Hirezar Summary for South African Applicants

This fully remote full time position at Pavago explicitly welcomes applicants based in South Africa. 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

About the Role
We are looking for an
Embedded Python Data & Automation Engineer
to take ownership of an existing Python environment, maintain production systems, improve automations and data pipelines, and develop internal tools and integrations.
Key Responsibilities
System Transition & Knowledge Absorption:
Shadow the departing programmer and take ownership of the existing Python codebase.
Production Support & Maintenance:
Troubleshoot live issues, maintain existing systems, and ensure system stability.
Data Pipelines & Automations:
Maintain, debug, and improve data pipelines and scheduled automations.
API & Integration Ownership:
Maintain and extend APIs, third-party integrations, authentication flows, and webhooks.
Technical Debt:
Identify fragile systems, undocumented dependencies, and technical risks and improve them over time.
Documentation:
Create and maintain system documentation, workflow diagrams, dependency maps, and operating procedures.
Internal Tooling:
Build practical automation tools and internal software based on business needs.
Engineering Practices:
Use Git, pull requests, automated testing, changelogs, and staged deployments.
Required Experience & Skills
3+ years of professional Python experience
in a data-focused environment.
Experience building or maintaining
production data pipelines and automations
.
Strong experience with
APIs, integrations, authentication, and webhooks
.
Experience working with an
existing or legacy codebase
.
Working knowledge of
SQL and relational databases
.
Familiarity with
Git, pull requests, testing, and deployment workflows
.
Strong written English and technical documentation skills.
Ability to work with meaningful overlap with
US business hours
.
Typical Day
Your day begins with a check on overnight automations and any open production issues. You spend focused blocks working through the current system — reading existing code, running tests, tracing integrations, and filling in documentation gaps. Early in the engagement, a meaningful portion of your time is in handover sessions with the departing programmer. As the transition matures, that time shifts toward new development: building automations, improving pipeline reliability, or scoping a new internal tool with the client. You communicate primarily over Slack and participate in planning sessions and check-ins that align with US business hours. You raise flags early, document as you go, and push changes through staging rather than directly to production.
Interview Process
Video Interview Screening
Client Interview
Offer Stage

Tips for South African Applicants

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.

Salary in Context

Even without a listed salary, international remote roles typically pay 2-3x more than equivalent local positions in South Africa due to the exchange rate advantage.

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.

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 Pavago

Pavago is a company in the design industry that hires remote workers from South Africa. They currently have 238 open positions on Hirezar. View all Pavago jobs →