Company: TapTip

Location: Remote / Zambia

Position Type: Founding Team / Full-Time or Contract-to-Full-Time

Industry: Fintech · Payments · Mobile Technology

Build the Technology Behind the Future of Digital Tipping

TapTip is a fintech platform being built to make digital tipping simple, fast, and accessible, particularly across tourism and service industries in developing markets.

Our mission is to bridge the gap between international visitors and local service workers by providing a fast, secure, and accessible way to give and receive digital tips.

Customers should be able to tip using familiar payment methods such as cards, Apple Pay, QR codes, and other digital payment options, while workers have a simple way to receive, track, and withdraw their earnings.

We are looking for a Founding Software Engineer & Lead App Developer to become one of the main technical builders behind TapTip.

This is not a position where you will simply receive small development tickets.

We are looking for someone who can take ownership of the product, understand the overall vision, make strong technical decisions, solve problems independently, and work directly with the founders to build TapTip into a secure and reliable fintech platform.

What You'll Build

You will help develop, improve, and maintain the core TapTip ecosystem, including:

TapTip mobile applications
TapTip web applications
User registration and authentication
Customer tipping and checkout flows
QR-code-based tipping
Card payment integrations
Apple Pay and digital wallet integrations
Mobile money payout integrations
User balances
Transaction history
Worker payout systems
KYC and identity verification systems
Administrative dashboards
Compliance tools
Notifications and email systems
PDF transaction statements and exports
Secure backend infrastructure
Payment reconciliation
Transaction monitoring and tracking
APIs
Webhooks
Third-party financial integrations
Internal developer and administrative tools

As TapTip grows, you will also help design new products and technical infrastructure for expansion into additional markets.

What We're Looking For

We want someone who can actually build, not someone who only knows how to manage developers or generate code without understanding it.

You should be comfortable working across different parts of a product and figuring things out when there is not already a detailed technical playbook.

We need someone who can take an idea, understand the requirements, determine how it should be built, implement it, test it, fix problems, and help move it into production.

Frontend Experience

Strong candidates should have experience with technologies such as:

React
Next.js
TypeScript
JavaScript
HTML
CSS
Modern responsive UI development

Backend Experience

Experience with:

Node.js
REST APIs
Firebase
Firestore
Cloud Functions or similar serverless infrastructure
Authentication systems
Authorization and permissions
Database architecture
API integrations
Webhooks

Mobile Development

Experience with one or more of the following is highly valuable:

React Native
Flutter
Native iOS development
Native Android development
Cross-platform mobile development
App Store deployment
Google Play deployment

Payments & Fintech

Experience with fintech is highly valuable, including:

Payment gateway integrations
Card payments
Digital wallets
Mobile money
REST APIs and webhooks
Transaction processing
Wallet or balance systems
Payment reconciliation
Payout systems
KYC integrations
Identity verification
Fraud prevention
Financial transaction security

Previous fintech experience is preferred but not mandatory if you are a strong developer who can learn quickly.

Equipment, Internet & Remote Work Requirements

Because this is a remote development role, applicants must have reliable equipment, reliable internet access, and consistent availability.

You must have your own computer or laptop capable of professional software development.

When applying, you must provide the specifications of the computer you plan to use for TapTip development, including:

Laptop or desktop model
Operating system
Processor / CPU
RAM
Storage capacity
Available storage space, if known
Graphics hardware, if relevant
Any other information you believe is relevant to your development setup

Applicants should also explain their internet situation.

Please include:

Whether you have regular access to Wi-Fi
Whether the internet connection is available where you normally work
Your approximate internet speed, if known
How reliable your connection is
Whether you frequently experience outages or disconnections
Whether you have a backup internet option such as mobile data or a hotspot
Whether your internet connection can reliably support video calls, screen sharing, file uploads, development tools, GitHub, and online collaboration

A screenshot of a recent internet speed test may be requested during the application process.

Consistent Availability Is Important

We are looking for someone who is consistently available and responsive.

TapTip is an active startup project, and there will be times when updates, fixes, changes, testing, or technical discussions need to happen quickly.

The person in this role should be able to:

Make changes to the application on a consistent basis
Respond to development issues within reasonable working hours
Join scheduled online work sessions
Participate in video calls with the founders
Screen share while working through technical issues
Review features together with the team
Make adjustments based on live feedback
Troubleshoot issues collaboratively
Communicate progress regularly
Be available for planned development sessions each week
Inform the team in advance when they will be unavailable

We do not expect someone to be online 24/7.

However, we do want a developer who treats TapTip as a serious responsibility and has enough consistency in their schedule to work closely with us.

Online Work Sessions

Some development sessions may be conducted through online calls where we work through parts of the TapTip application together.

These sessions may involve:

Reviewing the current application
Screen sharing
Debugging together
Discussing new features
Testing updates
Reviewing UI changes
Planning technical architecture
Reviewing Claude or ChatGPT-assisted development
Implementing changes during the call
Checking GitHub commits and code
Discussing priorities for the next development session

You should therefore be comfortable communicating over video or voice calls and sharing your screen when necessary.

