Senior Software Developer

Okra’s context

At Okra Solar, we’re on a mission to bring Power to the People by unlocking opportunities through energy access for everyone in the world.

‍

Over 650 million people still live without electricity. At a time where technology such as mobile devices, productive agritech and AI are becoming more accessible than ever, we believe that access to energy is the first step toward opportunity and growth.

‍

That’s why we build our Mesh Grid technology that energizes off-grid households at a fraction of the cost of the other solutions. We build the hardware and software, that we sell to local energy companies who deploy our tech to deliver affordable, reliable electricity as a service last-mile communities.

‍

In order to execute on the mission to 100% energy access for all - we are looking for a Senior Software Developer. Our current Cloud Team of 3 people needs a new senior member, with backend/infra experience, to ship features faster and strengthen the platform so it scales smoothly into six-figure device counts.

‍

If you’re excited about using technology to create tangible impact and want to help shape the future of energy access, you could be the right person to join us.

‍

Skills you command

• 4+ years as a software engineer
• Familiarity with our stack:
  • Core: AWS, Typescript, NodeJS, React
  • Supporting cast: RabbitMQ, AWS CDK, Python, Gitlab Pipelines, Docker, NextJS, Redux, MySQL, Postgres
• Tight time management & self-organizing skills
• Clear and frequent communicator
• Ability to solve problems autonomously (not excluding asking colleagues for help!)
• Curiosity: a learner more than a knower

Challenges you will face

🛠️ Infrastructure: strengthen an AWS-based infra for 10x growth while navigating cost pressure and plugging manual gaps and other weaknesses.
🔭 Observability: build towards a proactive approach to surface issues instead of waiting for our customers to check-in, through endpoint metrics, better logging, tracing, and high signal:noise alerts.
💳 Billing: bolster our billing logic to deal with tricky problems like offline billing, financing, spotty connections, concurrency and software-firmware alignment.
‍🗺️ Network planning: develop our scattered satellite-image-based simulation tools into a more unified and reliable experience, so we can generate plans for electrification in weeks instead of months.‍

📱 Mobile app: level up our existing PWA from covering basic field operations to become the core platform to empower field agents and households to fix issues, optimize project performance, and unlock opportunities for communities - think LLMs to solve field ops complexities, connections to agriculture partnerships, and so much more.

You will fit right in if…

📚 You are a highly capable individual contributor, capable of unblocking yourself and deliver quality output that solves challenging problems.
❤️ A morally ambitious mission and challenging problems are your biggest motivation.
🗣️ You communicate with clarity and intent. Your colleagues never wonder what you are up to or stuck on, and your documentation is useful.
🪡 You prioritize ruthlessly, asking “does this move the needle?” and parking it if not.
🎁 You give feedback early and constructively, and welcome it yourself.
⚡️ You measure success by how you elevate the team.
💻 Shipping energizes you, but you also won’t let critical details slip by unnoticed.

Do not apply if…

⁉️ Rapidly changing priorities is a dealbreaker.
🧑‍💼 You seek a people-management or tech lead track right now.
🎸 Working solo for days is your favorite approach.

Working at Okra

The office vibe is welcoming - delicious birthday cakes appear without fail, lunchtime runs or bouldering sessions break up tough problems, and relaxing end-of-week Field Fridays keep us connected to stories from the communities we serve.
The company is small enough that your voice matters in company-wide decisions, yet global enough that you’ll swap ideas with colleagues in China, Nigeria, and Australia.
Okranauts join for the mission and stay for the team - and the rewarding learning journey.‍

D&I Statement

At Okra we are dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, respected, supported and empowered. Our workplace is an interconnected network, where each individual contributes to the energy that drives innovation, fosters collaboration, and illuminates new possibilities. We are committed to recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse team of talented professionals, and we welcome candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to join us in our mission. Diversity brings power to our teams so we can bring #PowerToThePeople.

‍