Applications Development Specialist

NBC is the oldest serving bank in Tanzania with over five decades of experience. We offer a range of retail, business, corporate and investment banking, wealth management products and services.

Job Summary

• To participate in the studying bank operations and processes; design, build solutions or modify/upgrade existing applications to meet key strategic goals.
• To actively participate in systems/projects scoping, design, and pricing exercises as part of the development and business teams’ processes.
• Develop new products quickly or modify existing ones with flexibility, hence improve time to market, and internal processes.
• Ensure code quality and performance by adhering to coding standards, conducting code reviews, and optimizing application performance.
• Stay updated with emerging technologies and incorporate innovative solutions to improve software quality and efficiency.
• Maintain documentation for software designs, implementation details, and updates for future reference and scalability.
• Work Closely with group forums, vendors and counterparts to ensure all deliverables are within applicable policies, standards and related process guidelines.

Job Description

Application Development (Weight: 70%)

• Experienced understanding of Web Technologies (e.g. DHTML, AJAX, ANGULAR, LARAVEL, REACT etc.)
• Experience with design and development of REST API platform using APIM, converting web services from SOAP to REST or vice-versa.
• Experience with Security frameworks (e.g., JWT, OATH2, SPRING SECURITY)
• Experience in API layer like security, custom analytics, throttling, caching, logging, monetization, request and response modifications etc.
• Proficient in SQL and Stored Procedures such as in Oracle, MySQL, Postgres
• Experience with Unix, Linux Operating Systems
• Experience with Scrum, Agile and DEVOPS processes.
• Knowledge of Jira, Git/SVN, Jenkins
• Experience in creating REST API documentation using Swagger and YAML or similar tools desirable
• Experience with Integration frameworks (e.g., Mule, Camel) desirable
• Study information needs, system flows, data usage, work processes, and investigating problem areas and propose solutions.
• Document and demonstrate solutions, flowcharts, layouts, diagrams, charts, code comments and clear pseudo codes.
• Determine operational feasibility by evaluating impact analysis, problem definition, user requirements, proposed solutions and efforts required.
• Develop and conduct testing plans and procedures based upon system requirements
• Identify systems deficiencies and implement effective solutions
• Communicating and enforcing coding standards; and recommending changes in policies, processes and procedures.
• Develop and/or modify products with flexibility
• Researching, evaluating, and recommending systems/equipment/technologies
• Support existing and newly developed solutions via API’s, based on requirements
• Planning and delivering automated solutions to be used across multiple products and organizational units.
• Stay plugged into emerging technologies/industry trends and apply them into operations and activities
• Ensure proper version control and auditing of changes to the codebase, minimizing the risk of unauthorized code alterations.
• Development software projects, including mobile applications, adhering to Approved IDI standards.
• Analyze business requirements to design and develop banking applications that meet organizational goals.
• Write, test, and debug high-quality code in accordance with NBC standards, IDI standards and best practices.
• Provide ongoing technical support for existing banking applications, resolving issues promptly to minimize downtime.
• Identify opportunities for leveraging new technologies to improve banking operations and enhance the customer experience.
• Provide progress updates to management and stakeholders regularly.

Manage risk and compliance (Weight: 15%)

• Together with Risk and Compliance review the key risk and compliance challenges identified in the development area.
• Together with the Risk and Compliance team implement measures to address notable risks and regulatory challenges within software solution.
• Implement measures to review the risk and compliance performance of the developed solutions on a regular basis and take corrective action.
• Complete all relevant Management Assurance or Risk reports and attestations as required.
• Ensure that processes, control requirements and risk management frameworks that impact the implemented solutions are documented and understood by all members of the team.
• Work with Absa Internal Audit and Management Assurance during the scoping of audits to ensure fair coverage.
• Own and agree corrective action items with Internal Audit and Management Assurance for findings related to the software solutions.
• Arrange issue assurance for closed audit findings.
• Contribute and deliver to the improvement of the risk profile by delivering improved governance, risk management, controls and compliance requirements.
• Design and implement software solutions with a strong emphasis on security best practices.
• Integrate security features such as encryption, secure authentication mechanisms, and secure communication protocols into applications.
• Conduct threat modeling and security analysis to identify potential vulnerabilities in applications and implement mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with security experts to stay updated on the latest threats and integrate security patches and updates into the codebase.
• Adhere to established secure coding principles, incorporating best practices outlined in the OWASP (Open Worldwide Application Security Project) Secure Coding Practices
• Ensure Solution Code is continually being updated on Source code repository systems on weekly basis.
• Troubleshoot and debug applications, resolving issues and enhancing system functionality as needed.

