The global eCommerce and technology leader Amazon is actively recruiting in South Africa, seeking candidates to fill a variety of roles that span marketing, support, and technical fields.
Amazon’s roots in South Africa can be traced back two decades. The company, which Jeff Bezos founded in 1994 as an online bookstore, established a significant milestone in the country in 2004 when Amazon Web Services (AWS) inaugurated a development center in Cape Town. This initiative was led by Chris Pinkham, a South African entrepreneur renowned for launching the country’s first commercial ISP, The Internetworking Company of Southern Africa (Ticsa), in 1993.
The inception of Amazon’s South African operations began with Pinkham and his colleague Benjamin Black, who, in late 2003, authored an internal paper outlining a new vision for Amazon’s retail computing infrastructure. Following the approval of their proposal, Pinkham returned to South Africa to recruit a team of engineers from Cape Town to embark on the project. “By late 2004 or early 2005, we had our first engineers working in the Constantia area in Cape Town,” Pinkham recounted. This team was instrumental in the development of Amazon’s EC2 service.
Amazon expanded its local footprint in 2010 by opening a customer service division in Cape Town, which now boasts a workforce of thousands. In 2015, AWS established an office in Johannesburg, and in 2017, the Amazon Global Network extended its reach into Africa with AWS Direct Connect.
A significant milestone occurred in April 2020 when AWS announced the launch of its Cape Town region, a development that was met with enthusiasm by South African developers and businesses due to the promise of low-latency access to AWS services and cloud applications.
For a long time, Amazon’s South African operations were predominantly centered around AWS and its technical services. However, in May 2024, this focus broadened with the launch of Amazon South Africa’s online marketplace, offering a wide array of products to local consumers. This move provided shoppers with the convenience of home delivery or the option to collect their purchases from one of the 3,000 pickup points across the country.
To support its growing marketplace and ensure efficient delivery and logistics, Amazon has forged partnerships with local companies Pargo and The Courier Guy. This expansion marks a new chapter for Amazon in South Africa, as it continues to build on its long-standing history and commitment to the region.
Amazon hiring in South Africa
Amazon is actively expanding its workforce in South Africa and is currently seeking to fill over 100 positions across the country. The tech behemoth has job openings for 98 individuals in Cape Town, 10 in Waterfall, Gauteng, 3 in Johannesburg, and 3 in Craigieburn. The roles on offer cover a broad spectrum, from support agents tasked with assisting international Kindle customers to technical experts who will contribute to the development of Amazon’s web services products.
The breakdown of available positions includes 32 in operations, IT, and support engineering; 18 in software development; and 15 in project and product management. Additionally, there are eight openings in customer service, seven related to procurement, planning, and inventory management, and five in the marketing sector.
Amazon’s job vacancies extend to a variety of other domains such as sales, advertising, human resources, administrative support, and research science.
Within its newly established retail division in South Africa, Amazon is looking to hire 16 individuals based in Cape Town. These roles encompass a brand manager, marketing managers, programme managers, product managers, a retail associate vendor manager, and vendor managers.
The company is also on the lookout for talent to join its eCommerce Foundations, Amazon Entertainment, and Selling Partner Services teams. The specific qualifications for these roles vary, but Amazon is consistently seeking candidates who are capable of collaborating across different organizational levels to achieve consensus and deliver results. They are looking for individuals who take ownership, can deliver results, and have the capacity to think on a grand scale.
Amazon emphasizes its commitment to being an equal-opportunity employer, encouraging applications from all segments of society, regardless of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, or belief.
Furthermore, Amazon has expressed a strong dedication to fostering diversity within its community and is particularly interested in applications from South African citizens who are members of designated groups. In line with this, Amazon will consider the principles and legislation related to Employment Equity when reviewing potential candidates for these roles.
How to apply
South Africans who wish to apply for Amazon jobs in South Africa should visit the company’s career website and apply online.
Amazon pointed out that it is required by law to verify applicants’ ability to work lawfully in South Africa.
“Amazon requires that you submit a copy of either your identity document or your passport and any applicable work permit if you are a foreign national,” it said.
