Job Recruitment at Code for Africa

Code for Africa (CfA) is the continent’s largest network of civic technology and data journalism labs, with teams in 21 countries. CfA builds digital democracy solutions that give citizens unfettered access to actionable information that empowers them to make informed decisions, and that strengthens civic engagement for improved public governance and accountability. This includes building infrastructure like the continent’s largest open data portals at openAFRICA and sourceAFRICA, as well as incubating initiatives as diverse as the africanDRONE network, the PesaCheck fact-checking initiative and the sensors.AFRICA air quality sensor network.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Position: Senior IoT Engineer

Job Location: Nigeria (Remote)

Job Description

• Code for Africa (CfA) has an immediate vacancy for a Senior IoT Software Engineer to join our sensors.AFRICA team to help build digital tools that transform how African cities work.
• The successful candidate will help drive pioneering projects, using the Internet of Things (IoT), including Africa’s largest network of low-cost ‘citizen science’ sensors.
• This includes improving sensors.AFRICA’s existing network of low-cost ‘citizen sensors’ that monitor air quality in five countries, as well as cutting-edge experimental water sensors that detect cholera and other contaminants, and novel hydrophone sensors to detect illegal dynamite fishing and coral bleaching in East Africa’s oceans.
• You will also help develop tools to analyse the imagery and data captured by drones/satellites to map settlements and better understand how to combat climate change.
• CfA is a non-profit technology R&D lab. While robust software engineering skills are required, no prior air/water/climate monitoring or urban development experience is required.
• The successful candidate will report to CfA’s sensors.AFRICA manager, and will also work with CfA’s wider technology, data, design and content teams in 21 African countries to build robust systems and infrastructures for our partners in watchdog civil society organisations, the investigative media and selected progressive government agencies.

About the Role

• The successful candidate will join CfA’s sensors.AFRICA team as a Senior IoT Engineer to help shape its hardware/software choices and to lead development of new digital services.
• The team currently consists of a senior strategist and mid-level hardware/software engineers who have successfully steered sensors.AFRICA through a series of proof-of-concept pilot projects deploying CfA’s own prototype low-cost sensors, as well as working with partners such as the Kenyan National Bureau for Statistics (KNBS) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) to experiment with new ways to use air sensors to create actionable insights/data.
• The success of these early projects has prompted CfA to expand the team, ahead of planned rollout of wider citizen-driven sensor networks in key African countries, as well as new research partnerships that will explore who to use low-cost sensors to give communities early warning for cholera outbreaks and other public health emergencies.
• The expanded sensors.AFRICA team will be part of a multinational and multilingual team across the continent, and will be comfortable using digital collaboration tools to create open source software/hardware products for a global audience and international partners.
• Applicants should possess knowledge of engineering principles and practices, and the fabrication processes (such as 3D printing) to turn designs into devices. Applicants should also be comfortable computing complex engineering calculations, quickly and accurately, while also performing detailed analysis of designs, specifications, and plans, and establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with collaborating partners both within CfA and outside of the organisation.

Responsibilities
Your daily responsibilities will include:

• Work as part of  the technology team in shaping the software and front-end web-tools architecture and development processes, working within coherent roadmaps, ensuring quality control and helping to proactively problem-solve.
• Develop and review firmware written in C, C++ and Python.
• Review PCB and mechanical designs.
• Requirements and design specification creation.
• Improve and optimise the ongoing performance, scalability, and reliability of our software systems (and documentation) given the growing size of our sensor networks.
• Shape our strategies for standardised sampling and measuring standards, equipment protocols, and data management systems.
• Oversee consistent and proactive calibration and maintenance for all deployed monitoring equipment, including innovative ways to support volunteer (non-technical) custodians of the equipment at schools, environmental organisations, etc.
• Participate in stakeholder consultations or internal strategic discussions, to help non-technical partners understand what is possible and now best to use the technologies to achieve actionable insights.

Requirements
Minimum requirements include:

• 5+ years of industry experience in Software Engineering and embedded software development.
• B.Sc / B.Eng in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience reading and interpreting data sheets and electrical schematics.
• Strong debugging and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated experience in revision control using Git and git workflows.
• Experience leading technical projects. Experience in leading IoT projects will be a plus.
• Experience in embedded real-time software engineering, e.g. FreeRTOS
• Experience designing reusable libraries and SDKs.
• Experience with the full lifecycle of an IoT device.
• Ability to develop firmware in C++, C, and Python programming languages.
• Working knowledge of modern software development practices and technologies such as Agile methodologies and DevOps.
• Experience working with and managing columnar and time-series databases for real-time data and analytics.
• Experience working with metrics and monitoring tools such as Grafana.
• Self starter with the ability to work effectively in teams across internal and external organisations and virtual teams.

