🇿🇦 Hirezar Summary for South African Applicants

This fully remote full time position at Somewhere is open to applicants from South Africa. The estimated monthly salary is R27,750 – R46,250 ZAR. This role is suited for mid-level professionals. As a remote position, you can work from anywhere in South Africa — whether you're based in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, or a smaller town.

Job Description

AI Systems Engineer

Sourcing Location:South America, but happy to welcome candidates that are within -5H of UK timeWorking Hours:9AM - 5PM UK TimeCompensation:$2,000 - $2,500

We are a venture capital fund investing in early stage gaming and AI startups. We've built our own internal AI systems to run the firm, and we need someone to help us build more of it, faster.

The role

You'll work directly with our AI & Data Operations lead, on the systems that power how our team operates day-to-day. Internal tools, integrations, LLM-powered workflows, and the backend infrastructure underneath all of it — practical work that gets used immediately and has to hold up over time. The goal isn’t extra engineering capacity — it’s expanding what our internal AI layer can carry.

What you'll actually do
* Build and maintain the backend infrastructure behind our internal AI systems
* Design and manage the databases that power our workflows
* Build internal tools and services that make our investment team faster
* Wire up LLMs into real workflows — investment diligence, meeting prep, CRM enrichment, research,
* Pair with your direct partner to keep things simple and shippable
* Own reliability for the systems you ship — what was episodic project work last year is now a steady operating load
* Collaborate directly with our investment team — on what to build next

Who we're looking for
* 2-5 years of hands-on coding experience — CS degree or equivalent
* Real backend and database experience — you've designed schemas, written non-trivial queries, and shipped infrastructure that real users depend on
* Solid fundamentals: you can read, write, and debug real code across at least one mainstream language (Python or TypeScript ideal)
* Comfortable with APIs, cloud infrastructure (GCP a plus), and stitching systems together
* Fluent with AI coding tools — Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, or similar — and noticeably faster with them than without
* Strong written English and async communication
* High agency: you can take a vague idea and turn it into a working thing without needing the spec written for you

Tips for South African Applicants

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Timezone Advantage

South Africa (SAST, UTC+2) overlaps well with European business hours and has a few hours of overlap with US East Coast. Mention your timezone flexibility in your application.

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Salary in Context

At R27,750/month, this role is on par with the average South African remote salary. The USD equivalent ($1,500/mo) benefits from the favourable exchange rate.

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Application Tips

Tailor your CV to international standards — use a clean format, highlight remote work experience, and include your English proficiency. Many SA applicants succeed by emphasising their strong work ethic and cultural adaptability.

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Load Shedding Preparedness

If you're applying for a remote role, having a backup power solution (UPS, inverter, or generator) and mobile data as a backup internet connection shows employers you're prepared for South Africa's infrastructure challenges.

About Somewhere

Somewhere is a company in the Recruitment & Staffing industry that hires remote workers from South Africa. They currently have 685 open positions on Hirezar. View all Somewhere jobs →