Lead Software Engineer

About Solar Panda

Solar Panda is a Canadian high-growth, clean-tech company providing home solar systems and appliances to customers in Kenya who lack access to electricity. Our loan-to-own model enables families to afford reliable electricity and life-changing appliances, significantly improving their lives.

Solar Panda provides innovative solar power systems for lighting and TV in rural communities. Our loan-to-own model allows households to have electricity for less than the daily cost of kerosene and mobile phone charging. With over 1 billion people worldwide without access to electricity, we believe that access to electricity should be a right for everyone, everywhere. Find us at www.solarpanda.com.

About The Role

We are seeking a detail-oriented and experienced Lead Software Engineer to join our dynamic Software team in a largely work-from-home setting. Your primary focus will be to drive architectural decisions, mentor developers, and remain hands-on in building scalable TypeScript/Node.js systems. You will work closely with the software development team in Canada.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead system design and architecture. Set the technical vision across projects. Design secure, scalable, and high-performing systems. Make decisions on technology stacks, integration, and infrastructure while balancing delivery timelines and business needs.
• Mentor and guide the engineering team. Provide guidance and support to engineers at all levels. Offer coaching, feedback, and knowledge sharing. Encourage continuous learning and accountability.
• Define coding standards and best practices. Set and maintain standards for code quality, documentation, testing, and CI/CD. Promote clean code, performance optimization, and secure practices across backend, frontend, and mobile development.
• Review code and ensure technical quality. Conduct code reviews to ensure maintainability, scalability, and security. Identify technical debt and drive improvements.
• Contribute to backend development (Java/Scala). Build and maintain backend services, APIs, and business logic. Optimize performance and reliability in distributed systems and microservices.
• Work within Agile processes using Jira and GitHub.
• Angular Development: To build responsive single-page applications with modular design and performance optimization.
• Tailwind CSS: To create modern, accessible, and consistent UI components.
• Automated Testing: Use Playwright or Cypress to build end-to-end test suites and integrate them into CI/CD pipelines.
• Android Development: Design and build Android apps with strong performance and usability. Work with backend teams on API integration and mobile architecture.

Qualifications:

• 7-10 years of software development experience
• Proficiency in using TypeScript and Node.js expertise.
• Experience with TypeORM or similar tools
• Experience and strong understanding in designing microservices architectures
• Experience in leading and mentoring a team of software developers
• Experience with Agile methodology
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks in a remote work environment.
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, to collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or a related field is preferred.

About Solar Panda

Solar Panda is a Canadian high-growth, clean-tech company providing home solar systems and appliances to customers in Kenya who lack access to electricity. Our loan-to-own model enables families to afford reliable electricity and life-changing appliances, significantly improving their lives.

Solar Panda provides innovative solar power systems for lighting and TV in rural communities. Our loan-to-own model allows households to have electricity for less than the daily cost of kerosene and mobile phone charging. With over 1 billion people worldwide without access to electricity, we believe that access to electricity should be a right for everyone, everywhere. Find us at www.solarpanda.com.

About The Role

We are seeking a detail-oriented and experienced Lead Software Engineer to join our dynamic Software team in a largely work-from-home setting. Your primary focus will be to drive architectural decisions, mentor developers, and remain hands-on in building scalable TypeScript/Node.js systems. You will work closely with the software development team in Canada.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead system design and architecture. Set the technical vision across projects. Design secure, scalable, and high-performing systems. Make decisions on technology stacks, integration, and infrastructure while balancing delivery timelines and business needs.
• Mentor and guide the engineering team. Provide guidance and support to engineers at all levels. Offer coaching, feedback, and knowledge sharing. Encourage continuous learning and accountability.
• Define coding standards and best practices. Set and maintain standards for code quality, documentation, testing, and CI/CD. Promote clean code, performance optimization, and secure practices across backend, frontend, and mobile development.
• Review code and ensure technical quality. Conduct code reviews to ensure maintainability, scalability, and security. Identify technical debt and drive improvements.
• Contribute to backend development (Java/Scala). Build and maintain backend services, APIs, and business logic. Optimize performance and reliability in distributed systems and microservices.
• Work within Agile processes using Jira and GitHub.
• Angular Development: To build responsive single-page applications with modular design and performance optimization.
• Tailwind CSS: To create modern, accessible, and consistent UI components.
• Automated Testing: Use Playwright or Cypress to build end-to-end test suites and integrate them into CI/CD pipelines.
• Android Development: Design and build Android apps with strong performance and usability. Work with backend teams on API integration and mobile architecture.

Qualifications:

• 7-10 years of software development experience
• Proficiency in using TypeScript and Node.js expertise.
• Experience with TypeORM or similar tools
• Experience and strong understanding in designing microservices architectures
• Experience in leading and mentoring a team of software developers
• Experience with Agile methodology
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks in a remote work environment.
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, to collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or a related field is preferred.