Location
City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Salary
Not specified
Type
fulltime
Posted
Today
Job Description
Cryptography Engineer (Intermediate / Senior)
Shape the Future of Payment Security
Are you passionate about cryptography, security engineering, and building systems that protect millions of transactions every day?
We're looking for an
Intermediate Cryptography Engineer
to join our growing team and help design, implement, and support secure cryptographic solutions for payment and financial services environments. This is a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of
applied cryptography, payment security, HSM integration, and backend engineering
, tackling complex security challenges in production environments.
If you enjoy solving difficult technical problems, working with industry standards, and turning cryptographic theory into real-world solutions, we'd love to hear from you.
What You'll Do
As a Cryptography Engineer, you will:
✅ Design and develop cryptographic services and secure backend solutions
✅ Integrate applications with enterprise HSMs and cryptographic infrastructure
✅ Implement key management and key lifecycle processes
✅ Work with payment cryptography technologies including:
- PIN Blocks
- DUKPT
- CVV/CVC
- PVV
- EMV
✅ Implement and troubleshoot industry standards such as:
- TR-31
- TR-34
✅ Investigate security and cryptographic incidents
✅ Conduct security-focused code reviews and testing
✅ Collaborate with clients and technical partners on integration projects
✅ Participate in architecture, security, and technical design discussions
✅ Research emerging cryptographic technologies and security innovations
✅ Create and maintain technical documentation and implementation guides
What You Bring
Cryptography \& Security
You have a strong understanding of:
- Symmetric and asymmetric cryptography
- AES, RSA, ECC
- Hashing, HMAC and key derivation
- Cryptographic key management and lifecycle processes
- Secure random number generation
- PKI, TLS and authentication frameworks
- Secure software development practices
- Threat modelling
- Common implementation vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies
Payment Security
Experience or knowledge of:
- Payment HSMs
- TR-31 and TR-34
- PIN block formats
- DUKPT
- CVV/CVC and PVV generation
- EMV cryptography
- Payment key hierarchies
- Key ceremonies
⭐ Experience with
Thales payShield HSMs
is highly advantageous.
Software Engineering
Strong proficiency in one or more of:
- TypeScript / JavaScript
- Java
- Go
- C/C\+\+
- Python
Along with experience in:
- Backend application development
- REST API design and integration
- Linux environments
- Git-based development workflows
- Automated testing
- Networking fundamentals
- Distributed systems
- Observability, logging, metrics and tracing
Bonus Points For
While not required, we'd love to see experience with:
- Kubernetes
- Docker and containerisation
- CI/CD pipelines
- Infrastructure as Code
- Cloud platforms and cloud security
- Linux administration
- Secrets management
- Monitoring and observability tooling
Industry \& Standards Knowledge
Exposure to the following standards is highly valued:
- PCI PIN / PCI PTS
- PCI DSS
- ISO 9564
- ISO 8583
- ISO 20022
- ANSI X9
- EMV Standards
- PKCS Standards
Research \& Emerging Technologies
We encourage innovation and continuous learning. Interest or experience in any of the following is a significant advantage:
- Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs)
- Passkeys \& WebAuthn
- Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs)
- Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE)
- Confidential Computing
- Post-Quantum Cryptography
- Hardware-Backed Security
We value curiosity and the ability to independently learn complex concepts just as much as prior exposure.
Minimum Requirements
✔ Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Cybersecurity, or a related field
✔ 2\+ years of professional experience in software engineering, cryptography, or security-related roles
✔ Experience building and supporting production systems
✔ Strong foundations in computer science, cryptography, and security engineering
✔ Ability to independently solve complex technical challenges
Ideal Candidate
You're an applied cryptographer who enjoys building real-world systems.
You can take a cryptographic requirement, understand the underlying security model, identify the required keys and cryptographic operations, integrate with an HSM, develop supporting backend services, thoroughly test the solution, and troubleshoot issues in production.
Core Skill Profile
Cryptography \+ HSMs \+ Payment Security \+ Backend Engineering \+ Security Engineering
Additional expertise in Kubernetes, DevOps, and cloud infrastructure is advantageous but not essential.
Why Join Us?
- Work on mission-critical payment and security systems
- Solve highly complex technical challenges
- Collaborate with experts in cryptography and fintech
- Exposure to cutting-edge security technologies
- Opportunities for professional growth and research
- Make a meaningful impact in a fast-growing, security-focused environment
Ready to build the future of secure payments?
Apply today or reach out directly for a confidential conversation.
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