Jobs at Ubulu Africa

About the Role

• This is a senior individual contributor role with leadership reach.
• You will design and build AI solutions that power Ubulu Africa's platforms and programmes, provide technical direction to the data and AI function, and shape the Ubulu AI Lab's research and advisory outputs.
• The work spans the full data and AI lifecycle - from data architecture and pipeline design through model development, deployment, and monitoring. 
• You bring technical depth, clear communication, and the maturity to know when to build, when to adapt, and when to advise.

Who You Will Do

• Lead the design and development of data infrastructure, AI models, and intelligent systems across Ubulu Africa's platforms and programmes
• Build production-ready AI solutions - taking work from concept through deployment, monitoring, and iteration
• Develop and maintain data architecture that is reliable, well-documented, and built to scale
• Apply machine learning, NLP, and AI agent frameworks to real innovation ecosystem and enterprise challenges
• Provide technical direction and mentorship to the Associate Data & AI Engineer, building a culture of rigour and continuous learning within the team
• Contribute research, insights, and advisory outputs under the Ubulu AI Lab identity - for clients, partners, and the broader ecosystem
• Collaborate with product, programme, and engineering colleagues to embed AI capabilities where they create the most value.

What You Bring

• 5 or more years of hands-on experience in data engineering, machine learning, or applied AI
• A clear track record of taking AI solutions from concept through to production deployment - and maintaining them well
• Strong foundations in data architecture, model development, and deployment pipelines
• Experience with NLP, conversational AI, or AI agent development is a strong advantage
• The ability to communicate complex AI concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences
• A collaborative and generative approach - you are as comfortable guiding a junior colleague as solving a hard technical problem
• Genuine interest in the role of AI in African development and innovation contexts
• Experience working in innovation ecosystems, enterprise, government, or international development is an advantage.

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About the Role

• This is a foundational role.
• Every platform we build, every programme we run digitally, every product we ship - all of it rests on infrastructure that you design, deploy, and keep running. 
• You work closely with the engineering team to ensure systems are reliable, scalable, and secure, and you bring the discipline to build things the right way from the start.
• As Ubulu Africa grows, so will the scope of what you manage. You are building for today and architecting for what comes next.

Who You Will Do

• Design, deploy, and maintain cloud infrastructure across Ubulu Africa's digital platforms
• Build and manage CI/CD pipelines that enable the engineering team to ship with speed and confidence
• Own platform reliability - monitoring, alerting, incident response, and uptime across all environments
• Manage database infrastructure, backup systems, and performance in production environments
• Implement and continuously improve security practices, access controls, and compliance standards across the stack
• Collaborate with the Engineering & AI team to architect scalable, resilient solutions aligned with organisational growth
• Maintain clear, current infrastructure documentation and operational runbooks.

What You Bring

• 5 or more years in cloud infrastructure, DevOps, or platform engineering
• Strong hands-on experience with at least one major cloud platform and its core services
• Proven experience managing production database infrastructure, deployment pipelines, and backend services
• A security-first mindset - you build with protection and resilience as defaults, not afterthoughts
• The ability to work independently and own your domain in a lean, fast-moving environment
• Clear communication - you can explain infrastructure decisions to engineers and non-engineers alike
• Familiarity with African or emerging market technology contexts is an advantage.

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About the Role

• Quality at Ubulu Africa is a first-class engineering concern.
• As QA Engineer, you will own the test strategy and quality standards for our digital platforms - working closely with engineers and the technical product manager to ensure that what ships is reliable, well-tested, and ready for the people and organisations who depend on it.
• You will bring the discipline to build rigorous test coverage and the communication to champion quality as a team culture, embedded at every stage of the development process.

Who You Will Do

• Design, build, and maintain test suites across Ubulu Africa's digital platforms - covering functional, regression, integration, and performance testing
• Define and uphold quality standards throughout the development lifecycle, engaging with engineers from feature design through to release
• Identify, document, and track defects with clarity and precision, communicating findings in ways that help the team act quickly and confidently
• Build and maintain automated testing pipelines that keep the team confident at every stage of delivery
• Conduct exploratory and edge-case testing, particularly around complex user flows and multi-tenant platform behaviour
• Work with the technical product manager and engineering lead to define clear, testable acceptance criteria for new features
• Contribute to a team culture where quality is a shared responsibility, built in from the start.

What You Bring

• 2 or more years in quality assurance or software testing, with experience on web or SaaS platform products
• Proven ability to design and execute test strategies across functional, regression, and integration testing
• Experience building or maintaining automated test suites
• A methodical, detail-oriented approach combined with the communication skills to advocate for quality clearly across the team
• Comfort working in a fast-moving environment where requirements evolve and good judgment matters as much as process
• Familiarity with AI-assisted workflows is an advantage - we use them across the team
• Experience working in African or emerging market technology contexts is welcome.

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About the Role

• This is a role for an engineer who gives as much attention to how a system is designed as to how it is built. 
• You will work on the architecture of Ubulu Africa's digital platforms - defining how services are structured, how integrations are managed, and how technical decisions made today carry the weight of what comes next.
• You will collaborate across the Engineering & AI team, bringing systems thinking to product development and ensuring that what gets built is coherent, scalable, and well-documented from the architecture level down.

