Senior Data Engineer

Decision Inc.; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,100,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Decision Inc. is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to join its Data, Information, and Analytics team in a remote, client-facing role. You will design scalable data platforms and modernise ecosystems while leading project teams to deliver business outcomes.

You will work across industries, engage clients on data solutions, and support pre-sales activities. The role requires 5–8+ years in data engineering and strong cloud/Data Lakehouse experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS/IT or related field.
• Master's degree is advantageous for advancement.
• 5–8+ years of hands-on data engineering experience is required.

Responsibilities

• Design scalable data platforms using cloud-native and Lakehouse architectures.
• Develop and optimise data pipelines with Python, SQL, and Azure Data Factory Dataflow/Databricks.
• Modernise legacy environments, migrating to cloud-native platforms like Fabric, Synapse, or Databricks.
• Engage with clients to conceptualise data solutions aligned to business strategy.
• Support pre-sales activities, PoCs, and technical proposals.
• Provide mentorship and lead technical reviews for junior consultants.
• Identify opportunities to automate and improve data delivery and scalability.
• Collaborate with executives, product, and analytics teams on data needs.
• Drive knowledge sharing via blogs, forums, and workshops.
• Balance billable work with team support responsibilities.

Skills

Data engineering

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring

Cloud architecture

Python

SQL

DevOps

Infrastructure as code

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IT

Master's degree advantageous

Tools

Azure Data Factory Dataflow

Databricks

Microsoft Fabric

Azure Synapse Analytics

Azure Databricks

Delta Lake

Unity Catalog

MLflow

Git

Azure DevOps

Terraform

Apache Kafka

Power BI

Job description

Senior Data Engineer

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Senior Data Engineer to join our Data, Information, and Analytics team. This is a remote, client-facing, permanent position, ideal for someone passionate about data, technology solutions, and leading project teams to deliver successful business outcomes. The role offers exposure to a variety of industries, requiring a quick grasp of new business environments.

Who Are We?

Decision Inc. is a global digital partner that enables businesses to reinvent themselves to realise their full potential.

We deliver agility, resilience, and intelligence to any enterprise, enabling them to adapt quickly and thrive through innovation and opportunity. Our teams have engaged with more than 400 clients globally over the past 15 years, providing them with the expertise to build, operate, and optimise their digital businesses.

We achieve this by leveraging the world's best technology to drive our client's business ambitions forward into tomorrow's reality. These technologies include but are not limited to: Microsoft, SAP, Qlik, Snowflake, Alteryx, Automation Anywhere, and Workday Adaptive Insights.

Our success is ultimately driven by our entrepreneurial culture, industry exposure, and the passion of our people. We have three key cross-functional teams – Functional and Specialist Consulting, Development, and Engineering teams. Based in four global offices, our exceptional consultants focus on delivering value to clients by keeping them at the centre of our service delivery. To find out more about our exciting fast-paced culture visit: Careers at Decision Inc.

What Will You Do?

You will be assigned a portfolio of client engagements where you will be expected to:

• Design and build scalable data platforms using modern cloud-native and Lakehouse architectures
• Develop and optimise data pipelines using Python, SQL, and tools such as Azure Data Factory Dataflow, and Databricks (Optional)
• Modernise legacy data environments, migrating from on-premises solutions to cloud-native platforms such as Microsoft Fabric, Azure Synapse Analytics, or Databricks (Optional)
• Engage with clients to conceptualise data solutions aligned to their business strategy
• Support our sales team with pre-sales activities, proof-of-concept deliveries, and technical proposals
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior and intermediate consultantsLead technical reviews and contribute to consultants' growth plans
• Identify opportunities to automate manual processes, optimise data delivery, and improve infrastructure scalability
• Work with stakeholders, including executive, product, and analytics teams, to address data infrastructure needs
• Drive knowledge sharing through technical blogs, internal forums, and workshops
• Balance billable project work with team support responsibilities

Who Do You Need to Be?

Senior (5–8+ years' experience)

• 5–8+ years of hands‑on experience in data engineering
• All of the above, plus demonstrable experience leading end‑to‑end platform delivery
• Experience architecting enterprise‑grade lakehouses and data mesh patterns
• Proficiency with infrastructure‑as‑code tools DevOps pipelines
• Proven ability to work with cross‑functional teams in a dynamic consulting environment
• Track record of mentoring junior engineers and contributing to technical strategy

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Systems, Information Technology, or a related field
• A master's degree in a relevant field is advantageous

Certifications

• Primary certifications – one or more:
• DP-700 Microsoft Fabric Data Engineer Associate
• DP-203 Microsoft Azure Data Engineer Associate
• Databricks DE Associate Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate
• Databricks DE Professional Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional

Our Technology Stack

• Languages & Frameworks Python, PySpark, SQL
• Microsoft Fabric Lakehouses, pipelines, semantic models, Direct Lake
• Azure Data Platform Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Databricks, Azure Event Hubs
• Databricks (Optional) Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, MLflow, Workflows
• Databases Azure SQL, Azure Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL
• DevOps & IaC Git, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Terraform
• Streaming & Messaging Azure Event Hubs, Azure Stream Analytics, Apache Kafka
• Visualisation Microsoft Power BI, Fabric Real-Time Dashboards, Looker / Looker Studio