Forward Deployed Engineer – Sub-Saharan Africa - Fully Remote

Our client is a US non-profit funder-doer that builds projects to expand human agency at scale. They embed engineers and product managers directly inside evidence-based nonprofits across East Africa, South Asia, and beyond, helping them build data infrastructure, run experiments, and scale impact through automation and product thinking. Their small, global team combines expertise in software, AI, social psychology, and development economics, and their community of 200+ partner organizations reaches millions of people annually.

Reference Number: LJJP-TGF-001

Job Description:

We are looking for a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to join our client's team. You will work directly on-the-ground with NGO partners to investigate, architect, implement and adapt technology platforms and programmes in the field. You will be part engineer, part consultant, and part mentor — making technology work for real users in resource-constrained environments.

Responsibilities:

• Architect and adapt data-driven technology solutions at partner NGO sites across multiple countries
• Diagnose and organize partners' existing applications and data systems
• Deploy and configure our client's technology platforms and programmes to scale and improve partner operations and impact
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for field-side implementation challenges
• Customize and adapt platform features based on partner-specific workflows and constraints
• Train partner staff on platform usage and build internal technical capacity at partner organizations
• Identify and escalate product issues, collecting structured feedback from field deployments
• Collaborate with our client's engineering team to translate field learnings into product improvements
• Document deployment processes, partner configurations, and lessons learned for reuse

Requirements:

• Have 2–5 years of software engineering, data science or technical consulting experience
• Are proficient in at least one backend language (Python, Javascript, etc.) and comfortable with APIs
• Can navigate ambiguous, low-connectivity environments with resourcefulness and creativity
• Have strong interpersonal and communication skills — comfortable training and presenting to technical and non-technical audiences
• Are a strong problem-solver who can debug novel issues without a reference manual
• Are genuinely excited about the 'last mile' — the messy, human, operational reality of technology in the field
• Can work with significant autonomy while staying deeply connected with a distributed team

Desirable/Nice to Have:

• Prior experience living or working in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)
• Familiarity with mobile data collection tools such as KoboToolbox, CommCare or ODK
• Experience with WhatsApp, SMS or USSD-based systems, or designing for low-bandwidth environments
• Knowledge of a major language spoken by partner communities (Hindi, Swahili, Arabic, French, etc.)
• Background in global health, international development, or humanitarian technology

Contractual Information:

• Fully remote and flexible working environment
• Competitive compensation commensurate with experience

If you wish to apply, please send your CV to Jusitn Peach at [email protected].
Please visit www.caglobalint.com for more exciting opportunities.