Support Engineer

Do you love solving complex technical problems while helping real users succeed? Are you a full-stack troubleshooter who thrives at the intersection of engineering and support? Do you enjoy working cross-functionally with Product and Engineering teams to identify root causes and improve systems at scale? If so, this might be the role for you.

ABOUT ALX AFRICA

ALX Africa, a non-profit organisation under the ALX Foundation, is dedicated to unlocking the potential of Africa's digital future. Formerly part of Sand Tech Holdings, we've embarked on an independent journey to provide world-class tech skills training and career acceleration programmes. Our mission is to bridge the digital divide, upskill and reskill talent, and create a generation of innovative leaders. By 2030, we aim to empower 2 million Africans to secure sustainable tech careers.

With hubs in 8 cities across Africa and counting, we provide safe access to quality learning and a dedicated network of expert instructors. Our innovative programmes equip learners with the practical skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today's rapidly evolving tech industry. Through a combination of rigorous coursework, industry partnerships, and hands-on projects, we prepare our students for in-demand roles in software engineering, data science, and cybersecurity.

We achieve this by:

• Providing young professionals with access to the most in-demand tech skills that will power the future.
• Empowering the next generation of technology innovators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders through challenging, real-world coursework.
• Building a lifelong, impactful community of tech professionals that support them at all stages of their career journey. 

 Visit our website www.alxafrica.com to learn more about our digital revolution.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a Technical Support Engineer who thrives at the intersection of support and engineering. You’ll own and resolve a wide spectrum of support cases—from frontline tickets to complex system investigations—while working closely with Product and Engineering teams.

You’ll sit within the Customer Support team but operate as a technical partner to Engineering, helping bridge real customer problems with scalable technical solutions.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own and resolve technical support requests from customers with speed, clarity, and accuracy.
• Handle full-stack troubleshooting across frontend, backend, APIs, databases, and integrations.
• Provide technical guidance to Support Agents, resolving both Tier 1 inquiries (user guidance, product behavior) and advanced technical cases.
• Investigate front-end issues using DevTools, reading server logs, and performing network troubleshooting.
• Investigate REST and GraphQL API requests, authentication issues, and integration failures.
• Troubleshoot and resolve system-level issues independently; escalate only confirmed defects to Engineering.
• Execute high-privilege technical processes in production (e.g., running specific scripts on internal applications).
• Write internal documentation, root cause analyses (RCA), and knowledge base content.
• Collaborate with Engineering to improve product reliability and supportability.
• Identify recurring technical issues and propose automation or system fixes to eliminate them.

REQUIREMENTS

Essential

• 2+ years of hands-on full-stack web development experience (frontend + backend).
• Strong debugging experience in JavaScript, Python, or Ruby applications and web environments.
• Proficiency with Linux systems (Bash commands, SSH, permissions, logs).
• Strong experience with REST APIs and GraphQL (testing, debugging, authentication).
• Database experience with MySQL or PostgreSQL (queries, joins, troubleshooting).
• Familiarity with AWS services (ECR, Lambda, RDS, S3, EC2, ElasticBeanstalk, Kinesis, etc.).
• Experience using browser and network debugging tools (Chrome DevTools).
• Excellent English communication—clear, patient, and precise in writing and speech.
• Fluency in at least one backend or scripting language: TypeScript, Ruby, or Python.
• Experience with Postman, cURL, or Insomnia for API debugging.
• Familiarity with ticketing platforms (Zendesk/Freshdesk) and incident workflows.

Preferable

• Experience in a technical support, DevOps, SRE, or production engineering role.
• Familiarity with Docker, CI/CD, or distributed logging.
• Knowledge of monitoring tools such as Sentry, Datadog, Prometheus, Grafana, or CloudWatch.
• Experience working in product-led SaaS or startup environments.

Person Attributes

• Courage: Willingness to speak up, challenge the status quo, and embrace new challenges.
• Humility: Openness to learning, seeking help when needed, and a focus on serving others.
• Adventure: A passion for setting ambitious goals, tackling difficult tasks, and finding joy in the journey.
• Initiative: Proactive problem-solving, a sense of ownership, and a willingness to go above and beyond.
• Resilience: The ability to bounce back from setbacks, persevere through challenges, and emerge stronger.
• Analytical and Methodical: A technical problem-solver with strong analytical instincts.
• Collaborative: Works naturally across teams and communicates effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

EMPLOYMENT TYPE

This role is full-time.

WORK HOURS

The required work hours are 40 hours per week.

PREFERRED TIME ZONES

The preferred time zones are UTC+0 to UTC+2

Due to the considerable amount of virtual working and interaction with colleagues and customers in different physical locations internationally, it is essential that the successful applicant has the drive and ethic to succeed working in small teams physically but in larger efforts virtually. Self-drive to communicate constantly using web collaboration and video conferencing is essential. As an employee, you will be encouraged to continually develop your capability & attain certifications to reflect your growth as an individual.

Disclaimer: ALX Africa does not charge fees or request payments at any stage of hiring. Be cautious of anyone claiming otherwise. Report suspicious activity to [email protected]

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