Data Architect

Let's Write Africa's Story Together!

Old Mutual is a firm believer in the African opportunity and our diverse talent reflects this.

Job Description

We are a dynamic team, seeking to drive digital engagement with customers by being at the forefront of digital development and innovation. Old Mutual’s longstanding history and unquestionable success in the financial industry provide a solid foundation for our vision.

The Data Architect is responsible for designing, implementing, and optimizing the GRID’s data architecture to support advanced analytics, machine learning, and business intelligence needs across our digital platforms. This role ensures that data is structured, stored, and accessed in a way that maximizes efficiency, security, and scalability and is available in real-time. The Data Architect will lead the organization’s data management strategy, focusing on the design of data models, integration of diverse data sources, and creation of a unified data ecosystem that supports both operational and analytical needs.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Data Architecture Design & Development:

1. Develop, implement, and optimize scalable data architecture solutions, including data lakes, warehouses, and data marts, with a focus on supporting advanced analytics, machine learning, and business intelligence.
2. Design data models to support both transactional and analytical processes, ensuring data accuracy, consistency, and accessibility.
3. Define and enforce best practices for data governance, data lineage, metadata management, and data quality across platforms.

Data Integration & ETL/ELT Processes:

1. Develop and manage ETL/ELT processes, integrating data from various sources, including on-premises databases, third-party platforms, and cloud storage.
2. Build and maintain robust data pipelines to enable seamless data flow and integration across the organization.
3. Ensure data is processed in near real-time where possible, enhancing responsiveness for customer insights and analytics needs.

Data Management & Centralization:

1. Establish and maintain a centralized data management system that consolidates data from multiple sources, providing a single source of truth.
2. Create a data catalog and knowledge management system to allow easy data access and improve data discoverability across teams.

Data Security & Compliance:

1. Design and implement data security frameworks, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations, including GDPR and CCPA.
2. Collaborate with cybersecurity and compliance teams to safeguard sensitive data and ensure adherence to best practices for data privacy and protection.

Performance Optimization & Monitoring:

1. Continuously monitor and optimize data architecture performance, including storage, retrieval, and query execution.
2. Develop data metrics, analytics, and reporting systems to support business decision-making.

Stakeholder Collaboration & Support:

1. Work closely with data science, analytics, and business intelligence teams to understand their data needs and translate them into architectural solutions.
2. Act as a bridge between technical and non-technical teams, providing data architecture expertise and facilitating alignment with business goals.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

1. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, or a related field.
2. A Master’s degree in Data Architecture, Data Engineering, or Database Management is highly preferred.
3. 8+ years of experience in data architecture, data engineering, or database management.
4. Proven expertise in designing and implementing large-scale data solutions across multiple database and cloud platforms, such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
5. Extensive experience with data modeling, ETL/ELT processes, data pipeline development, and data centralization for analytics.
6. Proficiency in SQL, Python, and data management tools (e.g., Talend, Informatica, Apache Spark).
7. Experience with cloud data warehouses (e.g., Redshift, Snowflake, BigQuery) and big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Spark).
8. Working knowledge of data governance frameworks, data security standards, and data privacy regulations.

The Job Profile detail below provides a further guideline of the standard responsibilities associated with this job level.

Responsible for overseeing the data engineering practices. Guides technical design and the development and maintenance of data pipelines and other digital applications or services.

Skills

1. Action Planning
2. Cloud Computing
3. Cloud Infrastructure Management
4. Computer Network Security
5. Current State Assessment
6. Database Queries
7. Data Classification
8. Data Compilation
9. Data Compression
10. Data Encoding
11. Data Modeling
12. IT Architecture
13. IT Network Security
14. Test Case Management
15. Wireless Network Management

Competencies

1. Balances Stakeholders
2. Business Insight
3. Courage
4. Cultivates Innovation
5. Drives Results
6. Ensures Accountability
7. Manages Complexity
8. Optimizes Work Processes

Education

1. NQF Level 8 - Honours or Postgraduate Diploma or equivalent (Required)
2. NQF Level 9 – Masters

Closing Date

09 April 2025, 23:59

The appointment will be made from the designated group in line with the Employment Equity Plan of Old Mutual South Africa and the specific business unit in question.

The Old Mutual Story!