Data Engineer

Placements24; Benoni; Hybrid; ZAR 700,000 - 950,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-friendly

Professional development allowance

Generous leave

Medical aid & retirement benefits

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a data engineer to design, build, and maintain scalable ETL/ELT pipelines in a remote-first setup across South Africa. You will ensure data quality and support analytics, data science, and ML initiatives with modern data warehousing and cloud technologies.

You will partner with data scientists and business stakeholders, implement governance, and optimize processing for cost and performance while staying current with evolving data engineering practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related quantitative field.
• 3+ years of experience in data engineering or a related role.
• Proficiency in SQL and experience with relational and NoSQL databases.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Hands-on experience with big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop, Kafka).
• Proficiency in Python or Java/Scala.
• Experience with ETL/ELT tools and data warehousing concepts.
• Understanding of data modeling techniques.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, especially in a remote setting.
• Familiarity with workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow).

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain robust and scalable data pipelines (ETL/ELT processes).
• Develop and manage data warehouses and data lakes using cloud-based technologies.
• Ensure data quality, integrity, and reliability across all data systems.
• Optimize data storage, retrieval, and processing for performance and cost-efficiency.
• Collaborate with data scientists and analysts to understand their data requirements.
• Implement data governance and security best practices.
• Automate data processes and monitoring systems.
• Work with various data sources, including databases, APIs, and streaming data.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to data pipelines and infrastructure.
• Stay updated with emerging data engineering technologies and methodologies.

Skills

Python

SQL

Scala

Java

Airflow

Spark

Hadoop

Kafka

Data modeling

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

ETL/ELT tools

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a rapidly expanding e-commerce platform, is seeking a talented and motivated Data Engineer to join their team in **Benoni, Gauteng**. This role is essential for building and maintaining the data pipelines and infrastructure that support our data-driven decision-making processes. You will be responsible for designing, developing, and optimizing ETL/ELT processes, ensuring the availability and integrity of data for analysis, reporting, and machine learning applications. This is a remote-first position, enabling you to contribute effectively from your chosen location within **South Africa**. We are looking for an individual with a strong understanding of data warehousing concepts, big data technologies, and a passion for building scalable data solutions. You will work closely with data scientists, analysts, and business stakeholders to ensure data meets the needs of the organization. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a significant impact in a fast-paced, innovative environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain robust and scalable data pipelines (ETL/ELT processes).
• Develop and manage data warehouses and data lakes using cloud-based technologies.
• Ensure data quality, integrity, and reliability across all data systems.
• Optimize data storage, retrieval, and processing for performance and cost-efficiency.
• Collaborate with data scientists and analysts to understand their data requirements.
• Implement data governance and security best practices.
• Automate data processes and monitoring systems.
• Work with various data sources, including databases, APIs, and streaming data.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to data pipelines and infrastructure.
• Stay updated with emerging data engineering technologies and methodologies.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related quantitative field.
• 3+ years of experience in data engineering or a related role.
• Proficiency in SQL and experience with relational and NoSQL databases.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS (S3, Redshift, Glue, EMR), Azure (Data Lake, Synapse), or GCP (BigQuery, Dataflow).
• Hands-on experience with big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop, Kafka).
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, Scala, Java).
• Experience with ETL/ELT tools and data warehousing concepts.
• Understanding of data modeling techniques.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, especially in a remote setting.
• Familiarity with workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow).

Benefits

• Our client offers a competitive salary, performance bonuses, and comprehensive medical aid and retirement benefits.
• As a remote position, you enjoy the flexibility to work from anywhere.
• We provide a professional development allowance for training, conferences, and certifications.
• Our client fosters a supportive and inclusive remote team culture, with regular virtual team-building events and knowledge-sharing sessions.
• Generous annual leave and wellness programs are part of our commitment to employee well-being.

This role in **Benoni, Gauteng** offers an exciting opportunity to build and manage critical data infrastructure for a leading e-commerce business.