Head of Data
Manager
Cape Town – Western Cape – South Africa
Head of Data – Cape Town (Remote Options Available)
Are you a data visionary ready to drive innovation? Our client is looking for an experienced Head of Data Engineering to lead their Data Team while working closely with their Business Intelligence Team. If you have a strong track record in modern data platform design, cutting-edge tools, and team leadership, this is your opportunity to make a significant impact.
Location: Cape Town (Remote options available)
Salary: R90 000 – R130 000 CTC
Type: Permanent
What You’ll Be Doing:
- Strategic Leadership – Define and implement a modern data platform strategy that aligns with business objectives. Lead the migration to a cloud-based data stack with tools like Prefect, Kafka, Trino, TimescaleDB, and StarRocksDB.
- Data Architecture & Infrastructure – Modernize the data platform by transitioning from Redshift to a distributed query engine and data lakehouse architecture. Implement open table formats such as Parquet and Iceberg.
- Pipeline Development & Orchestration – Design and manage scalable event streams and ETL/ELT pipelines, using orchestration tools like Prefect or Airflow.
- Business Intelligence Enablement – Work alongside the BI team to enhance analytics and reporting capabilities with Tableau and Metabase.
- Data Governance & Cost Management – Establish best practices for data quality, security, and compliance, while optimising performance and cost-effectiveness.
- Team Leadership – Build and mentor a high-performing data engineering team in a culture of innovation and collaboration.
Requirements:
- 10+ years in data engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
- Expertise in modern data architectures on AWS or open-source platforms.
- Hands-on experience with Kafka, Trino, Prefect/Airflow, StarRocksDB, TimescaleDB, Tableau, and Metabase.
- Strong SQL and Python skills (PHP is a bonus).
- Knowledge of distributed systems, streaming architectures, and data lakehouse optimization.
- Passion for leading teams and translating technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Why Join This Company?
- Flexible work options – Choose remote or in-office work.
- Startup culture – Free breakfasts, table tennis, and team events.
- Great perks – Generous leave policies, including birthday leave and anniversary gifts.
Ready to take the lead? Apply today and let’s chat! The hiring process includes an initial review, interviews, and potential video responses.