Senior Data Engineer

ATS Client; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical aid subsidy

Group Risk Insurance

Generous paid annual leave

Birthday leave

Learning and Development opportunities

Mentorship programme

Quarterly team building

Community initiatives

Access to cutting edge technology—Ozow

Job summary

Ozow is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to join our data team and build a scalable, reliable data platform powering our payments ecosystem. You will transform raw data into actionable insights and data products that drive strategic decisions.

You will mentor engineers, design architectures, and own end-to-end data pipelines, ensuring data quality and security while collaborating with product, engineering and analytics teams.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a Data Engineering or similar role.
• Strong proficiency in SQL and Python.
• Experience building and maintaining data pipelines.
• Hands‑on experience with cloud platforms (AWS preferred).
• Knowledge of data warehousing solutions (e.g., Databricks preferred).
• Understanding of data modelling concepts and best practices.
• Experience with streaming or real‑time data processing is advantageous.
• Exposure to fintech, payments, or high‑volume transactional environments is a plus.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Mentor and support junior data engineers.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with product, engineering, and analytics teams.
• Design and maintain scalable data architectures aligned to business objectives.
• Enable data‑driven decision‑making across the organisation.
• Build and maintain robust data pipelines.
• Ensure high data quality, integrity, and availability.
• Implement data governance, security, and compliance best practices.
• Support business intelligence and analytics initiatives.
• Drive improvements in data engineering tools and workflows.

Skills

SQL

Python

Data pipelines

AWS

Databricks

Data modelling

Streaming data processing

Fintech/payments domain knowledge

Problem solving

Tools

Databricks

AWS

Job description

More about this Ozow fantastic position

We're looking for a Senior Data Engineer to join our data team and play a key role in building a scalable, reliable data platform. You'll help transform raw data into actionable insights and data products that power strategic decisions and enhance our payment platform.

Your role and responsibilities

Leadership

• Mentor and support junior data engineers where required
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with product, engineering, and analytics teams
• Contribute to best practices and continuous improvement within the data team

Data Platform & Architecture Enablement

• Design and maintain scalable data architectures aligned to business objectives
• Enable data‑driven decision‑making across the organisation
• Contribute to the evolution of Ozow's data platform and strategy

Data Pipeline Development & Reliability

• Build and maintain robust data pipelines
• Ensure high data quality, integrity, and availability
• Optimise data storage, processing performance, and cost efficiency
• Develop data applications to automate business processes

Data Quality, Governance & Analytics Support

• Develop and maintain data models to support analytics and reporting
• Work closely with stakeholders to define data requirements and deliver solutions
• Monitor and troubleshoot data issues ensuring minimal downtime
• Implement data governance, security, and compliance best practices
• Support business intelligence and analytics initiatives

Tool Utilization + Change Management

• Maintain clear documentation for data pipelines, processes, and systems
• Drive improvements in data engineering tools and workflows
• Support system upgrades, migrations, and integrations
• Promote adoption of data best practices across teams

Automation and AI

• Identify and implement automation opportunities within data workflows
• Leverage modern tools to enhance data processing efficiency
• Support AI/ML readiness by ensuring high‑quality, well‑structured datasets

You are an ideal candidate if you have

• 5 years+ experience in a Data Engineering or similar role
• Strong proficiency in SQL and Python (or similar programming language)
• Experience building and maintaining data pipelines
• Hands‑on experience with cloud platforms (AWS preferred)
• Knowledge of data warehousing solutions (e.g., Databricks preferred)
• Understanding of data modelling concepts and best practices
• Experience with streaming or real‑time data processing is advantageous
• Exposure to fintech, payments, or high‑volume transactional environments is a plus
• Strong problem‑solving skills and attention to detail

Your skills and competencies

• You eagerly embrace change, absorb cross‑functional skills, and connect ideas across disciplines to drive fresh thinking and innovation.
• Ability to initiate, develop, maintain and leverage outstanding relationships to influence a wide network, both inside and outside the company.
• A trailblazer who steps up, takes charge, and creates meaningful impact—those driven by performance and purpose to lead from the front and make a real difference every day.
• You thrive in collaboration, embrace inclusion, and bring a genuine curiosity for global cultures—valuing collective success over individual credit.
• Demonstrate strategic foresight, sound judgement, and the ability to make confident decisions under uncertainty, always working toward the best possible outcomes.
• You challenge norms, champion innovation, and constantly seek growth—for themselves, their team, and the solutions they build.
• You are a decisive doer—those who take initiative, follow through with confidence, and ensure results through courageous, hands‑on leadership.
• We value optimism, agility, and the strength to persevere under pressure—balancing performance with positivity, even in challenging environments.
• You are driven, proactive individuals who take ownership, face challenges with grit, and consistently push for excellence—not just as participants, but as catalysts for success.

Interview process

During the interview process you will meet with the People team, the hiring manager, and relevant C‑suite members. Be prepared to complete a technical assessment that will showcase your skills.

In office perks

• Healthy breakfast, lunches and snacks
• Monthly team connects
• On‑site Barista

Perks for South African based employees

• Medical aid subsidy
• Group Risk Insurance
• Generous paid annual leave
• Birthday leave
• Learning and Development opportunities
• Mentorship programme
• Quarterly team building
• Community initiatives
• Access to cutting edge technology—Ozow Tech Stack

Compliance

As a fintech company, we prioritize data security, confidentiality, regulatory and compliance. Due to the sensitive nature of our work, we require individuals with a high level of integrity and trustworthiness to ensure adherence to financial regulations and industry standards. All employees are expected to demonstrate professionalism, accountability, and a commitment to ethical conduct in line with financial regulations and industry standards.