Smile ID is unlocking digital Africa.

Smile ID is Africa's leading digital identity verification and Know Your Customer (KYC) provider. We block fraud while enabling the fastest growing businesses across Africa to onboard at scale and in real-time. Since inception we have performed over 250 million identity verifications. We provide services to hundreds of clients including leading banks, payments providers, lenders, and shared economy businesses.

Our team is a diverse group of hardworking and fun-loving Smilers spanning 4 offices, 7 countries and many time zones. We are backed by leading global investors, including Norsken22, Costanoa, and many more.

We are BUILDERS and your day-to-day will involve finding solutions for our clients that PROTECT people and create honest paths to success in Africa’s digital economy. We believe everyone at Smile ID is an OWNER. With this opportunity, you have the autonomy to do your best work and a chance to grow your career at a mission-driven company. Our vision is that it should be easy for anyone to prove their identity online, regardless of the origin of their ID card or IP address.

Come join us.

The Role

We’re looking for a Frontline Support Engineer to serve as the first line of support for our customers. In this role, you’ll manage Zendesk tickets, provide timely solutions to product-related questions and common technical issues, and escalate complex problems to the Senior team members with proper documentation.
This is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact at a growth-stage company. The role reports directly to the Head of Technical Support.

What the role involves

• Serve as the first point of contact for all technical inquiries and support requests from customers
• Manage and respond to support tickets in Zendesk, ensuring timely and accurate responses to customer queries
• Answer product questions and provide guidance on features, functionality, and best practices for using Smile's products
• Triage and resolve common technical issues independently, providing timely solutions to customer challenges
• Escalate complex issues to senior engineers when problems exceed your scope, ensuring proper handoff with detailed documentation
• Build and maintain a knowledge base by documenting resolved issues, creating FAQs, and developing troubleshooting guides for common problems
• Monitor system health and track daily performance metrics, flagging potential issues to senior team members before they impact customers
• Collaborate with the support team to identify recurring issues and contribute to continuous improvement of support processes

What We’re Looking For

Customer-First Communication

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts clearly
• Patient, empathetic approach that keeps customers confident and informed throughout the resolution process

Problem-Solving Mindset

• Strong analytical thinking and troubleshooting instincts
• Knows when to dig deeper versus when to escalate to senior engineers

Technical Aptitude

• Basic understanding of how software systems work
• Quick learner who can rapidly gain working knowledge of new products and tools

Organization and Follow-Through

• Detail-oriented with strong documentation habits
• Able to manage multiple tickets and prioritize effectively
• Follows up on escalated issues and maintains organized case notes

Team Collaboration

• Works well with senior engineers and learns from their expertise
• Takes initiative to ask questions and seek help when needed
• Contributes to team knowledge sharing and process improvements

Nice to Have

• Experience with ticketing systems like Zendesk
• Familiarity with monitoring dashboards or alerting systems
• Exposure to SaaS products, APIs, or developer tools
• Previous experience in technical support, customer support, or IT helpdesk roles

Ideal Experience

• 1-2 years in customer-facing roles (support, helpdesk, customer success, or similar)
• Demonstrated ability to learn technical concepts quickly
• Genuine interest in technology and helping customers succeed

Benefits and Compensation

• Competitive base salary + performance-based variable compensation
• Stock options
• Health insurance or stipend (depending on location)
• Time-off, study leave, and paid parental leave
• Professional development budget for conferences and training
• Flexibility (we are a remote-friendly company + there is the opportunity to work from one of 4 global offices)

By applying for the role you consent to the GDPR Statement