Applications Specialist Developer at Rand Merchant Bank

Purpose: 

• The Application Specialist is responsible for designing and developing functional software solutions for the bank.
• The candidate would work with various business units in the organization to understand and analyze their requirements and collaborate with various technical teams across the FirstRand Group to design and implement solutions to meet the needs of the business. 
• The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience in software development, project management, database design and enterprise architecture. The goal of the application specialist is to deliver high-quality software solutions that is aligned with user needs and business goals. 
• The role is based in Lagos, Nigeria and reports to the Head of Business Technology of RMB Nigeria. 

Responsibilities: 

• The successful candidate will be responsible for: 
• Strategic Perspective 
• Participating in strategic decisions about technology, definition, and implementation of RMBN’s bespoke software projects for business enablement, service & process transformation and cost efficiency 
• Working together with various teams in South Africa and Nigeria to develop software applications and specialized financial and management reports to meet regulatory and business requirements. 
• Working together with the RMB Technology teams to plan and execute projects, ensuring that the business teams have the appropriate product and technical specifications, direction and resources to deliver products effectively 
• Providing software development plans that meet the future needs of RMBN’s clients and markets, technologies for productivity and process improvements. 

 Operations 

• Performing software design and development based on the customer’s requirement and producing design documents 
• Liaising with stakeholders to determine integration points and interaction for software components 
• Working with incident managers to resolve production problems 
• Influencing and complying with regulatory requirements to ensure that the RMBN system produces reports in compliance with both Group and in country regulatory requirements
• Delivering and managing of technology projects and solution life cycle within budget and set time frames 
• Implementing & supporting core banking, peripheral, electronic channels and specialized applications 
• Developing and maintaining integrated programs to protect the integrity, confidentiality and availability of customer’s information resources 
• Attending to requests concerning code reviews and writing codes for application functionality 
• Reviewing current software properties to identify areas for optimization and executing the optimization process 
• Supervising the entire life cycle of bespoke software products to ensure they conform with applicable standards 
• Ensuring application security, best practice, and regulatory compliance for software solutions
• Responding to issues from internal and external customers; ensuring the integrity of applications developed and the satisfaction of customers 
• Evolving and updating the existing software system applications and architecture in various areas as needed 
• Effective internal and external stakeholder relationship management: 
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with all stakeholders, displaying excellent abilities to initiate dialogue and listen, advise, influence and negotiate 
• Initiate meetings with key stakeholders to track progress, manage expectations and ensure stakeholders’ needs are met 
• Proactively communicate and share information and encourage discussion and debate (share successes and highlight challenges) 
• Provide engineering support when building, deploying, configuring and supporting systems for customers 
• Document and demonstrate solutions by developing documentation, flowcharts, layouts, diagrams, charts, code comments and clear code 
• Demonstrate focus on RMBN’s clients with the deployment of software upgrades, enhancements and fixes that are coordinated based on targeted release schedules 
• Oversee code review by ensuring that peer codes are checked for errors and anti-patterns 
• Actively participate in the release of products according to stipulated timelines 
• Ensure compliance with RMB development processes 
• Effective teamwork, self-management, and alignment with group values: 
• Continually drive RMB’s values 
• Follow through to ensure that personal quality and productivity standards are consistently and accurately maintained 
• Make an effort to stay relevant and up to date with legislation, new developments etc.
• Take ownership and accountability for tasks and activities and demonstrate effective self-management 
• Maintain a positive attitude and respond openly to feedback 
• Continually share, debate and communicate learnings 
• Be proactive in anticipating potential problems and continually monitor progress to ensure small details are not missed 

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education and Qualifications 

• The successful candidate should have at the minimum, a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/ Electrical/ Electronic Engineering/ Applied physics or a related discipline. 
• Relevant certification such as ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library), MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional)/ MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist)/MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional), OCA (Oracle Certified Associate), OCP (Oracle Certified Professional) 

Experience 

• Minimum of seven (7) years’ experience in a similar role and relevant industry with at least 5 years in application development & management and financial reporting 
• A Master’s Degree will be an advantage 
• Strong knowledge of core banking systems 
• Ability to negotiate and influence across all levels including senior stakeholders

Technical Skills and Competences 

• Extensive experience in software development, scripting and data modelling
• Knowledge of C# and Java programming languages. Knowledge of Python, JavaScript, PowerShell, and BASH would be an advantage
• In-depth knowledge of relational databases (Oracle, MSSQL PostgreSQL & MySQL) and NoSQL 
• databases (e.g. MongoDB)
• Reporting (Power BI, crystal reports) 
• High performance and secure development 
• Familiarity with Linux and Windows Operating environments
• Familiarity with project management tools (JIRA) 

Competencies 

• Customer focus (internal and external customers) 
• Interpersonal skills and ability to network within an organization 
• Analytical and problem-solving skills 
• Information analysis and management 
• Good Communication 
• Proactivity
• Flexibility