Junior Software Developer

Job Summary

We are looking for a motivated and practical Junior Software Developer to join our development team and assist with building, maintaining, and improving web and software applications. This role is suitable for a developer who understands the fundamentals of software development and is comfortable using modern AI-powered development tools, including ChatGPT Codex , to research, generate, debug, improve, and implement application code. The successful candidate will work on real projects and will be expected to understand the code they produce, test applications properly, identify problems, and work with more experienced developers when necessary. This is not a role where the developer is expected to simply copy and paste AI-generated code. The candidate should be able to use AI as a development assistant while applying their own programming knowledge and judgment.

Key Responsibilities

Software Development

1. Assist with developing web and software applications.
2. Write clean, readable, and maintainable code.
3. Implement new features based on requirements and specifications.
4. Fix bugs and resolve application issues.
5. Modify and improve existing applications.
6. Build reusable components and functions.
7. Integrate applications with REST APIs and third-party services.
8. Work with databases and perform basic database operations.
9. Assist with authentication, forms, validation, and other application functionality.
10. Test applications before submitting completed work.
11. Participate in code reviews and incorporate feedback.

AI-Assisted Development

1. Use ChatGPT Codex and other AI-powered coding tools to accelerate software development.
2. Use AI tools to generate application components, functions, APIs, database queries, and other development tasks.
3. Provide clear and effective prompts to AI coding tools.
4. Review AI-generated code before using it in an application.
5. Identify and correct errors in AI-generated code.
6. Understand the purpose and functionality of code generated by AI.
7. Use AI tools for debugging, refactoring, documentation, research, and troubleshooting.
8. Verify that AI-generated solutions are secure, efficient, and compatible with the existing application.
9. Avoid blindly implementing AI-generated solutions without testing and understanding them.

Application Development

The developer may be required to work on:

1. Web applications.
2. Admin dashboards.
3. REST APIs.
4. Backend services.
5. Database-driven applications.
6. Mobile applications.
7. Internal business applications.
8. Application integrations.
9. Automation tools and scripts.

Requirements

1. Basic to intermediate knowledge of software development.
2. Experience with at least one programming language such as JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, PHP, Java, C#, or similar.
3. Basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
4. Familiarity with frontend or backend development.
5. Basic understanding of REST APIs and HTTP requests.
6. Basic knowledge of databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or SQL Server.
7. Understanding of Git and basic version-control workflows.
8. Ability to troubleshoot and debug software issues.
9. Ability to read and understand existing code.
10. Good understanding of programming fundamentals.
11. Ability to work with AI-assisted development tools such as ChatGPT Codex.
12. Ability to learn new technologies quickly.
13. Good attention to detail.
14. Ability to follow technical instructions and development requirements.

Desirable Skills

1. Experience with React, Next.js, Vue.js, Node.js, NestJS, Express, Laravel, Django, or similar frameworks.
2. Experience building REST APIs.
3. Experience working with PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, or other databases.
4. Experience using GitHub or GitLab.
5. Experience with Docker.
6. Experience deploying applications to cloud platforms.
7. Basic knowledge of AWS, Azure, Firebase, Vercel, or similar platforms.
8. Experience with mobile development using React Native or Flutter.
9. Experience using Cursor, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT Codex, or similar AI development tools.
10. Experience debugging applications using browser developer tools.
11. Basic understanding of software architecture and application security.

AI Development Expectations

The successful candidate should be able to use ChatGPT Codex as a development partner . For example, the developer should be comfortable with tasks such as:

1. Giving Codex a project requirement and asking it to implement a feature.
2. Asking Codex to analyse an existing codebase.
3. Using Codex to identify and fix bugs.
4. Asking Codex to create database models and API endpoints.
5. Using Codex to create frontend components.
6. Asking Codex to explain unfamiliar code.
7. Using Codex to refactor repetitive or poorly structured code.
8. Testing AI-generated implementations and correcting problems.
9. Breaking a large development task into smaller tasks that can be completed with AI assistance.

Important: AI tools are intended to improve productivity, not replace software development knowledge. Candidates must be able to review, understand, test, and modify the code produced by AI.

Personal Qualities

The ideal candidate should be:

1. Curious and willing to learn.
2. Technically minded.
3. Proactive and willing to take initiative.
4. Detail-oriented.
5. Reliable and responsible.
6. Comfortable asking questions when requirements are unclear.
7. Able to work independently when given a task.
8. Able to communicate technical issues clearly.
9. Comfortable receiving and implementing feedback.
10. Interested in modern software development and AI-assisted programming.
11. Able to manage multiple development tasks when required.
12. Willing to research solutions independently before escalating an issue.

Working Style

The developer will be expected to:

1. Receive development tasks and requirements.
2. Understand the expected outcome before starting development.
3. Break tasks into manageable steps.
4. Use appropriate development and AI tools to implement solutions.
5. Test work before submission.
6. Report completed work and any outstanding issues.
7. Keep code organised and maintainable.
8. Communicate blockers promptly.
9. Follow existing project standards and instructions.

What We Offer

1. ₦1,500 per hour.
2. Practical experience working on real software projects.
3. Exposure to modern AI-assisted software development.
4. Opportunity to work with ChatGPT Codex and other development tools.
5. Opportunity to work across different technologies and application types.
6. Flexible, task-based development work.
7. Opportunity to develop professional software engineering experience.

Application Expectations

Applicants should be prepared to demonstrate their development ability through:

1. GitHub or other code samples, where available.
2. Previous applications or projects they have worked on.
3. A short description of their software development experience.
4. Experience using AI coding tools.
5. A practical coding or development assessment if required.

Candidates who are comfortable using AI tools but cannot understand, debug, or explain the code produced may not be suitable for this position.