Senior Data Engineer

Recruiter:

Recru-it

Job Ref:

PE011502/LM

Date posted:

Monday, February 23, 2026

Location:

Cape Town, South Africa

Salary:

Market Related Monthly

SUMMARY:
Our client is seeking to employ a Senior Data Engineer as the Head of Data Platform & AI to take
ownership of their full data infrastructure and elevate the architecture behind their proprietary DMP (Data
Management Platform). You’ll work alongside a team of data engineers, analysts, and AI developers, and
report directly to senior leadership.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives on optimisation, standardisation, and
real-time, revenue-driving execution. If you’re a self-starter who understands how to turn
unstructured data into scalable pipelines and measurable outcomes, let’s talk.

What You’ll Do

Own the companies GCP-based Data Platform (BigQuery, Cloud Functions, Composer, Dataflow, Pub/Sub, etc.)
Architect, build, and manage robust ETL/ELT pipelines to ingest structured and unstructured data from dozens of sources
Implement best practices across data validation, deduplication, enrichment, and governance
Optimise the cost, speed, and performance of data storage, pipelines, and compute
Build tools and dashboards for internal reporting and marketing analytics teams
Create and enforce documentation, processes, and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Lead root-cause analysis of pipeline failures and ensure data accuracy and uptime
Collaborate with AI, analytics, marketing, and ops teams to design data products that drive decision-making
Mentor data engineers and analysts; oversee technical delivery and team growth
Be available for after-hours escalations during mission-critical incidents

Requirements
Skills & Experience the company is looking For:

5+ years of experience as a Data Engineer or Data Platform Lead
Advanced proficiency in Google Cloud Platform, especially BigQuery, Dataflow, Pub/Sub, Cloud Storage, and Composer
Strong coding skills in Python (SQL Alchemy or similar ORM), SQL, and either Java or PHP
Experience with data modelling, schema design, and performance tuning
Familiarity with AI/ML concepts and tools like Gemini (bonus)
Proven ability to manage complex data workflows, edge-case debugging, and data security
Comfortable with cloud cost optimisation and scalable architecture design
Strong communicator with high professional accountability

POSITION INFO:
Our client is seeking to employ a Senior Data Engineer as the Head of Data Platform & AI to take
ownership of their full data infrastructure and elevate the architecture behind their proprietary DMP (Data
Management Platform). You’ll work alongside a team of data engineers, analysts, and AI developers, and
report directly to senior leadership.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives on optimisation, standardisation, and
real-time, revenue-driving execution. If you’re a self-starter who understands how to turn
unstructured data into scalable pipelines and measurable outcomes, let’s talk.

What You’ll Do

Own the companies GCP-based Data Platform (BigQuery, Cloud Functions, Composer, Dataflow, Pub/Sub, etc.)
Architect, build, and manage robust ETL/ELT pipelines to ingest structured and unstructured data from dozens of sources
Implement best practices across data validation, deduplication, enrichment, and governance
Optimise the cost, speed, and performance of data storage, pipelines, and compute
Build tools and dashboards for internal reporting and marketing analytics teams
Create and enforce documentation, processes, and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Lead root-cause analysis of pipeline failures and ensure data accuracy and uptime
Collaborate with AI, analytics, marketing, and ops teams to design data products that drive decision-making
Mentor data engineers and analysts; oversee technical delivery and team growth
Be available for after-hours escalations during mission-critical incidents

Requirements
Skills & Experience the company is looking For:

5+ years of experience as a Data Engineer or Data Platform Lead
Advanced proficiency in Google Cloud Platform, especially BigQuery, Dataflow, Pub/Sub, Cloud Storage, and Composer
Strong coding skills in Python (SQL Alchemy or similar ORM), SQL, and either Java or PHP
Experience with data modelling, schema design, and performance tuning
Familiarity with AI/ML concepts and tools like Gemini (bonus)
Proven ability to manage complex data workflows, edge-case debugging, and data security
Comfortable with cloud cost optimisation and scalable architecture design
Strong communicator with high professional accountability

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