Developer / Systems Integrator - Strand CPT (Hybrid) at Catch

Job Description


Our client is looking for a Developer / Systems Integrator to join their Platform Engineering team in Strand, Cape Town, on a permanent, full-time, hybrid basis. The role works on the group's own IoT and energy-monitoring platform, which ingests telemetry from generators, power meters, refrigeration controllers and PLCs across retail, food-service and facilities clients in South Africa.
This is the counterpart to the platform's front end, covering everything from the device up to the API: configuring gateways, writing converters that turn raw device data into named measurements, and owning live client systems.
Around two years of relevant experience is the comfortable starting point, though a strong early-career candidate who learns fast will also be considered.


ROLE OVERVIEW


Reporting to the Lead Developer, the Developer / Systems Integrator will build and commission edge gateways, write converters and platform automation, maintain client dashboards and reporting, and support the Linux infrastructure the platform runs on.
Within six months, the appointee is expected to own a workstream outright. Location: Strand, Cape Town — hybrid: 3 days a week in the office as the default, up to 2 days remote. Employment Type: Permanent, full-time. Experience Level: Approximately 2 years preferred; a strong early-career candidate will be considered.


KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Bench Commissioning & Go-Live


Build and configure edge gateways at the Strand office, including Modbus polls, MQTT topics and credentials.
Test and verify each gateway on the bench before it leaves the office.
Run go-live remotely, directing a field technician who is standing at the installation.


Converters & Decoders


Write JavaScript that turns raw device payloads into named, correctly scaled measurements.
Handle signed values, 32-bit registers, scaling factors and unit conversions correctly and consistently.
Apply datasheets and register maps exactly as written, and verify the result against real telemetry.


Platform Scripting & Automation


Write Python against the platform REST API for bulk device operations and attribute synchronisation.
Run cross-client key audits, data back-fills and scheduled health checks.
Automate repetitive platform administration rather than performing it by hand.


Dashboards & Reporting


Build and maintain client dashboards and the scheduled reports behind them.
Produce consumption emails, CSV exports and alarm summaries that reconcile with the raw data.


Standards & Documentation


Keep every client on a single measurement-naming standard, and audit the ones that have drifted.
Write the trackers, issues and documentation that let someone else pick the work up.
Document at the point of change rather than retrospectively.


Deployment & Server Support


Support Linux servers, nginx and TLS certificates, service restarts and version bumps.
Read logs and diagnose the cause when a service or a device goes quiet.


REQUIREMENTS:

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

Qualifications


No formal qualification is required. A relevant diploma, degree or bootcamp is welcome, but a portfolio demonstrating the same capability carries equal weight.
Valid driver's licence (own vehicle not requir d).
Right to work in South Africa.
Essential Technical & Personal Requirements
Python 3 written unaided, including HTTP APIs, JSON and CSV handling, and proper error handling.
JavaScript fundamentals.
Linux over SSH.
Git and GitHub as everyday working tools.
The discipline to apply a datasheet or register map exactly as written.
Care with live systems: backs up, checks, and says "I'm not sure" early.
Clear written English.


Experience


Approximately two years of relevant work is the comfortable starting point.
A strong early-career candidate who demonstrably picks things up quickly will be considered.


Programming & Scripting


Writing Python against a REST API without a framework doing the work, including authentication, pagination, retries, and handling an unexpected response.
JavaScript sufficient to write and debug a payload decoder: bitwise operations, type handling, numeric precision.
Reading someone else's code and extending it without rewriting it.


Data & Integration


Understanding of how a raw device reading becomes a stored measurement: byte order, signed and unsigned values, 32-bit registers, scaling factors, unit conversion and timestamping.
Ability to verify a value end to end against real telemetry rather than trusting a configuration screen reading itself back.
Working with structured data formats (JSON, CSV) and reconciling a report against its source.


Systems & Tooling


Linux command line over SSH: file handling, permissions, services, logs.
Git and GitHub: branches, commits, pull requests, issue tracking.
Basic web service operation, including nginx, TLS certificates and service restarts.


Advantageous


Modbus, MQTT or other industrial protocols.
SQL and PostgreSQL.
Django or a similar framework.
Angular, TypeScript or Java.
Node-RED or PLC programming.
nginx, systemd, cron and VPNs.
An electrical or energy background.
Electronics and embedded tinkering.


Behavioural Competencies


Data integrity comes first: changes to byte order, scaling, units, parsing, schemas or timestamps are discussed and approved before being written, and verified against real telemetry.
Traceable: every task starts from a GitHub issue and closes against a commit.
Self-documenting: documents as the work happens, not at the end of it.
Trustworthy with production: trusted with live systems early, and behaves accordingly.
Asks before assuming: raises uncertainty early rather than proceeding on a guess.
Accountable for AI-assisted output: the team uses AI tooling heavily, and the developer remains accountable for every line shipped.


Working Conditions


Hybrid role: three days a week at the Strand office as the default, with up to two days worked remotely. Bench work (building, configuring and testing gateways) is done at the office.
Occasional travel arises for software faults that cannot be resolved remotely, or to survey a system the platform has never integrated with before.
A valid driver's licence is required so the appointee can drive to site; owning a vehicle is not required, and business kilometres are reimbursed where a personal vehicle is used.


Key Performance Measures


Data integrity: no change to byte order, scaling, units, parsing, schemas or timestamps made without prior approval, with every such change verified against live telemetry.
Commissioning: gateways bench-tested and verified before dispatch, and go-live completed without a return visit.
Delivery: every task traceable from GitHub issue to closing commit, with agreed scope shipped within estimate.
Documentation: register maps, converters and client standards documented at the point of change, within 2 days.
Standards: client measurement naming audited and held to a single standard across the estate.
Ownership: owns a defined workstream outright within six months of joining