Senior Data Engineer

Senior Data Engineer – Johannesburg

Help build technology that changes lives.

About the Role

The Harambee Software Development team is looking for an exceptional Senior Data Engineer to join our dynamic team based in Johannesburg.

This role is focused on collecting, storing, and processing large sets of data to deliver optimal solutions—along with their implementation, improvement, and monitoring. You'll partner with the Head of Data on database design and strategy to enable Harambee's future technology roadmap.

You'll be doing all this in an organisation that changes lives and fosters a culture of teamwork, openness, and collaboration. If this excites you, you may be the person we're looking for.

The Technical Challenge

Harambee is building a ground-breaking, scalable, future-fit technology platform that helps young first-time work-seekers find jobs and work experiences. Our tech must support the unique, personalised employment journey of each work-seeker—using the power of big data to help them find their first job.

We run an Agile Development Programme in a DevOps infrastructure and culture. Our cloud-native stack is hosted in Google Cloud Platform, with services written in .Net Core and Python. Our data landscape includes MySQL, BigQuery, and Composer, and is being refined to drive simplification, business user enablement, and data integrity.

Job Description

You will work as a technical specialist, aiding your colleagues in the creation, maintenance, and use of the data stack.

Planning and Strategy

• Engage with stakeholders to understand business and data goals.
• Design data solutions for real-time and batch environments.
• Document planning, implementation, and operations.
• Select and integrate big data tools and frameworks.
• Collaborate with analysts, testers, developers, and business analysts.

Execution

• Advise on data platform use, including analysis, security, architecture, and modelling.
• Ensure infrastructure supports large volumes of transactional data.
• Implement data retention policies and monitor performance.
• Build data structures and pipelines for storage and transformation.
• Ensure accurate data availability for downstream use.

Support

• Provide ad hoc data analysis to support business insights.
• Support data validation and quality assurance for dashboards and reports.

Minimum Requirements

• Degree or diploma in Science or Engineering (Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science or related).
• 8–12 years' experience as a Data Engineer.
• Proficiency in:
  • SQL
  • Python
  • MySQL
  • Cloud platforms (GCP, Azure, AWS)
  • ETL tools (Apache Beam, Spark, SSIS)
  • Document stores, real-time and batch processing
• Experience at a company of similar size and complexity to Harambee.
• Passion for purpose-driven work and a collaborative mindset.

Competencies

• Curiosity and drive to understand, improve, and deliver.
• Proven track record of quality delivery.
• Ability to explain data models and findings to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Willingness to learn and share knowledge.
• High attention to detail.

Why Join Harambee?

At Harambee, we believe in inclusion, diversity, and collaboration. We work together to solve one of the most pressing social challenges—youth unemployment—through innovation, data, and purpose-driven technology.

You'll be part of a team that's not only building cutting-edge solutions but also making a real impact in the lives of millions. We value openness, teamwork, and continuous learning, and we're proud to be an organisation where people come to grow, contribute, and belong.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. We encourage applications from people with disabilities and are happy to provide reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require any support or adjustments, please let us know — we're here to help you succeed.