South Africa: Senior Data Engineer (Python, Java, SQL) – Western Cape – up to R900k per annum posted by E-Merge

We are seeking an experienced Senior Data Engineer to take ownership of end-to-end Data Platform & AI infrastructure. This role leads the evolution of our proprietary Data Management Platform (DMP), ensuring data scalability, accuracy, and real-time impact across the business.

You’ll work alongside a multidisciplinary team of data engineers, analysts, and AI developers, and report directly to senior leadership. This is a hands-on leadership role suited for a proactive technologist who thrives on optimisation, automation, and measurable business outcomes.

Responsibilities:

• Own and evolve our GCP-based Data Platform (BigQuery, Cloud Functions, Composer, Dataflow, Pub/Sub, etc.)
• Architect, build, and maintain robust ETL/ELT pipelines to ingest structured and unstructured data from multiple internal and external sources
• Implement and enforce data governance, validation, deduplication, and enrichment standards
• Optimise cost, speed, and performance across data storage, compute, and pipeline operations
• Develop data tools and dashboards to support analytics, AI, and marketing performance measurement
• Establish and document best practices, SOPs, and technical standards for data workflows
• Monitor and resolve pipeline failures and ensure data quality, uptime, and operational continuity
• Collaborate cross-functionally with AI, analytics, marketing, and operations teams to design data-driven products and insights
• Lead and mentor data engineers and analysts, ensuring strong technical delivery and professional growth
• Provide leadership during mission-critical incidents and maintain high system reliability

Qualification & Experience

• 5+ years of experience as a Data Engineer or Data Platform Lead
• Advanced proficiency with Google Cloud Platform (BigQuery, Dataflow, Pub/Sub, Cloud Storage, Composer)
• Strong coding expertise in Python, SQL, and either Java or PHP
• Deep understanding of data modelling, schema design, and query performance tuning
• Proven experience managing complex data pipelines, debugging, and ensuring data security
• Familiarity with AI/ML concepts and tools (experience with Gemini is an advantage)
• Strong understanding of cost optimisation and scalable cloud architecture
• Excellent communicator with a track record of professional accountability and ownership

• Familiarity with Salesforce, Meta Conversions API, or Google Analytics integrations

The Reference Number for this position is NG60896 which is a Permanent Hybrid position based in Johannesburg offering a cost to company of R700k up to R900k per annum negotiable on experience and ability. Contact Nokuthula at *****@*****.co.za or call her on (***)***-**** to discuss this and other opportunities.

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