Johannesburg: Technology Enterprise Architect posted by DataFin Recruitment

ENVIRONMENT:

Our client is a mission-driven conservation organisation focused on the management and rehabilitation of protected areas across Africa. They are currently seeking a Technology Enterprise Architect which will be a pivotal role focused on designing and implementing integrated, scalable technology systems to support data-driven decision-making across diverse and remote operational environments. The organisation manages numerous protected areas across multiple countries, relying on a complex hybrid-hosted technology model that includes offline systems and varied connectivity challenges. The architect will ensure the alignment of technology strategy with conservation objectives, enabling unified data access and system interoperability across ecological, social, financial, and management platforms.

DUTIES

• Define and maintain enterprise architecture processes, including system maintenance, conformance management, and security oversight.
• Implement and manage data governance, loss prevention, and compliance frameworks across hybrid and cloud environments.
• Design and document system integrations, data flows, and architecture diagrams covering logical, physical, and virtual views.
• Establish monitoring, change control, disaster recovery, and redundancy protocols for all critical platforms.
• Collaborate with technical teams, vendors, and business stakeholders to ensure clear ownership, system stability, and effective data pipeline management.
• Develop and enforce network standards, security configurations, and accessibility protocols for WAN, VPN, LAN, and offline systems.
• Review and optimize data engineering pipelines, error management procedures, and API integrations.
• Produce technical documentation, including system roadmaps, operational procedures, and architecture standards.

REQUIREMENTS

• TOGAF certification is mandatory; a BSc in Computer Science is advantageous.
• Minimum 35 years of experience as an Enterprise Architect in an organisation of comparable scale, with 35 years of hands-on Microsoft Azure expertise.
• Microsoft Azure certifications required: AZ-104, AZ-305, AZ-500, AZ-400 (AZ-204 optional). Additional certifications such as DP-203 or DP-300 are beneficial.
• Demonstrated portfolio of work across Data, Applications, Business, and Technology architecture domains.
• Proven ability to engage stakeholders, lead initiatives, and produce comprehensive technical documentation (e.g., BRS, FRS, TDD, SDK, DRP, BCP).
• Strong experience with APIs, data integration, cloud-based data storage, and scripting (e.g., Python, SQL).
• Practical knowledge of cybersecurity, data governance tools, and unified data platforms such as Microsoft Purview.

ATTRIBUTES

• Deep passion for conservation, sustainability, and environmental protection.
• Solution-oriented with a proactive and resilient mindset, capable of adapting to challenging and dynamic operational conditions.
• Strong interpersonal skills to collaborate across technical and non-technical teams.
• Ability to learn new technologies quickly and apply innovative approaches to complex system integration challenges.
• Commitment to continuous improvement, documentation, and knowledge sharing within a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.