Who You Will Do

• Design and document system architectures for Ubulu Africa's digital platforms and services - covering structure, integration patterns, data flows, and scalability considerations
• Translate product and programme requirements into clear technical specifications that the engineering team can build from with confidence
• Identify and address architectural risks - evaluating trade-offs and making recommendations that balance ambition with engineering pragmatism
• Define and maintain technical standards and integration patterns across the platform portfolio
• Collaborate with cloud and platform, data and AI, and product teams to ensure architectural coherence across all layers of the stack
• Review technical implementations and provide guidance to keep the team aligned with architectural decisions
• Maintain technical documentation that keeps the team oriented and makes onboarding straightforward.

What You Bring

• 5 or more years in systems engineering, software architecture, or a closely related technical discipline
• A strong track record designing complex systems - thinking clearly about structure, integration, scalability, and how things fail
• Experience translating business and product requirements into sound, defensible technical architecture
• The ability to communicate architectural decisions clearly to both technical teammates and non-technical stakeholders
• A collaborative working style - you understand that good architecture is developed with teams, not handed down to them
• Familiarity with AI-assisted development workflows is an advantage
• Experience in African or emerging market technology contexts is welcome.

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Overview

• This role sits at the centre of everything - strategy, operations, programmes, and people. 
• The person who takes it on will work directly with the Founder & CEO of Ubulu Africa across a portfolio that spans venture building, international development, policy advisory, and digital innovation at scale.
• If you are someone who finds genuine satisfaction in making complex things work smoothly, who can hold multiple threads without dropping any, and who wants to contribute to something that matters beyond the day-to-day, apply here.

About the Role

• You will be the CEO’s closest operational partner. 
• Your job is to protect his focus, extend his capacity, and ensure that nothing important falls through the cracks, whether that is a high-stakes partner meeting, a programme deliverable, or a travel itinerary that needs to work seamlessly across time zones.
• This is equal parts strategic and operational. 
• You will be expected to think ahead, exercise judgment independently, and take ownership of your brief. 
• You will also be expected to follow through with discipline and precision on the details that make the difference between good and excellent.

What You Will Do 
Executive & CEO Support:

• Manage the CEO’s calendar, including coordinating meetings, travel blocks, and strategic time allocation across multiple active workstreams.
• Handle correspondence on the CEO’s behalf: drafting, sending, and following up on emails with professionalism and appropriate tone.
• Prepare briefing notes, meeting agendas, and supporting materials ahead of every engagement.
• Provide a typed daily schedule at the start of each day and manage real-time adjustments as they arise.
• Track action items from meetings and ensure timely follow-through on all pending decisions.
• Send well-timed reminders: one day in advance for physical meetings, 30 to 60 minutes before virtual sessions, and at least one week ahead of travel-related engagements.
• Apply strategic scheduling discipline during travel, protecting the primary purpose of each trip while accommodating key engagements where possible.

Programme, Operations & Administrative Coordination:

• Coordinate local and international travel: flights, accommodation, airport transfers, and full itinerary management.
• Engage vendors and service providers for logistics, events, and operational needs; request and compare quotations where applicable.
• Support recruitment coordination: posting vacancies, collating and reviewing applications, scheduling interviews, and managing candidate communications.
• Prepare and track internal schedules and reports with accuracy and within agreed deadlines.
• Maintain well-organised records and filing systems using consistent naming conventions.
• Provide general administrative coordination across teams, tracking pending actions and ensuring timely follow-through.
• Provide coordination support for active programmes and engagements, including logistics, scheduling, and stakeholder communication.
• Monitor programme milestones, flag upcoming deadlines, and support internal teams in meeting delivery targets.
• Assist with the coordination of application processes, selection committees, and participant onboarding as required.

Who You Are

• You are a sharp executor. 
• You follow through, every time, without needing to be chased.
• You think strategically. 
• You anticipate what is coming, read the context, and act before you are asked.
• You are genuinely organised, and you find satisfaction in systems that work well, not just activity.
• You communicate clearly and confidently, in writing and in person, and you can calibrate your tone for different stakeholders.
• You are discreet. 
• You will be trusted with sensitive organisational, strategic, and commercial information, and you treat that trust seriously.
• You thrive in a fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environment where priorities shift and judgment matters.
• You care about the work.
• Ubulu Africa’s mission resonates with you, and you want to be part of building it.
• You have sense.
• What You Bring
• Demonstrable experience supporting a senior executive in a fast-paced organisation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to draft professional correspondence independently.
• Excellent command of Google Workspace: Calendar, Meet, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and related tools.
• High attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities without losing quality.
• An understanding of, or genuine curiosity about, the innovation and technology ecosystem in Africa.
• A Degree or equivalent qualification; a background in business administration, management, communications, or a related field is advantageous.

Why This Role

• This is a front-row seat to some of the most consequential innovation work happening on the continent right now. 
• You will work across programmes, partners, and geographies. 
• You will be trusted with real responsibility from day one. 
• You will grow, be challenged, and contribute to work that has genuine impact.
• The right person will grow with us, contribute with purpose, and thrive in the process.
• If you are ready to bring your best, this is where you belong.