Junior Data Engineer

Lesaka Technologies Inc.; Parow; Hybrid; ZAR 360,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

Lesaka Technologies is seeking a Junior Data Engineer in Cape Town. You will join the data engineering team to build and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines, ensuring data quality and fast query access in a high-volume fintech environment.

You'll work on SQL transformations, Python scripting, and cloud data platforms while gaining hands-on experience in production data engineering. This is a hybrid role reporting to the Head of Data.

Qualifications

• 1–2 years' experience in a data engineering, analytics engineering, or backend role (internships count)
• Strong SQL skills, including joins, aggregations and window functions
• Proficient in Python for scripting and data processing
• Experience with a cloud data platform (AWS, Azure or GCP)
• Familiarity with relational databases and data modelling concepts

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines moving transactional data into the data warehouse
• Write and optimise SQL queries and transformations for reporting and analytics
• Monitor pipeline runs and troubleshoot failures before incidents arise
• Support data quality checks and flag anomalies in source or pipeline data
• Document data flows and schema changes to enable fast iteration
• Assist with migrating and modelling data as the platform evolves

Skills

SQL

Python

Cloud platforms

Relational databases

Data modeling concepts

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Engineering / Information Systems or equivalent

Tools

Airflow

dbt

Git

CI/CD basics

Job description

About Lesaka

Lesaka Technologies is a Southern African fintech building the connected ecosystem for financial inclusion — transactional banking, lending, insurance, payments and cash management for merchants, consumers and enterprise clients across the region. We're publicly listed (Nasdaq: LSAK / JSE: LSK) and growing fast. EasyPay powers airtime, data, electricity, lotto and 600+ bill payments through the largest retail footprint in South Africa.

Job Description

Junior Data Engineer

Location: Cape Town, hybrid

• Type: Permanent, full-time
• Reports to: Head of Data

About Lesaka

Lesaka Technologies is a Southern African fintech building the connected ecosystem for financial inclusion — transactional banking, lending, insurance, payments and cash management for merchants, consumers and enterprise clients across the region. We're publicly listed (Nasdaq: LSAK / JSE: LSK) and growing fast. EasyPay powers airtime, data, electricity, lotto and 600+ bill payments through the largest retail footprint in South Africa.

The role

EasyPay's transaction volumes generate data at serious scale, and that data needs to be trustworthy, accessible and fast to query. You'll join the data engineering team to help build and maintain the pipelines that move this data from source systems into the warehouse, and keep it clean along the way. This is a hands-on role for someone early in their career who wants to learn production data engineering inside a live fintech environment.

What you'll own

• Build and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines that move transactional data into the warehouse
• Write and optimise SQL queries and transformations for reporting and analytics
• Monitor pipeline runs and troubleshoot failures before they become incidents
• Support data quality checks and flag anomalies in source or pipeline data
• Document data flows and schema changes so the team can move fast without guessing
• Assist with migrating and modelling data as the EasyPay platform evolves

What you bring

• 1-2 years' experience in a data engineering, analytics engineering, or backend role (internships count)
• Solid SQL — comfortable writing joins, aggregations and window functions
• Working knowledge of Python for scripting and data processing
• Exposure to a cloud data platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• Understanding of relational databases and basic data modelling concepts
• A relevant qualification in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or equivalent practical experience

Nice to have

• Exposure to Airflow, dbt, or a similar orchestration/transformation tool
• Experience with Git and CI/CD basics
• Interest in payments, fintech, or high-volume transactional systems

Our culture — what we expect from you

Lesaka is a fast-paced fintech. The people who thrive here have a few things in common:

• Ownership: You don't wait to be asked. If something is broken or unclear, you call for the ball and fix it.
• Fast adaptation: Priorities shift, markets move, regulations change. You don't flinch — you re-plan and move.
• Execution mindset: Ideas are cheap. Shipping is the job. You walk slow, run fast: think it through, then move with urgency.
• Customer first: The merchant, consumer or enterprise client is why we exist. Your decisions trace back to them.

If you'd rather optimise a process to perfection over six months than ship something useful in six weeks, this won't be the right fit.