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 are looking for a Technical Support Engineer to help our customers resolve technical issues by troubleshooting problems, guiding them on product implementation, and ensuring systems run smoothly through proactive monitoring and clear communication.
This is a chance to make a big impact in a growth stage company. This role reports directly to the Head of Technical Support.

What the role involves

• Resolve complex technical issues escalated from frontline support, working independently to troubleshoot software systems, integrations, APIs, and SDK implementations
• Support enterprise partners in integrating Smile ID's products, providing technical guidance on API and SDK implementation
• Conduct technical support sessions with customers to diagnose problems, understand use cases, and guide them through solutions
• Create technical documentation including troubleshooting guides, resolution workflows, and implementation notes
• Monitor system performance and analyze logs to identify trends and potential issues, escalating findings to senior team members
• Collaborate with engineering teams on bug reproduction and product fixes, while supporting frontline staff with technical guidance
• Handle escalations in customer support channels, ensuring thorough investigation and timely resolution

What We’re Looking For

Technical Troubleshooting Proficiency

• Strong ability to diagnose and resolve complex issues across software systems, APIs, and integrations independently
• Comfortable reading logs, error messages, and using debugging tools and API testing platforms (Postman etc)

Integration, API, and SDK Knowledge

• Understanding of how APIs work (REST, webhooks, authentication), common data formats (JSON, XML), and HTTP protocols
• Experience supporting or troubleshooting mobile SDKs (iOS/Android), web SDKs/libraries, and SDK integration issues

Excellent Communication and Customer Service

• Skilled at explaining technical concepts in plain language to non-technical audiences.
• Patient and empathetic, able to keep customers calm while working through challenges.

Experience with Remote Support and Collaboration

• Comfortable leading virtual meetings with customers to understand their needs and guide them in implementing solutions.
• Adept at using screen-sharing, video conferencing, and collaboration tools.

Analysis and Pattern Recognition

• Experience working with monitoring dashboards and system logs to spot patterns across customer issues
• Proactive about flagging recurring problems to the customer success and product teams

Organizational and Documentation Skills

• Able to clearly document troubleshooting steps, solutions, and FAQs for future reference.
• Writes technical guides that can be used by both customers and support team members
• Capable of maintaining an up-to-date knowledge base or support library.
• Capable of providing clear bug reports with reproduction steps

Proactive System Monitoring and Analysis

• Experience monitoring the performance of technical systems and spotting issues before they escalate.
• Uses data or logs to identify patterns or early signs of problems.

Product Knowledge and Solution Design Mindset

• Quick learner who can understand a company’s products deeply and recommend best-fit implementations.
• Enjoys helping customers design workflows or integrations that leverage available tools.

Adaptability and Problem-Solving Mindset

• Thrives in dynamic environments where priorities may shift.
• Creative and resourceful in finding solutions to unique or unfamiliar issues.

Required Experience

• 3-4 years in technical support or similar customer-facing technical roles
• Proven experience independently resolving complex technical issues
• History of working with ticketing systems (Zendesk or similar)
• Experience supporting SaaS products, APIs, or technical integrations

Technical Background (Preferred)

• Mobile development experience (iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter) or web development knowledge
• Familiarity with at least one programming language (JavaScript, Python, C#, Java, Ruby, PHP etc.)

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