Senior Data Architect

CIPC - Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (a member of the dtic Group); Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 1 000 000 - 1 400 000; Full time

Job summary

A government agency in Pretoria is seeking a Senior Data Architect to lead the Data Governance Program and establish a robust multi-cloud data architecture. The successful candidate should have over 10 years of experience in data architecture, strong knowledge of cloud platforms, and expertise in data governance and modeling. This position is crucial for improving data management and fostering a data-driven culture within the organization.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10–15 years of experience as a Data Architect or equivalent role.
• Extensive experience in cloud-native data architecture and governance.
• Proficient in SQL, Python, and data governance best practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead and implement a Data Governance Program.
• Design and maintain data architectures across multi-cloud platforms.
• Evaluate and select data management tools and technologies.

Skills

Data modeling

Cloud Architecture

ETL/ELT processes

Data Governance

SQL

Python

Spark

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field

National Diploma in Information Technology

Tools

Azure

AWS

Google Cloud

Databricks

Job description

Senior Data Architect

Job Grade: P4

Ref No.: D130001

Location: Pretoria

Nature of employment: 5 years fixed term contract

Job Purpose: The primary purpose of this role is to lead and implement a comprehensive Data Governance Program and establish a robust, future-proof Data Architecture across multi-cloud platforms. This role is crucial to revolutionizing CIPC's data management, enhancing data quality, streamlining analytics processes, and creating a centralized data hub, including a Data Marketplace, to foster a data-driven culture and enable advanced analytics across the organization.

Required Minimum Education / Training

Candidates must meet one of the following requirements:

• Formal Education Pathway (Preferred): Education: Bachelor's Degree / Advanced Diploma in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Analytics, Data Engineering, Statistics/Mathematical Science/Economic Sciences, or a relevant quantitative field.

Required Minimum experience

• Experience: Minimum 10–15 years of proven experience as a Data Architect, Solutions Architect, or equivalent senior data leadership role, with a strong focus on cloud-native data architecture and governance.
• Cloud Platforms: Deep understanding of cloud services and technologies relevant to data management and analytics, including Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud.
• Technical Skills: Strong knowledge of data modeling, ETL/ELT processes, data warehousing, and data governance best practices. Proficiency in SQL, Python, Spark, and other relevant programming languages and tools.

Specialized Certification and Experience Pathway (Alternative):

Required Minimum Education / Training

• Education: National Diploma in Information Technology or a related technical field.

Required Minimum Experience:

• Experience: Minimum 12–17 years of progressive experience in Data Governance, Data cataloging tools, and Data Lakehouse implementation, Data Engineering, and Data Architecture, demonstrating a career trajectory that has built the equivalent strategic and leadership capabilities of a Bachelor's degree holder.
• Mandatory Certifications: The candidate must hold a combination of at least two advanced professional certifications, which must include one strategic framework and one platform-specific architect certification:

1. Strategic Architecture/Governance (MUST include one):

• TOGAF Certification (e.g., TOGAF 9 Certified or equivalent)
• Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) (at Professional or Master level)

2. Cloud Platform/Engineering (MUST include one):

• Databricks Certified Data Engineer (Associate or Professional)
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert / Azure Data Engineer Associate
• Google Cloud Certified Professional Data Engineer / Professional Cloud Architect
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional / Data Analytics – Specialty

Minimum Functional Requirements (Technical Skills & Knowledge)

● Deep Data Modeling Expertise: Expert-level proficiency in designing and implementing

dimensional (Star/Snowflake), Data Vault, and Relational data models, with a clear

understanding of the trade-offs between them.

● Cloud Data Platform Mastery: In-depth knowledge and proven experience designing and

deploying scalable data solutions using at least two major cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or

GCP), including their respective data warehousing, data lake, and compute services.

● Big Data Ecosystem: Strong hands-on experience with Apache Spark (PySpark/Scala) for

large-scale data processing and experience with modern messaging/streaming technologies

(e.g., Kafka).

