Platform Owner - Ai Tech Coe

Old Mutual South Africa; Gauteng; Hybrid; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services company located in Gauteng is seeking an AI Tech CoE Platform Owner. This senior role involves defining the strategy and direction for AI technology platforms, overseeing their lifecycle, and ensuring security compliance. The candidate should possess extensive experience in platform engineering and cloud technologies, along with proficiency in AI and ML platforms. This hybrid role may require occasional travel and includes responsibilities such as talent management and driving technological innovation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or related field.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Agile certification from a recognised institution is advantageous.
• 15+ years of experience in platform engineering, cloud infrastructure, or software development, with significant leadership experience.
• 8+ years managing technology development, implementation and ongoing improvement.
• Experience with Agile methodologies (SAFe, Scrum, LeSS).
• Deep expertise in cloud architecture (AWS / Azure), cloud-native technologies, and infrastructure as code.
• Strong background in development.
• Proven experience with AI / ML platforms and technologies.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the overall strategy for AI technology platforms.
• Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of AI platforms, shaping the roadmap.
• Oversee platform governance, ensuring environments are secure and compliant.
• Lead technology review and introduce new enterprise AI platforms.
• Support risk management, disaster recovery, and continuous improvement initiatives.

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.

The AI Tech CoE Platform Owner is a senior technology leadership role responsible for defining the strategy, vision, and direction of the AI technology platforms within the Centre of Excellence.

This individual will oversee all aspects of AI platform engineering, from architecture and development to operations and governance, ensuring that the platforms deliver maximum value to the enterprise while enabling AI innovation at scale.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to shape the future of AI technology platforms within the organisation, driving innovation and excellence in AI engineering practices while building and leading a world‑class platform engineering team.

Reports to: Executive Data Technology and Data Management.

Direct Reports: Platform Engineers, AI / MLOps Engineers, DevSecOps Engineers, Architects, Analysts, Scrum Masters.

Hybrid | Occasional travel may be required for vendor meetings, between the main offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town and conferences | On‑call rotation for critical platform incidents.

AI Platform Strategy and Architecture

Define and drive the overall strategy for AI technology platforms, including AI Foundry, Databricks AI platform, and AWS enterprise models integration, ensuring alignment with organisational business goals.

Manage the end‑to‑end lifecycle of AI platforms, shaping the roadmap and supporting enterprise AI platform consumption.

Oversee platform governance, ensuring environments are secure, scalable, and compliant with internal and external standards.

Lead technology review and introduce new enterprise AI platforms in accordance with business and technical standards.

Establish and maintain AI technical governance frameworks, compliance protocols, and responsible AI practices, ensuring alignment with group compliance requirements and ethical guidelines.

Drive platform integration and adapter management for seamless connectivity across the enterprise ecosystem.

Support risk management, disaster recovery, and continuous improvement initiatives for AI platforms.

AI Platform and Engineering Management

Oversee AI / MLOps pipeline standards, practices, and tool implementation for the area to ensure efficient and secure model deployment.

Manage DevSecOps practices for AI platforms, prioritising security‑first development and operations.

Define and implement development standards, practices and tools for AI platform engineering teams.

Manage the development of enterprise AI applications and models which should be shared in the organisation.

Manage the process for federated AI app and development on the enterprise AI platforms.

Monitor platform availability and usage through comprehensive observability, analytics, and performance tracking.

Advise on appropriate licensing, monitor license usage, and manage technology budgets and vendor relationships.

Lead the integration and management of enterprise models into unified AI catalogues and services, ensuring effective application lifecycle management and model performance monitoring.

Oversee demand management, enhancing and assessing requests for AI platform resources.

Implement robust security, governance, and compliance practices across AI platforms.

Financial and Operational Management

Implement FinOps practices and manage billing for AI platforms.

Manage technology budgets, resources and vendor relationships effectively.

Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations.

Implement robust security and governance practices.

Line Management Responsibilities

Goal setting and performance management for platform engineering teams.

Talent management and development of team members.

Recruitment and role management for platform engineering positions.

Performance calibration and review processes.

Compliance and policy enforcement across the team.

Leadership and Mentorship

Provide leadership, guidance and mentorship to various levels within teams.

Foster open communication and provide constructive feedback.

Cultivate a climate conducive to optimal performance.

Recognise and celebrate team achievements to motivate continuous improvement.

Required Experience, Skills and Qualifications

Education

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

Master's degree preferred.

Agile certification from a recognised institution is advantageous.

Experience

15+ years of experience in platform engineering, cloud infrastructure, or software development, with significant leadership experience.

8+ years managing technology development, implementation and ongoing improvement.

Experience with Agile methodologies (SAFe, Scrum, LeSS).

Deep expertise in cloud architecture (AWS / Azure), cloud‑native technologies, and infrastructure as code.

Strong background in development.

Proven experience with AI / ML platforms and technologies.

Technical Skills

Expert level in Application Development and Web Development.

Expert level in Test Case Management and Technical Support.

Advanced knowledge of Information Technology Support and Data Management.

Strong understanding of Business Process Design and User Requirements Documentation.

Expertise in MLOps, DevSecOps practices, and tools.

Experience with AI platforms including Databricks AI, Microsoft AI Foundry, and AWS AI services.

Experience in Microsoft Power Platform and Copilot low‑code environments.

Attributes

• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Effective communication skills (written and verbal).
• Strong organisational and problem‑solving abilities.
• Technical expertise with an innovation mindset.
• Strong business acumen with strategic thinking.
• Ability to manage complexity and drive results.

Competencies

• Business Insight – Understanding market dynamics and business implications.
• Collaborates – Building partnerships and working collaboratively.
• Courage – Taking on tough challenges and standing up for beliefs.
• Cultivates Innovation – Creating new and better ways for the organisation.
• Decision Quality – Making good and timely decisions.
• Drives Results – Consistently achieving results under tough circumstances.
• Ensures Accountability – Holding self and others accountable.
• Manages Complexity – Making sense of complex, high‑quantity information.
• Nimble Learning – Learning quickly when facing new situations.
• Optimises Work Processes – Improving how work gets done.
• Plans and Aligns – Planning and prioritising work to meet commitments.
• Strategic Mindset – Seeing ahead to future possibilities.
• Tech Savvy – Anticipating and adopting innovations in technology.

Skills

Action Planning, Application Development, Business Process Design, Computer Literacy, Data Management, Data Modeling, Evaluating Information, Identifying Customer Needs, Information Technology (IT) Support, Market Analysis, Oral Communications, Product Development, Technical Support, Technical Troubleshooting, Test Case Management, User Requirements Documentation, Web Development.

Closing Date

12 December , 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.