Lead Data Engineer

Ten Lifestyle Group; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading service technology firm in Cape Town seeks a Lead Data Engineer to shape the data platform strategy. This hands-on leadership role demands a proven track record in data engineering and the ability to mentor engineers. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in data modeling, pipeline design, and API design, preferably with knowledge of cloud infrastructure like AWS. The position supports hybrid work arrangements and offers a competitive salary, paid sabbaticals, and opportunities for remote working holidays.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Hybrid working

Paid time away from work

Paid Sabbaticals

Employee Discounts

Career opportunities

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with data modeling, pipeline design, and API design.
• Experience with cloud-based data infrastructure, ideally AWS.
• Familiarity with modern data technologies such as Spark, Snowflake, dbt, and orchestration tools like Airflow.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship across data engineering and analytics teams.
• Own and evolve the strategic roadmap for the data platform.
• Design, build, and review robust data pipelines from multiple sources.

Skills

Data modeling

Pipeline design

API design

Data governance

Cloud-based data infrastructure

Mentorship

Collaboration with analytics and engineering teams

Education

Extensive hands-on experience in data engineering

Experience as a senior technical leader

Tools

AWS

Spark

Snowflake

Airflow

Job description

Shape the Future of Service Excellence with Ten!

Driving Innovation. Building Trust. Redefining Service Excellence.

Ten is on a mission to become the most trusted service business in the world. We service the most valuable customers of the world’s leading private banks, premium financial services and luxury brands globally including HSBC, Bank of America, and Swisscard. Corporate clients use Ten’s services to acquire, engage and retain affluent, high net worth customers or valued employees. The service drives critical customer metrics, including revenue growth, net promoter score, and supports digital transformation initiatives.

Millions of individuals worldwide have access to Ten's services across lifestyle, travel, dining and entertainment. They rely on Ten to unlock seamless, curated experiences that enrich their lives.

We’re profitable, ambitious, and scaling fast. As the first B Corp listed on the London Stock Exchange, we’re setting the standard for sustainable growth and technology, AI driven innovation.

For more information, check out our

Requirements

We are looking for a Lead Data Engineer who will also act as the senior technical lead for our Cape Town office. This is a highly influential, hands‑on leadership role responsible not only for the data platform, but for shaping how data is designed, governed, and used across all backend systems.

You will own the end‑to‑end data engineering strategy while formally contributing to backend architectural principles, data‑driven system design, and engineering standards across teams. You will work deeply with Product, Analytics, and Engineering leadership to evolve data into a first‑class product and to raise engineering maturity across the organisation.

Key responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership, architectural direction, and mentorship across data engineering, backend engineering, and analytics teams, acting as the senior technical lead in the Cape Town office.
• Contribute to and drive engineering standards, backend architecture, event‑driven design, data contracts and data platform best practices.
• Own and evolve the strategic roadmap for the data platform, ensuring alignment with business priorities.
• Design for scalability, reliability, performance, and cost efficiency across the data ecosystem.
• Design, build, and review robust data pipelines to ingest, normalise, and model data from multiple sources into a central analytical store.
• Implement and uphold data quality checks, documentation, and governance standards.
• Design and build APIs and data delivery solutions to enable access to reports and insights, in close partnership with Data Analysts.
• Drive improvements in data access patterns, query efficiency, and database usage in collaboration with Engineering teams.
• Build APIs and data delivery solutions for ingesting data into databases, including ownership of data feeds and data fixes, partnering with Client Services and Engineering.
• Model the impact of potential roadmap initiatives to support prioritisation and decision making.
• Design, build, and operate scalable data infrastructure in AWS or an equivalent cloud environment.
• Apply modern software engineering and DevOps best practices, including CI/CD, infrastructure as code, monitoring, and automation.

Supervisory responsibilities

• Direct line management of Data Engineers (currently 2, with expected growth over time).
• Indirect mentorship and technical leadership of backend engineers and data analysts across teams.
• Active involvement in defining career progression frameworks, technical expectations, and performance development for engineering roles.

Requirements

• Extensive hands‑on experience in data engineering, including data modelling, pipeline design, API design and data platform architecture.
• Proven experience operating as a senior technical leader (Lead, Staff, or Principal level), influencing architecture and standards across multiple teams.
• Hands on experience with cloud based data infrastructure, ideally AWS.
• Solid understanding of data governance, data quality, and documentation best practices.
• Practical experience with modern data technologies such as Spark, Snowflake, dbt, and orchestration tools (Airflow).
• Experience working cross‑functionally with Analytics, Engineering, and customer facing teams.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and analysts, shape career development, and raise engineering maturity.
• Familiarity with DevOps and software engineering best practices applied to data platforms.
• Strong product mindset, with experience collaborating closely with Product Managers and Analytics teams in early‑stage discovery and decision‑making.

Guidelines for Hybrid/Home Office :

• Located in Cape Town
• Please note that you will be asked to enter into a hybrid working arrangement - at least 2x a week in the office.
• A secure home office at your confirmed address, free from background noise or other distractions.
• You must meet our minimum internet speeds if you want to work in our hybrid model and this will be checked during the recruitment process and again when you join. We also have a great office that you can work from as an alternative.

Benefits

Our people are at the heart of the business and we have a culture of recognition and reward - both through regular appraisals but also annual Extra Mile Awards where we celebrate those who have gone that extra mile in their role. We also encourage all our staff to incorporate their aspirations and interests into their career at Ten and we are there every step of the way in supporting development.

Rewards designed around you:

• A competitive salary depending on experience.
• Hybrid working. You can combine working from home and working from the office.
• Paid time away from work. Our employees enjoy a competitive paid time off package, including a paid day each year to volunteer time for a good cause that is important to them.
• Paid Sabbaticals. One (1) month paid Sabbatical after every 5 years of Service, without tapping into annual leave.
• Extra Rewards. Lucrative Ten Loyalty Rewards program which includes a bonus and gift to say thank you for being part of Ten.
• Remote Working Holidays - possibilities to Travel and Work anywhere in the world!
• Employee Discounts. Access to lots of great travel and entertainment discounts as our clients’ members would!
• Be part of our global, dynamic, and inclusive Team, with diversity at its core.
• Genuine career opportunities within a dynamic and international company.