Senior Backend Engineer (AI-Native) Job Umba

IT Jobs, Umba Jobs.

About the Role

We’re looking for an experienced Back-End / Full-Stack Engineer to design, build, and scale the core services that power Umba’s digital banking platform.

You’ll work primarily in Python (Flask, FastAPI), building secure, high-performance APIs used by tens of thousands of customers across Africa — while also contributing across the stack where needed.

This is not a traditional engineering role.

We operate in an AI-native development environment, where engineers leverage tools like Claude Code, Codex, and other LLM-based systems to accelerate development, generate code, and iterate quickly.

As a result, the role increasingly focuses on:

• Defining clear technical specifications
• Orchestrating AI agents to implement systems
• Reviewing, validating, and hardening generated code
• Building robust feedback loops and quality control systems

You’ll collaborate closely with the Data and Product teams to shape our architecture and ship features quickly and reliably.

This is a highly technical, in-office role based in Nairobi. You’ll join a small, high-performing team operating at speed, where ownership is expected and impact is immediate.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services using Python (Flask, FastAPI)
• Contribute to front end development (NextJS)
• Contribute across the stack when needed (APIs, integrations)
• Define clear technical specs that can be executed by AI-assisted development workflows
• Use AI tools (e.g. Claude Code, Codex) to accelerate development while maintaining high quality
• Review, test, and validate AI-generated code to ensure correctness, security, and performance
• Architect systems with a focus on reliability, observability, and scalability
• Build strong testing and validation pipelines (unit, integration, automated QA)
• Collaborate with Data teams to deliver end-to-end features
• Debug complex production issues and implement robust fixes
• Continuously improve engineering velocity through tooling and process improvements

Skills and Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience in production environments
• Strong proficiency in Python and backend frameworks (Flask, FastAPI)
• Intermediate experience with Frontend
• Experience building and scaling APIs and distributed systems
• Comfortable working across the stack (backend + some frontend exposure preferred)
• Strong system design skills and understanding of software architecture principles

AI-Native Engineering Experience (increasingly important):

• Experience using AI coding tools (Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, etc.) in daily workflows
• Ability to write clear, structured technical specs and prompts for code generation
• Strong code review skills, especially for validating AI-generated outputs
• Understanding of tradeoffs, failure modes, and quality risks in AI-assisted development
• Experience building guardrails: testing, validation, and monitoring for generated code
• Familiarity with modern development workflows (Git, CI/CD, Docker)
• Experience with Linux/Unix environments

Bonus:

• Experience in fintech, lending, or payments systems
• Exposure to data/ML systems or model deployment
• Experience with blockchain or crypto-related systems

What We’re Really Looking For

• Engineers who think in systems, not just functions
• People who can leverage AI to move 10x faster without sacrificing quality
• Builders who take ownership from idea → spec → implementation → production
• Pragmatic problem-solvers who ship

How to Apply

Click here to apply