Manager Data Engineering

Old Mutual Limited; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Old Mutual Limited in Johannesburg seeks a Data Engineering Manager to lead the data engineering function, driving the design, development and delivery of scalable, secure and high-quality data platforms and products.

The role combines technical leadership, people management, engineering delivery and strategic stakeholder engagement, enabling data-driven decision-making, analytics and AI across the organisation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering, Data Science or related field.
• 8+ years' experience in data engineering, software engineering, data platforms or related technology disciplines.
• 3+ years' experience leading or managing data engineering teams.
• Proven experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale data platforms and pipelines.
• Strong experience with cloud data platforms (Azure, AWS or GCP).
• Strong SQL and Python skills.
• Experience with Databricks, Snowflake, Spark, Kafka or Airflow is advantageous.
• Experience in Agile, DevOps and CI/CD environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing team of Data Engineers.
• Define and execute the data engineering and platform roadmap aligned to business and technology strategy.
• Oversee the design and delivery of scalable data pipelines, data platforms and data products.
• Drive modern data engineering practices across cloud, automation, DevOps, CI/CD and data quality.
• Ensure data platforms are reliable, secure, scalable and cost-effective.
• Partner with Data Science, Analytics, Architecture, Technology and business stakeholders to enable analytics, AI and machine learning use cases.
• Promote strong practices around data governance, security, quality, metadata and lineage.
• Provide technical direction on data architecture, engineering standards and technology selection.
• Manage delivery priorities, risks, dependencies and stakeholder expectations.
• Drive continuous improvement, innovation and adoption of emerging data technologies.

Skills

SQL

Python

Stakeholder management

Communication

Problem-solving

Education

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

Tools

Databricks

Snowflake

Kafka

Airflow

dbt

Spark

Kubernetes

Docker

Job description

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

The Data Engineering Manager will lead the data engineering function, driving the design, development and delivery of scalable, secure and high-quality data platforms and products. The role combines technical leadership, people management, engineering delivery and strategic stakeholder engagement, enabling data-driven decision-making, analytics and AI across the organisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing team of Data Engineers.
• Define and execute the data engineering and platform roadmap aligned to business and technology strategy.
• Oversee the design and delivery of scalable data pipelines, data platforms and data products.
• Drive modern data engineering practices across cloud, automation, DevOps, CI/CD and data quality.
• Ensure data platforms are reliable, secure, scalable and cost-effective.
• Partner with Data Science, Analytics, Architecture, Technology and business stakeholders to enable analytics, AI and machine learning use cases.
• Promote strong practices around data governance, security, quality, metadata and lineage.
• Provide technical direction on data architecture, engineering standards and technology selection.
• Manage delivery priorities, risks, dependencies and stakeholder expectations.
• Drive continuous improvement, innovation and adoption of emerging data technologies.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering, Data Science or related field.
• 8+ years' experience in data engineering, software engineering, data platforms or related technology disciplines.
• 3+ years' experience leading or managing data engineering teams.
• Proven experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale data platforms and pipelines.
• Strong experience with cloud data platforms, preferably Azure, AWS or GCP.
• Strong SQL and Python skills.
• Experience with technologies such as Databricks, Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, Spark, Kafka, Airflow or dbt would be advantageous.
• Experience working in Agile, DevOps and CI/CD environments.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and problem-solving skills.

Advantageous Experience

• Financial services or insurance experience.
• Data lake/lakehouse environments.
• AI/ML and MLOps.
• Real-time/streaming data.
• Data governance and regulatory environments.
• Cloud migration and modernisation of legacy data platforms.

Preferred Skills

• Certifications in relevant data engineering, cloud, or leadership domains.
• Experience with real-time data processing and streaming technologies.
• Knowledge of containerization and orchestration tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with data security and privacy considerations.

Skills Competencies

Business Insight Courage Cultivates Innovation Ensures Accountability Manages Complexity Optimizes Work Processes Plans and Aligns Strategic Mindset Education Bachelor of Commerce (BCom): Computer Science And Engineering (Required)

Closing Date 20 August 2026 , 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! Old Mutual is a premium African financial services organisation that offers a broad spectrum of financial solutions to retail and corporate customers across key market segments in 14 countries. The lines of business include Life and Savings, Property and Casualty, Asset Management and Banking and Lending. We are rooted in our purpose of Championing Mutually Positive Futures Every Day and believe that a great customer experience is anchored in a great employee experience.