At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of Djibouti's national addressing and GIS platform.
- Company: Join a pioneering team shaping national infrastructure.
- Benefits: Flexible work options, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic project with significant national importance.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on everyday lives through innovative technology.
- Qualifications: 7+ years in software development with strong full-stack experience.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Location: Djibouti (on-site, hybrid, or remote with strong EAT / GMT+3 overlap)
Type: Full-time or long-term contract
Project: Djibouti Address System (D.A.S) — national digital addressing, mapping & postal logistics platform
Reports to: Project owner / D.A.S program lead
About the project
We are building the Djibouti Address System (D.A.S) — the official national platform that will create, register, verify, and manage proper addresses for every property, business, street, and area in Djibouti. Once live, D.A.S will be the country's official address database and operational backbone, used by La Poste Djibouti, government departments, emergency services, delivery companies, businesses, and citizens. It covers address registration, GPS/field data collection, geocoding and postal zones, parcel sorting and delivery routing, proof of delivery, and address verification at a national scale. This is foundational national infrastructure — the kind of system a country builds once. We are starting with a serious MVP and expanding from there, and we want a technical leader who can own the architecture from day one.
The role
As Senior Full-Stack Developer / Technical Lead, you will architect the platform, set the technical direction, and lead delivery of the MVP. You will personally build core backend services, the geospatial data layer, the APIs, and the admin dashboard — and define the standards the rest of the team works to. You will be hands-on. This is a build-it role first, lead-it role second.
What you'll own
- Design the overall system architecture across web, mobile, GIS, and database layers.
- Build the backend, database schema, and secure REST/GraphQL APIs that power the public website, field-staff mobile app, admin dashboard, and La Poste operations platform.
- Design and implement the geospatial data model (addresses, properties, GPS coordinates, postal zones, boundaries) using PostgreSQL + PostGIS.
- Build the admin dashboard for task assignment, data approval/rejection, staff monitoring, address management, and reporting.
- Define and enforce role-based access control (RBAC), audit logging, and secure handling of government-level national data.
- Design APIs that support offline-first mobile data collection and later sync, so field staff can work in low-connectivity areas.
- Set engineering standards (code review, branching, testing, CI/CD) and mentor/coordinate other developers (GIS, mobile, frontend, DevOps).
- Make pragmatic technology decisions and document architecture clearly for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Required skills & experience
- 7+ years professional software development.
- 5+ years building full-stack web applications in production.
- 3+ years designing and working with relational databases (schema design, query optimization, migrations) — ideally PostgreSQL.
- 2+ years in a technical lead, architect, or senior ownership role (leading delivery, setting architecture, mentoring others).
- At least one end-to-end platform you architected and shipped to production (multiple modules, real users).
Core technical skills (must-have)
- Backend: Node.js with NestJS (or strong equivalent such as Express) or Laravel (PHP).
- Frontend: React and/or Next.js — able to build clean, professional dashboards and interfaces.
- Database: PostgreSQL — advanced schema design, indexing, transactions, performance tuning.
- APIs: Designing secure, well-documented REST and/or GraphQL APIs for web and mobile clients.
- Authentication & security: RBAC, JWT/OAuth, audit logging, encryption at rest and in transit, secure data handling, and an understanding of building for sensitive/government-grade data.
- Architecture: Designing scalable, maintainable systems; clear separation of concerns; documenting decisions.
- Version control & collaboration: Git, code review, structured branching, and team workflows.
Strongly preferred (a major plus)
- Geospatial / GIS: Hands-on PostGIS experience, and familiarity with maps and geocoding using OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Google Maps API, or similar.
- Mobile integration: Experience building backends that support Flutter or React Native apps, including offline-first data collection and sync (conflict handling, queued uploads, photo + GPS capture).
- Cloud & deployment: AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud — or experience with secure local/on-prem hosting (relevant for government data-residency requirements).
- CI/CD, containerization (Docker), and basic DevOps to get the MVP deployed reliably.
Bonus / nice-to-have
- Experience with logistics, postal, delivery, address, or mapping systems.
- Experience delivering government or public-sector software, or systems handling national/sensitive data.
- French and/or Arabic language ability (working language with La Poste and government stakeholders; English is fine for the core technical work).
What we are NOT looking for
To save everyone time: this is a web, mobile, GIS, logistics, and data-infrastructure project. It is not automotive, embedded systems, telecom/RF, or hardware. Please don't apply on the basis of those backgrounds alone.
Who you are
- A pragmatic builder who ships, not just plans.
- Comfortable being the most senior engineer in the room and setting the direction.
- Clear communicator who can explain technical trade-offs to non-technical decision-makers.
- Self-directed, reliable, and able to take ownership across an ambiguous, early-stage project.
- Genuinely interested in building meaningful national infrastructure with real public impact.
Why this role
- National impact: You'll be the technical architect of Djibouti's official address system — used by the post office, government, emergency services, and millions of everyday interactions.
- Ownership: You shape the architecture and standards from the ground up.
- Growth: Start by leading the MVP, then grow the team and platform around you.
How to apply
Send the following to: A short note on why this project interests you. Your CV / LinkedIn. Links to 2–3 relevant projects you architected or led — ideally involving databases, dashboards, APIs, GIS, or mobile-backed platforms (GitHub, live demos, or case studies). Your availability (full-time or contract), rate/salary expectation, and time zone.
Applications that include relevant GIS, geospatial, or logistics-platform experience will be prioritized.
Senior Full-Stack Developer / Technical Lead — National Addressing & GIS Platform (D.A.S) in Leeds employer: Look and Sell Better Marketing Agency
Join a pioneering team dedicated to building the Djibouti Address System (D.A.S), a vital national infrastructure project that will enhance public services and logistics across the country. As an employer, we offer a collaborative work culture that values innovation and technical excellence, alongside opportunities for professional growth as you lead the development of a platform with significant societal impact. With flexible working arrangements and a focus on meaningful contributions, this role is perfect for those looking to make a difference in their community while advancing their careers.
Contact Details:
Look and Sell Better Marketing Agency Recruitment Team
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We think this is how you could land Senior Full-Stack Developer / Technical Lead — National Addressing & GIS Platform (D.A.S) in Leeds
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Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Look and Sell Better Marketing Agency.
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How to prepare for a job interview at Look and Sell Better Marketing Agency
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Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
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While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