Drive Service Levels (Weight: 15%)

• Increase revenue potential for the business by effectively managing service levels of critical solution that will be developed.
• Minimize time-to-resolution(TTR) of business service disruptions through fast real-time root cause analysis that spans complex multi-tiered application environments
• Minimize cost of IT infrastructure through optimizing delivery and performance of business services
• Implement actions resulting from formalised service reviews (including questionnaires, production reporting, loss event reporting, etc.)
• Continuously monitor service levels and implement tactical measures to improve customer satisfaction.
• Build and maintain effective stakeholder relationships within the Bank to understand the business needs and changes in customer needs.
• Participate in Bank wide forums and governance structures as required or directed.
• Assist the operational teams and support teams to ensure stability in supporting of the delivered solution/services.
• Maintain a clean, readable, and efficient codebase that meets industry standards and internal guidelines for code quality.
• Utilize automated testing frameworks and static code analysis tools to ensure high-quality code with minimal defects.
• Ensure proper documentation of code for maintainability and future reference including low level designs (LLD)
• Resolve issues, take preventive actions, and maintain project logs, documents, and status reports.

Competencies

• Excellent written and oral communication
• Problem solving skills and follow through; Pragmatic and thorough
• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies.
• Experience with varieties of databases and object-relational Mapping (ORM) frameworks.
• Must be a self-starter and have the ability to work independently with little supervision.
• Deep hands on experience with Web Applications and programming languages such as HTML, CSS,JAVA,Laravel, JavaScript, JQuery, Objects Oriented Programming and API's.
• Business Processes Improvement and Management
• Strong understanding of cross-browser compatibility, Web User Interface Design (UI), Security Principles, Object-Oriented Design, Web Services (REST/SOAP), Multimedia Content Development and API's.
• Hands-on experience with mobile application development (Android/iOS), including offline capabilities and API integration
• Experience in USSD application development and integration.

Qualification

• BSc. In Computer Science, Engineering or related field with informatics as core.
• Experience in multiple development languages in medium to enterprise systems, e.g. PHP, C#, Java, etc.
• Agile/Scrum and/or Oracle/Microsoft SQL MySQL, PostgreSQL certifications is an added advantage.
• Proved experience with coding languages Java and PHP is a must; Python is an added advantage.
• Experience with a variety of MVC frameworks/systems preferably Spring, Laravel, Django; Angular is an added advantage.
• Experience with integrations with Bank products/systems is an added advantage.
• Must be able to work under pressure, take clear ownership of issues and projects and drive to ensure a successful closure for the customer, peers and IT Production;
• Familiarity with ITIL-style management procedures and mainstream project management styles a distinct advantage;
• Experience of financial services preferred;

Experience

• 3 to 5 years’ experience in the software development industry with a focus on secure coding practices.
• Expertise in Git or other version control systems, with a strong focus on secure code management practices.
• In-depth understanding of secure coding principles (e.g., OWASP Top 10, secure authentication, data protection).
• Ability to work closely with cross-functional teams, including security experts, testers, and DevOps engineers, ensuring secure and quality code delivery.
• Knowledge of Agile Methodologies and Principles
• UX/Usability experience a must; Html (XHTML, HTML4 and HTML5 ), JavaScript.
• Proven hands-on experience in mobile application development (Android/iOS) using modern frameworks such as Flutter, React Native, Kotlin, Swift, or native platforms.
• Strong experience in designing, building, and maintaining USSD applications, including integration with telecom providers and core banking systems.
• Familiarity with mobile UI/UX standards, performance tuning, and security best practices for mobile apps and USSD.