Language and Location Requirements:

• Location: CfA’s main sensors.AFRICA lab is located in Nairobi (Kenya), but CfA also has additional labs in Abuja (Nigeria), Cape Town or Johannesburg (South Africa), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Lagos (Nigeria). The role can be performed remotely, and CfA will therefore consider exceptional applicants from across Africa.
• Primary language: English
• Preferred but not required: French, Amharic or Arabic.

What We Offer

• A competitive salary, subject to experience, with opportunities for performance-based growth, both in terms of career path and public stature.
• A dynamic workplace, with a transnational team, occasional international travel, and generous vacation benefits.
• Ongoing opportunities to learn new cutting-edge skills and techniques/technologies to future-proof yourself in a rapidly evolving industry.
• A chance to shine on a global stage, writing for international audiences and interacting with colleagues around the world.

Interested and qualified candidates should: Click here to apply online

Job Position: Junior Hardware Engineer

Job Location: Nigeria (Remote)

Job Description

• Code for Africa (CfA) has an immediate vacancy for a Junior Hardware Engineer to join our sensors.AFRICA team to help build digital tools that transform how African cities work.
• The successful candidate will help design the remote sensing and Internet of Things (IoT) devices that underpin sensors.AFRICA’s existing network of low-cost ‘citizen sensors’ that monitor air quality in five countries, as well as improving the cutting-edge experimental water sensors that detect cholera and other contaminants, and novel hydrophone sensors that detect illegal dynamite fishing and coral bleaching in East Africa’s oceans.
• You will also help customise/deploy drones to map settlements and better understand how to combat climate change.
• CfA is a non-profit technology R&D lab. While robust hardware engineering skills are required, no prior air/water/climate monitoring or urban development experience is required.
• The successful candidate will report to CfA’s sensors.AFRICA manager, and will also work with CfA’s wider technology, data, design and content teams in 21 African countries to build robust systems and infrastructures for our partners in watchdog civil society organisations, the investigative media and selected progressive government agencies.

About the Role

• The successful candidate will join CfA’s sensors.AFRICA team as a Hardware Engineer to help shape its hardware choices and to lead development of new digital services.
• The team currently consists of a senior strategist and mid-level hardware/software engineers who have successfully steered sensors.AFRICA through a series of proof-of-concept pilot projects deploying CfA’s own prototype low-cost sensors, as well as working with partners such as the Kenyan National Bureau for Statistics (KNBS) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) to experiment with new ways to use air sensors to create actionable insights/data.
• The success of these early projects has prompted CfA to expand the team, ahead of planned rollout of wider citizen-driven sensor networks in key African countries, as well as new research partnerships that will explore who to use low-cost sensors to give communities early warning for cholera outbreaks and other public health emergencies.
• The expanded sensors.AFRICA team will be part of a multinational and multilingual team across the continent, and will be comfortable using digital collaboration tools to create open source software/hardware products for a global audience and international partners.
• Applicants should possess knowledge of engineering principles and practices, and the fabrication processes (such as 3D printing) to turn designs into devices. Applicants should also be comfortable computing complex engineering calculations, quickly and accurately, while also performing detailed analysis of designs, specifications, and plans, and establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with collaborating partners both within CfA and outside of the organisation.

Responsibilities
Your daily responsibilities will include:

• Work collaboratively with our team of engineers and data scientists in designing, constructing, installing, and operating ambient air quality and meteorological monitoring projects at partner locations throughout Africa.
• Design sheet metal and molded plastic parts in electro-mechanical assemblies.
• Follow standard operating procedures for collecting high-quality data meeting regulatory requirements including proper documentation.
• Travel for scheduled and unscheduled site visits to client locations. Field work is expected to be about 25% of job responsibilities.
• Support office air measurements functions including monitoring field operations, facilitating logistics, validating data, and reporting.
• Improve and optimise the ongoing performance, scalability, and reliability of our hardware systems (and documentation) given the growing size of our sensor networks.
• Ensure consistent and proactive calibration and maintenance for all deployed monitoring equipment, including innovative ways to support volunteer (non-technical) custodians of the equipment at schools, environmental organisations, etc.
• Participate in stakeholder consultations or internal strategic discussions, to help non-technical partners understand what is possible and now best to use the technologies to achieve actionable insights.

