Director of Engineering

Overview

As the Director of Engineering, you will play a pivotal role in shaping Kola Market's technical vision, strategy, and execution. You will have both a strategic and a technical role inside the company. You will be responsible for building and leading the technical team, driving product development, and ensuring the alignment of technology initiatives with the company's business goals. You'll have the unique opportunity to shape the technological direction of the company and contribute to its growth from the ground up.

About Kola Market

At Kola Market, we’re harnessing the power of ML/AI to provide real-time, intelligent forecasting for small businesses across Africa. We’re able to drastically reduce the amount of waste which in turn drives profit for small businesses, lowers costs for consumers, and reduces the ecological impact of waste. We’re using technology to solve a globally-relevant problem that both creates a positive environmental impact and an exciting (and potentially massive) commercial opportunity.

Why work with us?

You will be part of a dynamic learning team that is constantly evolving and developing new ways to help SMEs grow well. 

You will gain valuable in-depth knowledge of the inner workings of SMEs in Africa (Ghana as a proxy)

You will be exposed to a team of dedicated and experienced founding team members, who are ready to share and collaborate to build knowledge and fill knowledge gaps

Responsibilities

• Technical Strategy: Develop and execute the company's technical vision, roadmap, and strategy, keeping abreast of emerging trends and technologies relevant to our industry. Design strategies for future development projects based on the company’s overall objectives and resources.
• Team Leadership: Build and lead a high-performing technical team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence. Provide mentorship and guidance to team members.
• Architecture and Design: Define and maintain the architecture and design principles that will guide the development of our products, ensuring scalability, security, and performance.
• Innovation: Drive innovation by identifying opportunities for leveraging new technologies, tools, and methodologies to enhance our products and services.
• Collaboration: Collaborate closely with the CEO and other co-founders to align technology initiatives with business objectives, and to contribute to overall company strategy and growth plans.
• Technical Excellence: Ensure that the technical team adheres to best practices, coding standards, and quality assurance processes to deliver robust and reliable software solutions. Ensure compliance with security regulations
• Resource Management: Effectively allocate technical resources, manage budgets, and make informed decisions on technology investments.
• Partnerships: Identify and manage external partnerships, collaborations, and vendor relationships to support the company's technological needs.
• Product Development: Oversee the end-to-end product development lifecycle, from concept to launch, ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality, scalable, and innovative solutions.

Requirements

• Proven experience (6+ years) in a senior technical leadership role, ideally within a startup or high-growth environment, delivering technology solutions and business outcomes.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Proven experience (4+ years) in a leadership role within data science, machine learning, or AI, preferably in the ecommerce or retail industry.
• Expertise in AI and machine learning techniques, including natural language processing, computer vision, and deep learning is a plus. 
• Strong proficiency in various programming languages such as PHP, Javascript, Python, R, and experience with relevant libraries and frameworks such as Laravel and VueJS.
• Experience with big data technologies and platforms, and cloud-based data services. Knowledge of Oracle is a plus. 
• Demonstrated ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions and drive successful project delivery.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate cross-functional teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a passion for innovation and continuous improvement.

Send CV and cover letter to team@kola.market with Role Name as Subject