Position Title:                                         Software Development Supervisor

Reports To:                                             Software Development Manager

Division :                                                 Church World Service

Department:                                           Administration, Information Technology

Job Location:                                           Nairobi, Kenya

Grade Level:                                            Grade 7, Supervisor, National

Introduction:

Church World Service (CWS) is a not-for-profit, faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable solutions to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster. CWS does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, genetic information, age, disability or veteran status in employment or in the provision of services.

The Software Development Supervisor position is primarily responsible for taking lead in developing software

applications by studying operations; designing, developing, and installing software solutions; managing the

entire software development life cycle. This position supervises IT software developers.

The supervisor must integrate security practices into every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). This includes leading secure design reviews, integrating automated security testing into CI/CD pipelines, enforcing compliance with organizational and regulatory standards, and fostering a culture of shared responsibility for security across development and operations teams.

Key relationships

Internal

• Deputy Director Admin and Operations
• CWS Africa Directors
• Administration Division Departments
• CWS Africa Senior Programs Team
• IT Department Unit Heads

External

• CWS HQ IT Team
• PRM RPC IT Team
• PRM Fraud Prevention Team
• IT Service Providers

Working Environment

Office with periodic travel to the field as may be required

Leadership and Management (15%)

• Direct the early-stage development of new products by overseeing idea screening, conducting technical feasibility studies, and spearheading concept development.
• Cultivate technical expertise within the team by researching state-of-the-art development tools, emerging programming techniques, and modern computing hardware.
• Lead the design of system specifications and standards to ensure all developed applications are scalable, performant, and aligned with technical requirements.
• Champion DevSecOps culture across teams, ensuring developers, testers, and operations staff adopt secure coding and deployment practices.

Technical Operations Oversight and Support (55%)

• Architect end-to-end software solutions by evaluating organizational needs, conducting stakeholder consultations, and analyzing complex system flows and data usage.
• Drive operational improvements by conducting deep-dive systems analysis and recommending strategic changes to departmental policies and procedures.
• Identify and mitigate potential technical bottlenecks or problem areas early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC) to ensure project viability.
• Standardize documentation practices by developing high-level layouts, system diagrams, and architectural charts that clearly demonstrate solution logic.
• Enforce code quality standards across the team through rigorous code reviews, ensuring the delivery of clean, well-commented, and maintainable codebases.
• Manage the deployment and installation of enterprise-level solutions, ensuring adherence to established programming standards and system specifications.
• Supervise the resolution of high-priority software development requests escalated from the service desk, providing expert technical guidance to junior developers.
• Design and optimize automated build, test, and deployment pipelines to ensure rapid and reliable software delivery.
• Oversee the provisioning and management of cloud and on-premises infrastructure using automation tools to ensure environment consistency.
• Implement robust monitoring, logging, and alerting systems to proactively identify performance bottlenecks and ensure high system availability.
• Automate the integration of security scanning and compliance checks directly into the deployment workflow
• Manage branching strategies (e.g., GitFlow) and merge requests to ensure the main codebase always remains stable and deployable.

Compliance Management (15%)

• Achieves and maintains a thorough knowledge and adherence to established RSC Africa, CWS/IRP, DOS/PRM and USCIS policies and procedures regarding database management for RSC Africa programs.
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, automated security testing, vulnerability management, and compliance frameworks is required.

Representation/Engagement (10%)

• Provides input and recommendation to the IT manager on IT automation.
• When needed, covers the responsibilities of the other IT specialists.
• Training staff on the use of developed applications.

Additional Roles and Responsibilities (5%)

• Any other tasks as assigned by the Software Development Manager or IT Management

Experience:

• A minimum of six years relevant paid work experience required.
• Four (4) years of directly related specialized experience performing the essential duties in custom software/application development is required.
• A minimum of one year direct supervisory experience required.
• Experience in software development project management is preferred.

Skills:

• Strong knowledge in the web application development environment with relational databases.
• Strong knowledge in PostgreSQL Database architecture, design and development, including the ability to write
• in PHP using Laravel Framework and JavaScript programming languages.
• Knowledge in Golang programming language is preferred.
• Strong Knowledge in Object Oriented Programming.
• Knowledge of GIT Version Control.
• Strong complex queries and stored procedures.
• Strong knowledge Knowledge in essential Windows and Linux system administration is required. Android programming using Kotlin experience a plus.
• Knowledge in Microsoft Azure Architecture is a plus.
• Experience working in a highly regulated environment with compliance requirements is a plus

Abilities:

• Interpret written requirements and technical specification documents.
• Supervise staff to ensure policies and procedures are implemented and executed in accordance with guidelines and standard operating procedures.
• Maintain a high-performance standard with attention to detail, completing tasks within set timeframes.
• Exercise good judgement and seek guidance as appropriate when confronted with unanticipated problems.
• Deal effectively and courteously with many associates, outside agencies, refugees and members of the public.
• Manage large and diverse workload under pressure with competing priorities.
• Maintain the integrity of official records; 
• Analyze and solve complex problems and make sound decisions.
• Work with minimal supervision.
• Maintain a high-performance standard with attention to detail.

Education & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in is IT required
• Azure and Project Management Certification is preferred.

Important Requirements:

• Strong English communication skills, both written and oral.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment required.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and willingness to support CWS’ Platform on Racial Justice as a CWS employee required.
• Remain alert and responsive to any child safeguarding and PSEAH (Prevention of Sexual, Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment) risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills which will enable you to promote strong safeguarding PSEAH practices, understand the child safeguarding and PSEAH Policies and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Child Safeguarding and PSEAH Policies.

• The candidate should be in good health, willing and able to travel extensively in often difficult conditions and have a high degree of flexibility. Must have proof of Yellow Fever vaccination before traveling for RSC Africa.
• This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya
• This position always requires use of laptops, competence in Microsoft office packages is required.
• This position may require travel in sub-Saharan Africa on short notice and under sometimes difficult conditions to meet demands of a dynamic operational program
• Background check which includes references and an educational and criminal check is required before the start of employment.
• A valid passport and the ability to maintain a valid passport throughout the entire appointment is required, which includes having enough passport pages for travel.
• Physical: This position requires bending, squatting, crawling, climbing, kneeling, sitting, standing, walking, pushing/pulling, handling objects (manual dexterity), reaching above shoulder level, using fine finger movements and lifting/carrying heavy loads.
• Environmental: Incumbents in this position will be exposed to excessive noise, marked changes in temperature and/or humidity, dust and infectious diseases, harsh weather climates, long work hours, bumpy roads, extended travel, excessive sun exposure, and non-ventilated spaces.
• This is a Full-time position.
• All employees should be prepared to work from the CWS office within their location of hire. Remote work arrangements may vary depending on location and the governing rulings based on prevailing context.