locations, provide user training, collect inputs for launched and planned projects and support users.

Direct: Internal Services 

Approximately 10 % of your time and attention: 

• Provide technical support and ensure user (internal) requests are addressed. 

Working with Seefar

Current and former personnel have noted the points below as positive features of Seefar’s work environment and culture:

• The Enterprise combines entrepreneurialism with a focus on social impact.
• You work with highly diverse people and across a diversity of contexts.
• There is a high level of trust that supports you to work autonomously.
• The people in the Enterprise encourage innovation and experimentation.
• Achieving results is prioritised over rigid structures and workflows.
• You are never bored and always challenged.

Current and former personnel have noted the points below as negative features of Seefar’s work environment and culture:

• Collaborating with geographically dispersed teams requires flexibility and patience.
• Working remotely can make you feel isolated and so requires you to invest time in communication.
• Travel schedules can sometimes be heavy.
• A high-growth phase means problem-solving as the Enterprise’s systems evolve quickly.

An Excellent Candidate

To excel in this role you will have the following experience and capacities:

• Education in Management Information Systems or other related discipline 
• Certification in Agile Scrum or at least 2 years of experience in Agile 
• Demonstrable experience in writing Java code with an updated GitHub profile 
• Previous experience in product development with one or more successfully launched products
• Previous experience in back-end development and management including hosting and database management 

To Apply for this Role

On or before January 15, complete our online application form by clicking Apply button below. Please, do not include your name or your photo in your CV or letter. This is because we review your application based purely on your previous experiences and introductory letter. 

Before you start, you should do the following:

1. Confirm you meet these minimum requirements:
   1. At least 4 years of experience building web applications 
   2. Significant experience in Java Script 
   3. Significant experience in back-end development
   4. Strong understanding of management of AWS and GCP  
2. Prepare CV in Word or PDF Format 
3. In Word or PDF format, prepare an introductory letter that includes only the following:
   1. A paragraph describing your motivation for wanting to join Seefar. Add one or two examples of a recent product you developed. 
   2. A paragraph describing how your past experiences and skills will contribute to Seefar and its mission.  
   3. Link to your GitHub repository