Junior Engineer

Junior Engineer – Firmware, Software & IT Infrastructure

Company: PolyComp Technologies (Pty) Ltd

Location: Edenvale, Johannesburg

Industry: Design, Manufacturing and Installation of Digital Communication Systems

PolyComp Technologies (Pty) Ltd is an established designer, manufacturer and installer of digital communication systems. We develop specialised electronic hardware, embedded control systems and software solutions for applications across Southern Africa.

We are seeking a capable, hands-on Junior Engineer to support our engineering, product-development and internal IT operations.

POSITION OVERVIEW

This is a multidisciplinary engineering position spanning three principal areas: firmware and embedded-system development, software development, and IT infrastructure administration and maintenance.

The successful candidate will work alongside the engineering team on the development, testing, integration, maintenance and troubleshooting of electronic and software-based systems, while also taking responsibility for the day-to-day technical administration and maintenance of internal IT infrastructure.

The position requires more than programming ability or academic knowledge. The successful candidate must be able to apply sound engineering practice to technical work, including systems thinking, structured problem-solving, disciplined development, testing and verification, root-cause analysis, documentation and configuration control.

The emphasis is on sound, practical engineering methods and disciplined technical work.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Firmware & Embedded Systems Development: Develop, modify, debug and test embedded firmware, primarily in C/C++, for microcontrollers, controller boards and digital-display related hardware. Work from technical requirements through implementation, bench testing, integration and verification.

• Software Development: Develop, maintain, debug and test internal and customer-facing software applications. Translate operational requirements into workable solutions using structured development, source/version control, testing and documentation.

• IT Infrastructure Administration & Maintenance: Maintain and administer the company’s servers, workstations, networks, user systems, backups, access control and related IT infrastructure. Diagnose faults, maintain configurations, perform updates and deployments, and support reliable and secure business operations.

• Systems Integration & Troubleshooting: Integrate and troubleshoot firmware, software, electronics, communications interfaces and networked equipment as complete systems. Apply structured fault isolation, measurement, log analysis, controlled testing and root-cause analysis rather than trial-and-error troubleshooting.

• Testing & Engineering Development: Develop and execute appropriate tests, define expected results, verify changes and ensure that solutions operate correctly across the complete system. Apply practical engineering methods including requirement clarification, functional breakdown, interface definition, prototyping, verification and validation.

• Technical Documentation & Support: Produce and maintain clear technical documentation, test and failure reports, configuration records and revision information. Assist technical teams with complex hardware, firmware, software and network-related problems at company and customer installations.

REQUIREMENTS – NON-NEGOTIABLE

Qualifications

BTech, BSc or BEng in Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline from a recognised institution.

Experience

Approximately 2–5 years of relevant practical experience in firmware development, software development, embedded systems, IT infrastructure or related engineering work.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate practical competence and provide contactable references where appropriate.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

• Practical C/C++ programming ability, understanding of microcontrollers and embedded-system architecture, and the ability to read electronic schematics and component datasheets.

• Demonstrated ability to design, develop, debug and maintain software rather than only modify existing code, together with a working understanding of structured programming and source/version control.

• Sound understanding of TCP/IP networking, IP addressing, DHCP, DNS, routing and network troubleshooting, together with practical experience administering and troubleshooting workstations, servers and related business systems.

• Competence with appropriate electronic and diagnostic equipment, including multimeters, oscilloscopes, logic analysers and serial/network diagnostic tools.

• Strong logical and analytical reasoning, systems thinking and the ability to understand interactions between hardware, firmware, software, networks and other system components.

• Strong fault-finding and debugging ability. Candidates must be able to define and reproduce problems, isolate faults, form and test hypotheses, identify root causes and support technical conclusions with evidence.

• Disciplined testing and verification practices, including the ability to determine whether a change has solved the actual problem without introducing additional faults.

• Ability to work accurately with technical documentation, specifications, protocols, logs and configuration information, and to maintain appropriate records of technical work and changes.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

We are looking for somebody who is technically curious, disciplined and prepared to understand why a system works rather than simply memorising procedures.

The successful candidate should demonstrate sound technical judgement, attention to detail, persistence with difficult problems, ownership of assigned work, an ability to learn independently and a strong preference for evidence and method over guesswork.

SELECTION PROCESS

Shortlisted candidates should expect a practical technical assessment as part of the interview process.

The assessment may cover engineering reasoning, troubleshooting, software or firmware development, system analysis, networking and interpretation of technical information.

A qualification alone will not be sufficient. Appointment will be based on demonstrated practical competence as well as academic background and experience.

WHY JOIN POLYCOMP TECHNOLOGIES?

• Work across complete systems incorporating electronics, embedded firmware, software, networks and digital-display technology.

• Gain exposure to development from initial technical requirement through prototype, testing, production and field deployment.

• Work directly with professional engineering tools, test equipment, manufacturing operations and real installed systems.

• Salary: Highly negotiable according to qualifications, demonstrated technical capability and relevant experience.

HOW TO APPLY

Submit your CV, copy of your qualification and academic transcript, and a short cover letter outlining relevant firmware, software, embedded-system and/or IT infrastructure experience to:

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Applicants are encouraged to identify specific projects or systems for which they personally performed development, debugging, testing or technical troubleshooting.