Ruby on Rails Developer (Zindi)

Published on August 27, 2024

Zindi is a start-up whose mission is to build the AI ecosystem in Africa. Our vision is to mobilize a vibrant community of data scientists across Africa, solving the region’s most pressing problems. Zindi is the first data science competition platform in Africa. Zindi hosts an entire data science ecosystem of scientists, engineers, academics, companies, NGOs, governments and institutions. Zindi works with companies, non-profit organizations, and government institutions to develop, curate, and prepare data-driven challenges. For data scientists, Zindi is a place to access African datasets and solve African problems. Data scientists have all the tools they need on Zindi to compete, share ideas, hone their skills, build their professional profiles, find career opportunities, and have fun.

About us
Zindi is a start-up whose mission is to build the AI ecosystem in Africa. Our vision is to mobilize a vibrant community of data scientists across Africa, solving the region’s most pressing problems. Zindi is the first data science competition platform in Africa. Zindi hosts an entire data science ecosystem of scientists, engineers, academics, companies, NGOs, governments and institutions. Zindi works with companies, non-profit organizations, and government institutions to develop, curate, and prepare data-driven challenges. For data scientists, Zindi is a place to access African datasets and solve African problems. Data scientists have all the tools they need on Zindi to compete, share ideas, hone their skills, build their professional profiles, find career opportunities, and have fun.

This role is for a full-time developer responsible for developing, maintaining, and implementing new features on the zindi.africa platform. It is vital that the candidate be curious, driven, pragmatic and work well with changing priorities and quick responses.

Technologies Used
Application and  Data:
- Ruby on Rails
- PostgreSQL database
- React frontend (experience not required, but would be nice)
- Amazon CloudFront
- Amazon EC2
- Azure

DevOps:
- Bitbucket 
- Github

Utilities: 
- Amazon Route 53 
- Google Analytics
- Metabase
Responsibilities
  • Support with the Zindi team to ensure that the zindi.africa site is working optimally at all times
  • Manage development and infrastructure of an actively growing and evolving platform
  • Have an expert understanding of the zindi.africa code base
  • Proactively identify bugs or areas for improvement to the site
  • Fix bugs identified by the Zindi team in a timely manner
  • Add new, major functionality to the site
  • Add minor functionality to the site, such as implementing a filter or adding tags to content on the site
  • Update content to the site, such as the FAQs
Core Skills & Competencies
  • 4+ years backend development experience
  • 3+ years of experience with Ruby on Rails
  • Knowledge of Python and Jupyter notebooks advantageous
  • Knowledge of SQL advantageous
  • Able to engage productively with website owner
  • Creative thinker and problem solver
  • Able to get things done and meet deadlines
  • Excellent attention to detail
Desirable Skills & Competencies
  • Experience with front-end development
  • Experience with Azure and AWS
  • Experience with building platforms and online communities
  • Experience with public data portals
  • A good understanding of UX and design