Senior Data Engineer

Our well-established client in the pharmaceutical industry has a vacancy available for a Senior Data Engineer based in Parktown.

Main Purpose of Job
To lead the design, development, and governance of the company's enterprise data infrastructure, transitioning
from the current SSIS-based ETL environment to a modern, scalable, Azure-based cloud data warehouse.
This role is strategic and collaborative, requiring close engagement with business leaders, BI developers,
analysts, and IT teams to ensure data solutions are business-aligned, governance-compliant, and ready for
advanced analytics.  As a senior member of the team, the role will mentor junior data engineers, influence architectural decisions, and champion best practices across the organisation.

EDUCATION
Mandatory:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or related field.
Preferred:

• Master's degree in Data Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline.

• Business Management or Project Management certification to support stakeholder engagement and
project oversight.

• Azure Data Engineer Associate or equivalent cloud certification.

• Data governance certification (DAMA, DCAM, or equivalent).

Technical Experience

• Mandatory:
o 5+ years in data engineering, with experience in data warehouse design and development.
o Strong hands-on experience with SSIS for ETL processes.
o Proven expertise in Azure Data Platform components (Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure SQL Database, Data Lake Storage).
o Strong SQL skills (T-SQL preferred).
o Experience implementing data governance principles, including data quality frameworks, security/access controls, and metadata management.
o Experience with data modeling (Kimball/Star Schema/Snowflake).
o Proficient in performance tuning and troubleshooting data processes.

• Preferred:
o Experience with Python or other scripting languages for data processing and automation.
o Knowledge of Azure Purview or other data catalogue solutions.
o Knowledge of Azure DevOps, CI/CD pipelines for data solutions.
o Power BI integration experience with Azure datasets.

Key Performance Areas (Core, essential responsibilities –outputs of the position)
1. Data Warehouse Architecture & Leadership

• Lead the architectural design and implementation of the new Azure-based data warehouse.

• Oversee the optimisation of the existing SSIS-based ETL environment during the transition phase.

• Establish long-term data platform strategy in collaboration with BI and IT leadership.
2. Data Governance & Compliance

• Own the data governance framework, ensuring standards for data quality, security, lineage, and
access control are embedded in all solutions.

• Partner with compliance and legal teams to meet regulatory requirements for data storage and
processing.

• Champion the use of data cataloguing and metadata management tools.
3. Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Work directly with senior stakeholders across business units to translate needs into actionable technical
solutions.

• Serve as the primary point of contact between the BI team, engineering, and external vendors for data
infrastructure matters.

• Facilitate workshops, architectural reviews, and cross-team solution design sessions.
4. Technical Delivery & Mentorship

• Lead the build, testing, and deployment of robust ETL/ELT pipelines for multi-source integration.

• Ensure smooth migration of historical and real-time data to the new warehouse with minimal downtime.

• Mentor and support junior and mid-level engineers in technical best practices and solution delivery.
5. Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement

• Implement platform monitoring solutions to track and optimise performance.

• Drive continuous improvement in architecture, tooling, and governance processes.

Physical & Technical Competencies

• Ability to design and optimise complex ETL/ELT workflows.

• Strong understanding of data governance frameworks and compliance requirements.

• Proficient in working with large-scale data sets and high-volume data pipelines.

• Strong problem-solving skills with a focus on automation and efficiency.

• Proficient in version control tools (e.g., Git).

• Expertise in optimising data platforms for scale and performance.

• Ability to manage competing priorities across multiple projects.

Please attach cv, qualification, id and driver's license

---