Requirements
Minimum requirements include:

• B.Sc / B.Eng in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
• Demonstrated experience in electronics packaging mechanical design.
• Demonstrated experience designing sheet metal and molded plastic parts in electro-mechanical assemblies.
• Demonstrated experience designing for low cost, high volume plastic housings and sheet metal components.
• Experience reading and interpreting data sheets and electrical schematics.
• Excellent command of electrical engineering fundamentals.
• Demonstrated experience in revision control using Git and Git workflows.
• Demonstrated experience in the Espressif MCU ecosystem and ARM-based microcontrollers.
• Board documentation and liaison with the firmware development team
• Experience in design of reusable libraries and SDKs is a plus.
• Self starter with the ability to work effectively in teams across internal and external organisations and virtual teams.
• Ability to design, prototype, validate, test and assemble printed circuit boards (PCBs) using electronic ECAD tools, preferably Autodesk Eagle and Fusion360.
• Experience working on PCB post-manufacturing processes including circuit board reflow and soldering, and final testing.
• Ability to evaluate, propose, and defend proposed choices of new sensor technologies / methodologies to be added to CfA’s existing sensor kits.
• Data quality assurance for sensor kits that are deployed.

Language and Location Requirements:

• Location: CfA’s main sensors.AFRICA lab is located in Nairobi (Kenya), but CfA also has additional labs in Abuja (Nigeria), Cape Town or Johannesburg (South Africa), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Lagos (Nigeria). The role can be performed remotely, and CfA will therefore consider exceptional applicants from across Africa.
• Primary language: English
• Preferred but not required: French, Amharic or Arabic.

What We Offer

• A competitive salary, subject to experience, with opportunities for performance-based growth, both in terms of career path and public stature.
• A dynamic workplace, with a transnational team, occasional international travel, and generous vacation benefits.
• Ongoing opportunities to learn new cutting-edge skills and techniques/technologies to future-proof yourself in a rapidly evolving industry.
• A chance to shine on a global stage, writing for international audiences and interacting with colleagues around the world.

Interested and qualified candidates should: Click here to apply online

Job Position: Chief Copy Editor

Job Location: Nigeria

Job Details

• The candidate will join our pan-African Knowledge team in one of our primary hubs in Kenya, Nigeria or South Africa. While applicants from these countries will be prioritised, CfA has full-time staff in 21 African countries and is open to exceptional applicants from elsewhere on the continent.
• StoryLab is the virtual newsroom for CfA’s Knowledge initiative, which spearheads digital storytelling initiatives and data journalism training partnerships. These partnerships include a network of more than 50 partner newsrooms and 30 partner universities across Africa, as well as CfA communities such as the WanaData women data science/storytelling network, the africanDRONE civic drone community and the sensors.AFRICA sensor journalism initiative. The Knowledge team is also the custodian of other major CfA public infrastructure, such as the continent’s largest open data portal, openAFRICA, and Africa’s largest census data portal, HURUmap.
• The Chief Copy Editor will build and supervise the StoryLab’s multilingual copydesk, managing a transnational team that sub-edits and polishes all editorial content prior to publication. Your duties will include recruiting and nurturing a pan-African team of copy editors, and developing a robust CfA style guide to set standards and processes for producing world-class digital storytelling. You will also be responsible for the day-to-day copyflow that detects defects in content and ensures factual accuracy/coherence and grammar/syntax consistency, while meeting deadlines and quality standards.  
• The successful candidate will work under the supervision of the StoryLab’s Managing Editor, and will liaise closely with CfA’s WanaData network and partner newsrooms, supported by CfA’s wider Knowledge team of editorial experts, data analysts and digital designers in 21 African countries.