AI Development Tools Provided

TapTip will provide access to Claude and ChatGPT Plus for development work.

We expect our developer to understand how to use modern AI development tools effectively.

These tools may be used to assist with:

Writing code
Reviewing code
Debugging
Understanding unfamiliar codebases
Application architecture
Planning features
Generating tests
Reviewing potential security issues
API integrations
Documentation
Refactoring
Troubleshooting
Researching technical approaches
Increasing overall development speed

However, AI should be used as an engineering tool, not as a substitute for understanding software development.

You must be capable of reviewing, testing, debugging, understanding, and taking responsibility for any code produced with AI assistance.

We are not looking for someone who simply copies and pastes AI-generated code without understanding what it does.

Company AI Usage Policy

Claude and ChatGPT Plus access provided by TapTip is strictly for TapTip-related work.

Company-provided accounts, subscriptions, usage limits, and resources may not be used for:

Personal projects
Freelance projects
School assignments
Work for another company
Personal research unrelated to TapTip
Personal entertainment
Unrelated AI experimentation

We want company-provided AI usage limits dedicated to TapTip so that we can maximize the amount of development work completed using the available resources.

Developers should understand how to use AI efficiently and avoid unnecessarily wasting context windows, message limits, or usage capacity.

Knowing how to properly structure prompts, provide useful context, review generated code, and efficiently work with AI development tools will be considered part of the role.

You'll Be a Strong Fit If You

You may be a strong fit for TapTip if you:

Can independently take a feature from an idea to production
Understand frontend and backend development
Have strong problem-solving skills
Write clean and maintainable code
Understand software architecture
Can debug your own work
Can work independently
Can communicate clearly
Have reliable access to a development computer
Have stable internet access
Can consistently attend scheduled online work sessions
Can communicate progress regularly
Understand the importance of security in fintech
Are comfortable integrating external APIs
Understand authentication and permissions
Can work with databases
Know how to use Git and GitHub
Know how to use AI coding tools productively
Can verify and understand AI-generated code
Are willing to learn unfamiliar technologies
Can research technical problems independently
Take responsibility for the quality of your work
Are interested in building a startup from an early stage
Are comfortable working directly with founders
Want significant responsibility rather than only being assigned small tasks

Your Role at TapTip

You will work directly with TapTip's founders and play a major role in technical decisions.

Initially, you may be one of the primary engineers responsible for the TapTip application, meaning you will have significant influence over how the product is structured and developed.

This position may eventually grow into responsibility for:

Leading additional engineers
Reviewing code
Managing technical architecture
Managing application releases
Developing engineering standards
Building TapTip's engineering team
Helping interview future developers
Managing development workflows
Improving security and reliability
Helping determine infrastructure strategy
Supporting expansion into additional countries
Supporting new payment providers
Helping develop future TapTip products

We are looking for someone interested in growing with the company, not simply completing a short development project.

What Matters More Than Credentials

A computer science, software engineering, or related degree is welcome, but it is not required.

We care more about what you can actually build.

A strong:

GitHub profile
Portfolio
Mobile application
Web application
Startup project
Fintech project
Payment integration
Open-source contribution
Personal software project

can be more valuable to us than formal credentials alone.

If you can demonstrate that you understand software engineering and can build reliable products, we want to hear from you.

Extra Consideration

You will receive extra consideration if you have previously built or contributed to:

Payment platforms
Digital wallets
Banking applications
Fintech products
Remittance applications
Mobile money systems
Marketplaces
Payment gateways
Subscription platforms
Financial dashboards
KYC systems
Identity verification systems
Transaction monitoring systems

If you have built something relevant, show us.

We want to see what you can actually build.

How to Apply

Send your application to:

taptipzambia@outlook.com

Email Subject

Application – Founding Software Engineer & Lead App Developer – [Your Name]

Please Include

Your application should include:

Full name
Location
Time zone
GitHub profile
Portfolio
Previous projects
Technologies you're strongest with
Mobile development experience
Fintech or payment integration experience
Experience using Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or other AI development tools
Current availability
Days and times you are normally available to work
Availability for online work sessions and calls
Expected compensation
A short explanation of why you want to help build TapTip

Computer / Laptop Information

Please also include:

Computer or laptop brand and model
Operating system
Processor / CPU
RAM
Storage
Any other relevant specifications

Internet Information

Please include:

Whether you have reliable Wi-Fi access
Approximate internet speed, if known
How consistent your connection is
Whether outages are common
Whether you have backup internet or mobile data
Whether you can reliably participate in video calls and screen-sharing sessions

Applicants may be asked to provide a screenshot of their internet speed test and computer specifications during the selection process.

Links to working applications, GitHub repositories, demos, or previous projects are strongly encouraged.

Help Build TapTip From the Beginning

TapTip is still being built.

That means the engineer joining us now will have the opportunity to influence the product from an early stage and become an important part of the company's technical foundation.

We need someone who is talented, dependable, available, and ready to build.

We're looking for a developer who can become a core technical member of TapTip, work closely with us, and help continuously improve the application as the company grows.

Apply to join TapTip and help us build the future of digital tipping.

Applications: taptipzambia@outlook.com

TapTip

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