Software Engineer - Java - Platform Track

Electrum is a next-generation payment software technology company.

Since 2012, we've delivered trusted, enterprise-grade, cloud-native software to optimise financial transaction processing. Our deep expertise has established us as a respected partner in high-volume, low-value payment schemes, enabling clients to deliver services to millions of South Africans daily.

At Electrum, we are grounded in impact – designing solutions that matter, acting with urgency, and continuously learning as we scale. We believe in creating together – working side by side with our clients and teams to build meaningful, lasting solutions. We prioritise making it safe – encouraging open communication, smart risk-taking, and trust so that creativity and alignment thrive. And we back empowered strong teams – hiring brilliant people, collaborating hard, and holding each other to high standards while leading with empathy and kindness.

When you join the Electrum team, you’ll get to:

• Be part of the entire journey — from the spark of an idea to the final product launch.
• Grow your skills through world-class training and hands-on learning every day.
• Receive mentorship and guidance from industry leaders who are invested in your success.
• Work in a dynamic, innovative workplace where collaboration and creativity thrive.
• Tackle real-world customer challenges and see the impact of your work firsthand.
• Explore plenty of opportunities to grow your career and expand your expertise.
• Gain valuable experience in a leading FinTech environment, contributing to meaningful, high-impact projects.
  

The Role

Are you a talented Java developer with a passion for crafting elegant, efficient, and high-quality code, but looking for an environment where you can broaden your expertise?

As a Java Software Engineer at Electrum, your core foundation will be crafting elegant and efficient code for our high-performance backend systems. However, we know the best engineers are curious problem-solvers. Because our high-stakes, high-reward environment demands a wide breadth of technologies, we are specifically looking for Java Developers who have an interest in exploring or transitioning into one of the following core areas over time:

• Reliability/SRE Engineering: Learning to build observability tooling, automation frameworks, and architect systems that process high-volume, real-world financial transactions with minimal downtime.
• Platform Engineering: Gaining hands-on experience designing scalable platforms using Kubernetes, Helm, ArgoCD, and modern CI/CD pipelines to help our engineers build and deploy their code as efficiently as possible.

You don't need to be an expert in these two areas yet - we are looking for a solid foundation in Java and the eagerness to learn, scale, and perform under complex and challenging conditions.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in software development
• Anyone can write code. However, it takes a bit of experience to write code that balances elegance, maintainability, efficiency and quality.
• Be strong with Java
• Our backend systems are built on this. They are high-performance systems that really require you to know what you’re doing in Java.
• A university degree or an equivalent number of years of relevant experience
• We require a degree or two additional years of relevant working experience in Java. This is because the role demands proven analytical skills, particularly in high-stakes (dealing with people's money) and highly complex environments. The work has a material impact and, while high-reward, it involves high risk. Therefore, on-the-job learning is insufficient; we need assurance that you possess the necessary expertise..

Advantageous for the role: (If you have an interest or exposure to any of these, let us know!)

1. Full-stack, SaaS, or Payments development experience.
2. Exposure to Cloud Infrastructure (AWS) and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform / CloudFormation).
3. Familiarity with containerisation and orchestration (Kubernetes, Docker) and CI/CD pipelines.
4. An interest in observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK) or scripting (Python, Bash).

Benefits

Why Join Electrum?

• We believe in a People First approach, ensuring a culture where you can thrive and make a real difference
  

Your Career & Culture

• Career Growth: Delivering world-class financial software is challenging, but your effort will earn you hands-on experience with products used by millions, accelerating your career.
• Strong Teams: We keep teams small, focused, and collaborative to maximize impact.
• Transparency: We openly discuss strategy, finances, and salaries. Mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities that we actively discuss.
• Autonomy: We trust you. You're expected to seek out the data needed for informed decisions and manage your own time—knowing when to focus and when to recharge.
• Shared Vision: You'll have the power to shape the vision of how we build the future of financial services.

Practical Perks

1. Here's how we support our culture:
• Flexible Work: Office-first environment with flexible hours.
• Generous Leave: Starting at 20 days per year.
• Office Perks (Cape Town): Fully-stocked kitchen and daily catered lunch.
2. Social Life: Regular team activities like hikes, getaways, and dinners