Mid to Senior Python Developer (Django, AI Focus) Cape Town
Ditto · Cape Town, Western Cape
Overview
Ditto, a Cape Town based recruitment tech company, is hiring a Python Developer with solid Django skills to build and improve AI powered hiring tools. Work on a product used by recruiters worldwide, solve genuinely hard problems with messy data and matching at scale, and join a small, hands on team where your code goes live and matters. If you enjoy autonomy, modern AI tools and building things people actually use, this is worth a look.
About the role
Ditto builds recruitment software used by recruiters, hiring teams and job seekers across multiple markets. You will join a small, informal team working on Ditto.Work, a recruitment operating system that handles candidates, jobs, clients, communication, reporting and automation.
This role sits right in the middle of product development. You will design, build and maintain features in Python and Django, work with product and customer success to turn real client problems into working software, and build AI driven features like search, matching and automation. You will also dig into large datasets, improve how candidate information is searched and ranked, and fix performance bottlenecks before users notice them.
Expect a fast paced, hands on environment with plenty of banter, strong personalities and very little corporate theatre. You will get direct access to the people making product and business decisions, and the freedom to experiment with new tools and technologies.
Important note: The client handles a significant amount of personal data, so privacy, security and POPIA are taken seriously. You should be comfortable working in an existing, evolving codebase and solving problems with a reasonable amount of ambiguity.
Requirements
- 4+ years of professional Python development experience
- Strong Django experience
- Solid understanding of software design principles and patterns
- Strong SQL and database design skills
- Front end experience with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and React.js
- Experience working with Docker
- Comfortable with Git and modern software development workflows
- Good understanding of security best practices
- Ability to work comfortably in an existing, evolving codebase
- Strong problem solving skills and comfort with ambiguity
- Hands on experience with AI coding tools or building with LLMs is a strong plus
Responsibilities
- Designing, building and maintaining features in Python and Django
- Working with product, customer success and sales to turn client problems into clear specs and working software
- Building and improving AI driven features including search, matching and automation
- Working with large datasets to improve how candidate information is searched, ranked and understood
- Finding and fixing performance bottlenecks and bugs before users do
- Improving existing systems rather than only building greenfield features
- Writing code that other engineers and AI agents can read, test and extend
- Taking ownership of problems from initial idea through to production
Benefits
Competitive compensation, generous leave, training, incentives
Job details
- Organisation
- Ditto
- Location
- Cape Town, Western Cape
- Job type
- Full time
- Experience level
- Mid (4+ years)
- Category
- IT & Software Development
- Application Method
- Apply manually
Success Guide
This is a great role if you have a few years of Python and Django under your belt and want to work on something real. Ditto is small, so your work will be visible quickly. When you apply, show them you can solve problems, not just write code. Mention any AI or LLM experiments you have tried, even side projects, because they are actively using those tools. Be ready to talk through how you have improved an existing codebase or dealt with messy data. The team values curiosity and ownership over perfect CVs. A short portfolio or GitHub link can help, but a clear, honest cover note about why this kind of product interests you goes a long way too.
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