● Data Governance: Proven ability to implement technical solutions for Metadata Management,

Data Lineage, Data Quality (DQ), and Data Observability.

● Advanced SQL & Programming: Expert proficiency in writing complex, optimized SQL queries

and extensive experience in a programming language like Python or Scala for pipeline

development.

● Architecture Frameworks: Practical experience applying Enterprise Architecture

methodologies and frameworks, such as TOGAF, to data initiatives.

● Security & Access Control: Expertise in designing and enforcing fine-grained data access

controls, encryption, and data masking techniques across cloud data stores.

● Technical Skills: Strong knowledge of data modeling, ETL/ELT processes, data warehousing, and

data governance best practices. Proficiency in SQL, Python, Spark, and other relevant

programming languages and tools.

● Soft Skills: Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Ability to work

independently and lead a team of technical resources.

Key performance areas

1. Data Architecture Strategy & Design:

• Architectural Blueprint: Design and maintain the conceptual, logical, and physical data models, data dictionaries, and comprehensive data flow diagrams across the enterprise.
• Strategic Alignment: Develop forward-looking data strategies for data warehousing, data mining, and data integration that align with CIPC's business objectives and technological roadmap.
• Tool Evaluation & Selection: Evaluate, recommend, and select appropriate data management tools, technologies, and platforms to ensure optimal performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency.

2. Data Lakehouse Architecture:

• Cloud Architecture: Design and implement a secure, scalable, and highly available Data Lakehouse architecture across multi-cloud platforms (including Azure, AWS, and GCP services like Azure Databricks, AWS Redshift, Google BigQuery, and respective storage solutions).
• Data Pipeline Development: Establish robust, end-to-end data ingestion (batch and streaming) and ELT/ETL pipelines to incorporate diverse data sources into the Data Lakehouse effectively.
• Analytics Enablement: Develop optimized data transformation, processing, and storage solutions tailored for advanced analytics, reporting, and data science workloads.

3. Data Governance & Management

• Governance Frameworks: Define and establish comprehensive data management frameworks for Data Ingestion, Data Lake, Data Warehouse, Data Sharing, Data Analytics, and Data Quality.
• Data Marketplace & Sharing: Design and implement a Data Marketplace architecture to facilitate governed data sharing and collaboration among internal stakeholders, fostering a data-driven culture.
• Quality & Observability: Define and implement data quality monitoring, validation, and improvement processes, including developing data observability solutions to track data health, usage, lineage, and compliance across the entire data ecosystem.
• Metadata Management: Utilize and champion Data Catalog tools for effective data discovery, metadata management, and lineage tracking.

4. Collaboration, Guidance & Compliance

• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate proactively with IT, business leaders, and security teams to prioritize data requirements, define service level agreements (SLAs), and develop data governance policies and procedures.
• Mentorship & Support: Provide technical guidance and support to Data Analysts, Data Engineers, and Data Scientists, ensuring the effective and responsible leveraging of data assets.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all data systems and processes comply with relevant regulations, standards, and security policies.

Applicants may, as a step in the recruitment process, be subjected to competency assessment. In addition, the successful candidate must be prepared to undergo a process of security clearance prior to appointment.

Qualifications and SA citizenship checks will be conducted on the successful candidate. It is the applicant’s responsibility to have foreign qualifications evaluated by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

It will be expected of candidates to be available for selection interviews on a date, time and place as determined by CIPC.

CIPC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Preference will be given to candidates whose appointment will enhance representation in accordance with the approved employment equity plan.

Feedback will only be given to shortlisted candidates.

CIPC reserves the right not to fill an advertised position.

For further details regarding these positions please click on the link: https://cipc.mcidirecthire.com/default/External/CurrentOpportunities or visit the CIPC website at www.cipc.co.za

Kindly note that faxed, emailed, posted and or hand delivered applications will not be considered.

Should you experience any difficulty in applying please contact the CIPC Recruitment Office by dialing: 087 743 7074/7075/7197 or 087 260 1554

Closing date: 31 October 2025