About the Role

• The successful candidate will join CfA’s Knowledge team as part of its StoryLab editorial hub, which seeks to produce storytelling that pushes the envelope both in terms of topics and techniques. StoryLab is led by a Managing Editor and functions as a distributed/virtual newsroom with core staff spread across Africa.
• The Chief Copy Editor will manage a small, agile copydesk and specialist translators who sub-edit all CfA digital storytelling, including content produced by WanaData and other ‘fellows’ who are staff journalists at over 50 partner newsrooms across 21 African countries. The ‘fellows’ receive grants or technical support to research and write stories as part of CfA initiatives, such as the Outbreak project that tracks public health emergencies, or Dominion that tracks environmental and land related issues.
• The reportage will include pioneering digital techniques, ranging from OSINT (open source intelligence) -driven investigative journalism, to data-driven journalism and multimedia reportage that uses drone/satellite imagery, or evidence from scientific labs or other non-traditional information sources. Stories will be designed as interactive digital packages that can be published in different formats across a range of platforms, from traditional print/broadcast media, to innovative social media (including bots, social video, episodic narratives, etc) and other digital channels.
• The copydesk will apply a three-step copy editing process to all content to ensure factual accuracy/coherence, legal compliance/fairness, context, grammar/syntax consistency and adherence to CfA’s editorial style/standard guidelines. The Chief Copy Editor will be responsible for ensuring that copyflow management sticks to agreed deadlines and quality standards, that journalists respond promptly to requests for clarity or corrections on draft content, and that multimedia materials (such as infographics) are commissioned timeously. The Chief Copy Editor will also ensure that feedback to journalists and/or designers is framed as constructive guidance, to help ensure that teams progressively improve the standard of raw content produced by partner newsrooms. This will include custodianship of a CfA style guide, and convening regular ‘brownbag’ skills webinars to improve and standardise editorial quality.
• Because of the transnational nature of CfA’s networks, the copydesk will also oversee translation of content from English to other major partner languages, including Arabic and French, as well as large African languages such as Amharic and Kiswahili.
• The copydesk will be expected to proactively amplify women’s voices in reportage, spotlighting gender perspectives, quoting women experts and changing perspectives. 
• The copydesk will receive support from CfA’s in-house data/design teams, as well as technical support programmes.

Responsibilities
Your daily responsibilities will include:

• Recruiting and managing a core team of highly skilled copyeditors, that transforms raw journalism into award-winning multimedia storytelling.
• Managing a centralised news diary/schedule, in consultation with the Managing Editor, that governs copyflow with clear production milestones and that delivers content for publication on deadline.
• Implementing a rigorous proofreading/quality control editing system, that ensures factual accuracy/coherence, legal compliance/fairness, context, grammar/syntax consistency and adherence to CfA’s editorial style/standard guidelines.
• Designing and curating CfA’s editorial style/standard guidelines, including tipsheets or learning resources for journalists and other content producers to incrementally improve the quality of their raw reportage.
• Providing regular constructive feedback, guidance, and mentoring for both copy-editors and journalists, to nurture and grow new talent. 

Required
Minimum Requirements Include:

• Excellent journalistic copy-editing and proofreading skills to ensure factual accuracy/coherence and grammar/syntax consistency.
• Experience of managing a copydesk and team in a mainstream multimedia environment, where content is packaged for publication in a wide variety of formats.
• Demonstrable understanding of technical editorial production systems and CMS tools, involving multi-stage copy-editing processes.
• A track record for copy flow management that sticks to editorial deadlines and quality standards.
• Experience at coordinating digital multimedia content (such as infographics or social media collateral) as an element of copy-edited reportage.
• Experience at creating or refining editorial guidelines, style guides and playbooks that set the tone, voice and standards for storytelling. 
• Passion for mentoring young talent and growing new voices. 
• Strong organisational and decision-making skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple tasks and projects simultaneously, while meeting deadlines and maintaining standards.

Preferred
Characteristics that will give you an additional competitive advantage:

• At least 3 years experience in a managerial/leadership role on a fast-paced multilingual and transnational copy desk in mainstream digital media, such as international news agencies/wire services or digital first media platforms.
• Experience at working with cross-platform data-driven journalism or other multimedia storytelling.
• A keen eye for data visual storytelling techniques, including experience at integrating social video and interactive infographics into story packages.
• An understanding of social media storytelling techniques, and editing guidelines, with insights into the strengths/differences of different platforms, including ‘dark social’ channels.
• A track-record for using copy-editing to actively and formally mentor/train award-winning digital storytellers.
• Experience in using digital collaboration tools, including Slack, Google Workplace, and Trello to manage editorial workflows, alongside more traditional editorial CMS platforms.
• Proven ability at working effectively in virtual or distributed newsrooms, coordinating multicultural and multilingual writers, editors, and other project teams across different time zones.

Language and Location Requirements:

• Location: Kenya, Nigeria or South Africa.
• Languages: English. 
• Preferred, but not required:  Arabic and French, plus major African languages such as Amharic, Fulani, Kiswahili, isiZulu, Yoruba, etc

What We Offer

• A competitive salary, subject to experience, with opportunities for performance-based growth, both in terms of career path and public stature.
• A dynamic workplace, with a transnational team, occasional international travel, and generous vacation benefits.
• Ongoing opportunities to learn new cutting-edge skills and techniques/technologies to future-proof yourself in a rapidly evolving industry.
• A chance to shine on a global stage, writing for international audiences and interacting with colleagues around the world.

Interested and qualified candidates should: Click here to apply online

Note: We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis so we encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible for consideration.