Full Stack Developer Consultant

Assignment Details Remuneration: ZMW 2,150/day (ZMW 45,150/month).Contract type: International self-employed contractor, one year role; hoping to be extended up to three-years if funding becomes available.Contract length: 1-year with possible extension if funding is secured.Location: PACRA House, Haile Selassie Ave, Longacres, Lusaka, Zambia.Roles: 1 x roles available with immediate start.Applicants must be based in Lusaka, Zambia and eligible to work within the country at the time of application.About the Project The Patents and Company Registration Agency (PACRA) is undertaking a full-scale overhaul of Zambia’s Business Register to align with modern digital governance practices and enhance beneficial ownership transparency.Low compliance rates in previous disclosure efforts have highlighted the need for improved user experience, enhanced infrastructure and integrated workflows. Meanwhile, legacy systems prevent PACRA from updating data capture systems to support legislative and user-driven enhancements to systems. The modernisation process now underway aims to address these gaps by developing a company registry system that is efficient, scalable, and aligned with international standards.Open Ownership and PACRA are jointly partnering to deliver this registry modernisation project, with Open Ownership acting as the grantee receiving and distributing the funds and hiring staff. Developers will work directly from PACRA’s offices in close collaboration with existing IT staff, including the Director of ICT & Digital Transformation Manager.The first funded year of the project will see developers responsible for rebuilding PACRA’s core infrastructure and an initial set of five workflows on top of this - name clearance and reservation, company incorporation, beneficial ownership declaration, updates to associated person(s) info, as well data access via API.Open Ownership has an initial agreement to fund one year of this project. Together with PACRA, we are seeking additional funding in order to build out the remaining business registration processes and continue to iteratively improve PACRA’s digital services.We are seeking a number of developers to join this new team based in the offices of PACRA. Please ensure you specify which role you are interested in when applying. The post will report to the Digital Lead and work closely with existing PACRA staff.Purpose of the contractTo design, build, and maintain both client-facing and server-side components of PACRA’s core business systems, ensuring end-to-end software solutions that are secure, scalable, and user-friendly. The role involves full-stack development tasks, including implementing user interface features, developing back-end services, integrating with databases and external systems, and translating business requirements into robust, efficient solutions.Scope of Work Systems Development Implement both front-end user interfaces and back-end application modules using modern frameworks and programming languages.Develop services and integrations following secure, scalable, and modular approaches (e.g., service-oriented or microservices architecture).Translate functional requirements into responsive, user-friendly front end components and efficient server-side logic.Integrate internal and external systems through robust APIs and secure data exchange mechanisms.Systems Testing Write and maintain automated tests across the stack (front-end unit tests, back-end integration tests, end-to-end tests) to ensure overall software quality.Apply rigorous debugging and testing practices, and participate in peer code reviews, following industry-standard secure coding guidelines.Systems DocumentationProduce and maintain developer documentation for both front-end and back-end parts of the system, including API references and design specifications.Document database schemas, data flows, and provide clear runbooks or guides for deploying and operating the system.Systems Upgrade & Optimisation Continuously refactor and improve code for performance, security, and maintainability across the full stack.Optimise front-end load times and back-end processing efficiency (e.g., through query optimisation, caching strategies, code tuning).Utilise continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines and containerisation to automate deployments and ensure smooth updates to the system. Data Management & PersistenceDesign and maintain relational and non-relational databases as needed, ensuring efficient data storage structures that meet application requirements.Implement data integration and migration processes, maintaining data consistency across different components and systems.Ensure compliance with data protection policies by implementing proper data backup routines, encryption, and audit logging in collaboration with database specialists.Collaboration & Support Engage in agile development activities (planning, stand-ups, reviews) and communicate effectively across front-end, back-end, and other stakeholders to achieve project goals.Mentor and support junior developers, promoting best practices in coding, testing, and DevOps within the team.Work with infrastructure/DevOps teams to ensure the application is properly deployed and configured in cloud or on-premises environments (using containers and orchestration as needed).Application processIn order to apply for this consultancy, please send a CV, a link to your GitHub / portfolio and a covering letter detailing your suitability for this specific role by Sunday 9 November midnight UTC + 2 (Zambia time) to recruitment@openownership.org. Please indicate in the subject line the exact title of the position you are applying for.The selection process will consist of a panel interview in mid to late November with all applications being reviewed against the Terms of Reference. If you do not hear back from us by 1 December 2025; then this means we are not taking your application forward.Please note that Open Ownership is fiscally sponsored by Global Impact. Fiscal sponsorship is a common mechanism in the non-profit sector, as it enables organisations to launch programmes without needing to complete the full process of establishing a legal entity. Global Impact is a US nonprofit (501c3), and its executive team and board of directors are shown here. Your contract will be with Global Impact on behalf of Open Ownership.