Associate Software Engineer

Job Summary

The Associate Software Engineer assists in the development, testing, validation, and maintenance of backend and frontend software services for SLR Better Mining. Core daily responsibilities include implementing feature updates and bug fixes; authoring clean, testable code across Elixir, Python, and JavaScript frameworks; writing technical documentation; performing code reviews; assisting with data cleaning routines; and troubleshooting production defects alongside senior engineering mentors.

Foundational Capabilities & Prerequisites

• Academic Foundation: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent formal training (e.g., intensive software engineering bootcamp) in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely matching technical field.
• SDLC Literacy: A solid foundational understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), including requirements gathering, development, testing patterns, and version control.
• Frontend Core: Practical knowledge of JavaScript / TypeScript paired with functional familiarity in building interfaces using React.js and Next.js.
• Backend Basics: Hands-on exposure to backend engineering concepts, server-side development using NestJS, and a basic structural understanding of REST APIs.
• Database Exposure: Familiarity with relational database design and non-relational storage patterns, specifically using PostgreSQL and MongoDB.
• Tooling Ecosystem: Competence using Git / GitHub workflows for code preservation, branching strategies, and pull request loops.
• Environment Comfort: Ability to navigate and execute baseline scripting commands within a Linux / Bash environment.
• Engineering Mindset: Strong analytical problem-solving skills, sharp attention to structural detail, and a proactive willingness to absorb new technologies and frameworks.

Desired Attributes & Technical Multipliers

• Functional Programming: Prior exposure to Elixir and the Phoenix framework is a significant technical advantage.
• Advanced Languages: Coding experience or academic exposure utilizing Python for data-focused execution or backend workflows.
• Infrastructure & Devops: Conceptual understanding of application containerization via Docker, CI/CD automations, and cloud deployment pipelines like Heroku or Microsoft Azure.
• Data Manipulation: Basic exposure to data cleaning, scripting, and validation metrics for processing unstructured datasets.

Technical Workflow Architecture

As an Associate Engineer, your engineering routine balances guided feature development with continuous peer learning:

• Full-Stack Feature Execution: Translating technical specifications into operational code—such as building responsive React dashboard components or configuring a new API endpoint inside NestJS or Phoenix.
• Defensive Code Engineering: Writing comprehensive unit and integration tests alongside your core logic, running local debugging workflows to isolate software defects, and eliminating application bugs based on clear QA parameters.
• Continuous Code Auditing: Submitting your code for team review, participating constructively as a reviewer on peer merge requests, and rapidly iterating on feedback from senior engineers to master styling standards.
• Database Maintenance & Documentation: Assisting in database cleaning, writing migration checks for PostgreSQL or MongoDB, and compiling concise implementation notes and code comments to keep documentation accurate.

Key Responsibilities

1. Software Development & Agile Delivery

• Support the core design, development, testing, and continuous maintenance of digital products using Elixir, Phoenix, Python, NestJS, ReactJS, and NextJS.
• Implement stable user-facing features and structural bug fixes based on clearly defined requirements and architectural briefs provided by technical leadership.
• Write exceptionally clean, readable, and testable code that adheres strictly to established organizational coding and formatting standards.
• Assist senior engineering team members in translating complex user, client, and business workflows into reliable, scalable technical solutions.
• Participate actively in software testing matrices, debugging processes, and rigorous quality assurance activities.
• Author and update fundamental technical documentation, code comments, system guides, and release implementation notes.

2. System Support & Application Maintenance

• Assist operational teams in identifying, isolating, debugging, and resolving reported software defects and runtime anomalies.
• Support the routine maintenance and refactoring of legacy applications to optimize execution stability, responsiveness, and speed.
• Help monitor dependencies and system versions to ensure our applications remain up to date with security patches, required enhancements, and functional fixes.
• Document system incidents thoroughly, escalate complex technical challenges to appropriate senior leads, and log resolutions for future reference.

3. Team Collaboration & Continuous Learning

• Coordinate daily within an agile team, collaborating seamlessly with other developers, operations managers, and Better Mining project staff.
• Contribute actively to peer code reviews, using feedback as a tool to expand your full-stack capabilities.
• Focus on skill acquisition and professional development, ensuring your learning velocity matches the evolving toolsets of the digital team.

Role Level Expectations & Growth Trajectory

• Supervised Freedom: You will work under regular guidance, supervision, and structured mentorship, focusing on mastering fundamentals.
• Incremental Independence: You will start with well-defined tasks, building the confidence and system knowledge to take on larger, complex components independently over time.
• Zero Production Anxiety: You will not hold primary or solo ownership over active production environments, allowing you to learn deployment processes safely under senior verification.
• Growth Focus: Your primary metrics of success are your technical velocity, your attention to detail, and your ability to absorb engineering best practices.

Skills Required:

• Computer / Software / It / Data