Lead Data Engineer

About the role:
We're looking for an experienced Lead Data Engineer to lead the design, development, and evolution of enterprise-scale data platforms that enable data-driven decision-making across the Group. This role combines deep technical expertise with leadership responsibilities, overseeing advanced data engineering solutions, guiding engineering teams, and helping shape the future data strategy within a modern cloud and big data environment. As a senior technical leader, you will drive architecture decisions, establish engineering best practices, mentor team members, and ensure the delivery of scalable, secure, and high-performing data solutions.

What you'll do:
Data Engineering & Architecture Design, build, and optimise complex data engineering solutions and platforms. Define and maintain data architecture standards and technical roadmaps. Develop scalable data pipelines and big data solutions using modern cloud technologies. Ensure technical documentation remains current, accurate, and aligned with architectural standards. Drive innovation and continuous improvement across the data engineering landscape. Technical Leadership Provide technical guidance and mentorship across data engineering teams. Establish and enforce engineering standards, development patterns, and best practices. Lead DevSecOps adoption and ensure quality engineering practices are consistently applied. Share knowledge through communities of practice, technical presentations, and mentoring initiatives. Stay current with emerging technologies, tools, and industry trends. Agile Delivery & Stakeholder Engagement Facilitate planning, backlog grooming, sprint reviews, and team alignment activities. Translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions. Partner with Business Analysts, product owners, architects, and stakeholders to drive successful outcomes. Provide project, delivery, and incident updates to leadership and key stakeholders. Maintain alignment between delivery plans and strategic objectives. Team Development Support performance management, development planning, and capability growth within the team. Identify skills gaps and contribute to learning and development initiatives. Promote collaboration, engagement, and a high-performance engineering culture. Facilitate innovation initiatives, hackathons, and knowledge-sharing activities.

What you bring:
Qualifications Degree or Diploma in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field (NQF 6 or higher). Postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline would be advantageous. Equivalent practical experience will be considered where formal qualifications are not held. Experience 5+ years' experience in Data Engineering, Software Development, BI, or a related data discipline. Demonstrated experience leading or mentoring Data Engineering teams. Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale data solutions. Experience within retail, FMCG, or similarly complex environments is advantageous. Technical Skills Advanced Python and PySpark development. Strong SQL skills, particularly in large-scale data environments. Big Data technologies including Hadoop and Spark. AWS services such as: EMR S3 Athena RDS Lambda API Gateway Experience with Azure, GCP, and Snowflake. Data warehouse and Business Intelligence concepts. Solution architecture and technical design. Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). DevOps and Infrastructure Management practices.