Senior Technology Lead – Full Stack

About the Role

We are seeking an exceptionally driven and technically formidable Senior Technology Lead to architect, coordinate, and elevate our full-stack development operations. As a pivotal force behind our mission-critical national lottery and gaming platforms, you will assume full ownership of codebase integrity, system security, and high-availability architecture in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.

Main mandate: Lead, inspire, and rigorously challenge a highly skilled team of developers to deliver robust, ultra-scalable, and lightning-fast applications that withstand national and international scrutiny. As a hands-on technical authority, you will dictate, refine, and enforce industry-best practices across the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React/Next.js, Node.js), while relentlessly pursuing advancements in DevOps automation, cloud-native architecture, and elite software craftsmanship.

Reporting directly to the CTO, you will strategically shape and disrupt the Ethiopian digital lottery and gaming landscape, not only for Ethiopia but across Africa and beyond. If you thrive on complexity, excel under pressure, and are obsessed with building secure, resilient systems at scale, we challenge you to take your place at the forefront of gaming technology innovation.

Key Responsibilities:

I. Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Own and approve the entire full-stack source code with end-to-end accountability.
• Architect scalable, modular, and secure web solutions using Next.js, Node.js, and modern cloud services.
• Design and implement distributed, cloud-native architectures with fault-tolerant and high-availability patterns.
• Oversee the application of software design patterns and enforce SOLID, DRY, and KISS principles.
• Drive system modernization, including migration to microservices and Serverless architectures.

II. Team Management & Mentorship

• Lead and mentor a cross-functional team of 20+ developers, QA engineers, and DevOps professionals.
• Foster a high-performance, collaborative team culture with continuous upskilling and technical mentorship.
• Conduct performance evaluations, 1-on-1s, and team-building sessions to promote retention and growth.

III. Development Operations & Code Quality

• Approve and merge all pull requests with a sharp focus on security, readability, reusability, and performance.
• Enforce and refine coding standards, testing practices, and documentation quality across all services.
• Champion CI/CD pipelines and automated testing strategies.
• Promote test-driven development (TDD), pair programming, and agile rituals (scrum, retrospectives).

IV. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with Product Managers, UX/UI Designers, QA teams, and other leads to ensure successful sprints.
• Translate business and product requirements into technical milestones and execution plans.
• Communicate project progress, risks, and technology decisions clearly to the CTO and executive leadership.

Required Skills & Qualifications

Technical (Hard) Skills

• MERN Stack mastery: MongoDB, Express.js, React.js (Next.js), Node.js – 5+ years of active usage.
• Deep understanding of JavaScript, ES6+, TypeScript (bonus), and asynchronous programming.
• Advanced knowledge of REST APIs, WebSockets, and microservices architecture.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure providers and cloud-native services.
• Strong foundation in code review, Git version control, and branching strategies.
• Experience with automated testing frameworks (e.g., Jest, Mocha, Cypress, Supertest).
• Working knowledge of containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes) is a plus.
• Familiar with GraphQL, Redis, ElasticSearch, and message queues (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka).

Soft Skills

• Easily adaptable to the company culture.
• Proven leadership with emotional intelligence, empathy, and the ability to motivate teams.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal, written, and visual) for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strategic thinking and decision-making with a problem-solving mindset.
• Strong sense of ownership, accountability, and ability to thrive in fast-paced environments.
• Ability to mentor, delegate, and coach engineers across levels.
• Adaptability to changing priorities and evolving project scopes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in lottery, gaming, or fintech platforms.
• Familiarity with infrastructure as code tools and concepts.
• Contributions to open-source projects or active involvement in tech communities.
• Knowledge of DevSecOps practices and secure coding standards (e.g., OWASP).
• Experience with performance monitoring tools and observability solutions.

Skills Required:

• Computer / Software / It / Data