Aerobotics
Software Engineer (Fruit Insights)
About Aerobotics Our mission is to provide intelligent tools to predict, manage and optimise yields. We do this by delivering actionable tree and fruit insights to growers across 18 countries, powered by imagery and advanced computer vision. To date, we've analysed over 340 million trees and 65 million fruit, helping farmers make critical operational and agricultural decisions that maximise yield and efficiency. Our global team of 50+ professionals is headquartered in Cape Town, with commercial offices in the USA, Australia, Portugal, Spain, and South America.
The Real Challenge We're building intelligent tools that help farmers make better decisions about their crops. At the intersection of agriculture, computer vision, and software engineering, we need someone who can wrestle with tough algorithmic problems while also caring deeply about building maintainable, production-quality systems.
You'll work on problems that matter - helping to feed the world more efficiently. Your code will influence decisions about actual physical crops growing in actual orchards. And you'll do it with a team that values execution, pragmatism, and impact over process and perfection.
What Makes You Right For This You're probably the kind of person who:
- Enjoys solving abstract algorithmic challenges but is equally satisfied when your elegant solution ships and makes an impact
- Can design software systems that other engineers can work in without getting lost
- Makes decisions and moves forward without needing every detail figured out
- Naturally balances technical exploration with practical delivery - you know when to go deep and when to ship v0
- Organises technical work intuitively and can guide other engineers through complex problems
- Works independently and takes initiative on projects from idea to execution
What You’ll Actually Do
- Write elegant and efficient code that solves complex computer vision and agricultural problems
- Build and optimise systems that process imagery data and deliver accurate fruit analysis
- Tackle challenging algorithmic problems (like predicting the colour of a fruit under various real world conditions) and turn them into production-ready solutions
- Implement data processing pipelines that can reliably work at scale
- Contribute to architectural decisions that shape how our systems evolve
- Guide junior engineers through technical challenges when needed
- Work directly with product teams to balance technical excellence with practical farmer value
- Work alongside passionate engineers and directly with our technical leadership team (including our hands-on CTO)
The Must-Haves
- Evidence you can think algorithmically and solve abstract problems (through background, projects, or experience)
- Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field (Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline)
- At least 3 years of experience, or an impressive academic record displaying your ability to learn quickly
- Practical experience building production software systems that people actually use
- Enough technical depth to make architectural decisions confidently
- Be able to work in our Cape Town office at least 3 days per week
Our tech World We use Python (Django REST Framework) for our backend, React/TypeScript/React Native on the frontend, and modern ML technologies (Hugging Face, Vision Transformers, etc). Our infrastructure lives on AWS with the standard modern tooling around it. But honestly, if you have the problem-solving skills and software intuition we're looking for, specific technologies matter less than your ability to pick things up quickly.
Application Process
- Submit your CV & a clear motivation for this role & Aerobotics
- Preliminary virtual interview with Head of People & Engineering Manager
- Technical assessment
- In-person interview with two stakeholders from our Tech team
- Final Interview with our CTO
Note: Unfortunately, we are unable to support visa sponsorship, so the suitable candidate requires permanent working rights in South Africa.
Status: Open
Salary: R 30,000 to R 80,000
Experience: 3 years
Role is on-site or hybrid.