We have a few positions vacant at the moment – have a look:

In Sao Paulo, Brazil – we need a junior front-end developer. You are highly skilled in front-end development, with specific skills in CSS, HTML and Javascript. You are a competent programmer, but you prefer to work on the front-end. You will be working under the guidance of an experienced and expert engineer. You like working with bright and clever people, and you are passionate about the web. The successful candidate will speak English, and will be a paulistano, or be willing to relocate to Sao Paulo.

In Johannesburg – we are looking for a senior technical architect. You will have the opportunity to establish the blueprint and create the framework for truly cutting edge media delivery platforms that will change the face of media in South Africa. And that is no exaggeration. You should have outstanding technical skills, including the ability to code as and when required. You must be able to interact with a team of highly skilled professionals. You will ideally have experience of VOD, digital TV, IP-TV and related technologies. A background as a developer is essential – you will have in-depth knowledge of the Microsoft .Net platform, but also wider knowledge of open source platforms and languages. You are comfortable dealing with executives and senior managers. You’re not only an ubergeek, but also an inspirational tech leader. This is a challenging position – but it represents a massive opportunity to the right person. Detailed requirements here.

In Cape Town – we are looking for a junior tester, who will devote a great deal of time to ensuring that a large corporate social network meets the right quality standards. You will be part of the SWAT core team – you must be prepared to work with some of the best developers, architects, geeks and web-heads you are ever likely to meet. Can you execute tasks on your own initiative, prepare and execute test plans ? More details on the position can be found here.

Cape Town – we are looking for someone to play the role of Internet Evangelist. This role is available to anyone who is absolutely passionate about the web, who is capable of conveying this passion to diverse audiences, who learns quickly … and who can teach others. Your role will be to evangelise the use of Web technologies (and other Internet related technologies) into the larger group – the challenge is to make people from all non-internet businesses see the Internet as an opportunity not a threat. In addition you will perform tasks as assistant community manager for the corporate social network, and you will assist the Analyst in the team with research tasks. You must be willing to travel in South Africa and abroad, as required. To apply for this job, you will have to demonstrate passion, interest and knowledge of the Web and related technologies. You are a well-spoken, confident geek, web-head and proud to be a Web addict.

Finally, and also in Cape Town – we want to recruit a PHP developer. You will be have outstanding technical skills, wide experience in web based development, and you will be able to hold your own amongst an elite group of developers and architects. Javascript, Zend Framework, AJAX, OO, Web 2.0, REST, SOAP and UML will be old news to you. You are passionate about the web. If you think Twitter is silly, you don’t need to apply. More information here.

If you are interested in any of these positions, please send your CV to Melanie Koch. We look forward to hearing from you.

Let me explain our position. Our team is spread across two countries at the moment – South Africa and Brazil. We recruit in both countries, and I am involved in the recruitment of developers, architects and other technically skilled people in both countries. In this post I specifically want to talk about our experience in South Africa.

Because of the nature of our team, which does research and development work, product development and a host of other activities, we need people who are able to think creatively, who can find work for their own hands and work independently, who have a deep understanding of technology and an ability to learn continuously. We want creative, analytical, independent, idea-producing team players who bleed binary and breathe HTTP. I realise that such paragons of technological excellence are hard to find, anywhere in the world – but we have found a few – you can find their names here. Our requirements are as much personality requirements as they are skills requirements.

So let us consider these things separately – the personality requirement, and the skills requirement. Skills first of all. Although we will employ people without a tertiary education, we prefer university graduates. Why? Simply because having a university degree guarantees that the candidate has been taught the rudimentary principles of analytical thinking. She may also have picked up some useful titbits of information as far as programming goes. University education often indicates a fairly broad exposure to technology – covering more than one kind of operating system, programming language, and basic skills in terms of the software development life cycle. Add a few years of experience to the mix – and a university graduate with a computer science (or related) background starts looking very attractive to us. In one sentence – great programmers, analytic thinkers, creative geniuses.

Next – personality. We want independent thinkers. Out of the box innovators. People who speak up, ask questions, and leave others blinded by the light. We want people who produce as many ideas as the produce code modules. People who are not intimidated by excellence. OK – you get the picture.

So – our situation in South Africa. Over the past couple of years, I have interviewed dozens of candidates. And we came up blank almost every time. Yes – we found some rock-stars, but they are extremely scarce. And yes – our standards are high. The problem is that the candidates we see tend to fall into one of four, sometimes overlapping, categories:

• Enterprise oriented. All they know is insurance/banking/retail.No initiative. No real joy in programming. The accountants of the software development world. (Or economists if you, dear reader, is an accountant – no offence intended).

• Script kiddies. Zero education, zero in-depth knowledge of programming (do you know what an interface is ? ….um, I have heard of them, but never used them….)

• In it for the money. These are the ones who went “into computers” because there is money to be made.

• Rock stars. This category does not overlap with any of the previous categories. And it is a virtually empty category in South Africa.

Which brings me to the question – WHY is this last category so empty? And believe me – I have been involved with a number of organisations, stretching from the Far East to Latin America, and many bits in-between – in certain (not all) countries there are a great many more rock stars. South African developers perform very poorly in our interviews – some because they do not meet the skills requirement, but the majority because they do not meet the personality criteria. The people we interview too often fall into one or more of the first three categories I listed above.

Why is this? Is there some sort of mystical cultural influence that pre-disposes South Africans to look for secure, routine, stable work? Is the web too alien for South Africans? Do South Africans not see “programming” as a profession?

My personal belief is that the average programmer in South Africa is pre-disposed towards Enterprise type work – both by training and inclination. And this is precisely because that type of work offers stability and routine, without being too taxing. Do not misunderstand me – I am not criticising this mode of work, although I am bemoaning the lack of suitably skilled programmers in South Africa: it makes my life a lot more difficult.

We would like feedback from our readers on this. John is busy creating a post that will explore this theme further. But in the meantime – let’s start the discussion. And if you believe you are the rock star we need…why don’t you d me on twitter, state your case, and we can set up an interview.

Look out for part 2, later this week.