Algorithmic Sciences, Software Engineering Dept.

EMEA region,

Africa

Dear Software Engineer,

Welcome to the page describing the HR procedures of Algorithmic Sciences, Africa. We are excited to move forward with your recruitment process.

You will find useful information on the page below, including information on what kind of requirements the work entails, and what kind of trajectories do candidates take to get an offer from us.

If you would like to work for our company, please read this page carefully.

What is Algorithmic Sciences, and what does it stand for?

Seeing our value statement, you can see that our company defines a very specific environment for its team. Being perfectly meritocratic, pragmatic, and always valuing intelligent scientific debate and evidence over any other argument - and with our affiliation with Carnegie Mellon University and some of our executives also acting as faculty at some of CMU's top ranked programs the world, we can legitimately state that the culture of our organization is sampled after the top educational institutions in the world.

Because of that, Software Engineering roles at Algorithmic Sciences requires a bit of an "OCD" perfectionist attitude. We have a heavy workload a significant amount of advanced software engineering tasks in Python and C / C++. We do not hire data scientists, and we do not do machine-learning or data science-related work - we are looking for experienced software engineers.

The job requires a minimum of 40 working hours/week with a minimum of 50% activity levels tracked via a screen tracking application. If you do not have enough (at least 3-4 years) of software engineering experience in a professional setting, if you do not know C or C++, and you do not have absolute confidence in being able to pass a technical interview about Python, then please discontinue your application.

Beside the heavy workload and the demanding work environment, we can say that the work itself is quite challenging and rewarding at the same time: when we see you work hard, focus well, and deliver precision, we take good care of you and can offer a very stable long-term job at our company.

What are the assessment trajectories candidates take to get an offer from us?

Step 1: Passing the Verbal Reasoning Test,

Step 2: Passing the Standardized Introductory Test Task,

Step 3: Passing a Live Coding Session.

If you pass all 3 tests with a good enough mark, you are expected to receive an offer.

How much does the job pay?

As an experiment - successful so far -, besides being active faculty at the Rwandan campus of Carnegie Mellon University, we are also looking to give more opportunities to people in Africa in general. Accordingly, we are looking to offer salary levels that allow us to give an opportunity to more people. The current salary requirements for the average python developer in Africa can be anywhere between $500 and $1100 / month depending on experience and also depending on the results of the tests below. It's not impossible to make more, but first we will ask you to pass a trial period with us so we can get to know you. Please only continue with your application if you accept these terms.

Where can I take the first assessment?

To take the test you will need to visit the link we send you and register with your real name exactly the way you provided it, and your e-mail address.

The tests will require a token code - if you applied for a job with us, you should also have received one in email.

This will allow you to register once and take the tests, any time within 168 hours from receiving it. Use your real name when registering.

What are these tests like?

All of the tests are very involved, and require a lot of focus - and in case of the second test, a serious commitment of time. However, the results of the Verbal Reasoning Test and the Introductory Test Task are directly correlated with the salary offer you’ll receive from this company.

The Verbal Reasoning Test is an MCQ that shows passages of text that you're required to interpret and answer questions about. Every question has one correct answer, and all the questions can be answered based on the passage. The test is designed to allow you to have enough time to think carefully about every answer, so do not rush through it. This represents the general attitude we have at our company as well: we appreciate quality, precision and diligence much more than speed.

Step 2, the Introductory Test Task is designed to take a significant amount of focused time for a reasonably good developer to pass, and includes a specification grading system that will reward attention to detail and consistency of effort. Make sure you pay attention to the detail in our communication, and pick a time period that will allow you to focus on the task exclusively and honor your commitments - otherwise the grading system will penalize you and you won't be able to pass the test.

No candidate without a STEM degree at least in progress has been able to pass the testing process, however we believe this to be by correlation not by causation, so having a degree is an advantage but not necessarily a requirement to pass.

If you do have experience in quantitative finance, python, programming and excellent English, you have somewhat of an advantage when passing these tests - however, just being very talented, with good logical skills, really great English and some programming skills to pass the first two tests might be enough under some circumstances. You will certainly need to be a good enough developer and demonstrate a solid knowledge of python to pass the third interview round.

Important: You have the best chance of doing well on these tests when you are in a fresh, and calm state of mind. You will need to try hard to score on them.

Show us your best performance. Focus, prepare, and give us your best energy and mental focus - and you might be rewarded for it. However, even candidates who do not pass the tests tend to find the recruitment process to be very educational.

What to do after taking the tests?

After you take the test, it's very important that you send us an email, otherwise, we won't get notified of your score. When you do that, please do not forget to attach your CV, as a confirmation that you would like to continue your application understanding the above. Please use the "Reply" function in your email client and do not change the subject line of your email, so we can keep everything under the same thread.

We wish you the best of luck with the application process, and hope to work with you for a long time!