Senior Data Engineer

Scrums.com; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 500 000 - 700 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software development company in Johannesburg is seeking a seasoned Data Engineer with a minimum of 4 years of experience. The ideal candidate will be skilled in building scalable data systems using Python, AWS, and Java. They will be working in a hybrid model, contributing to innovative data solutions that empower business decision-making. Join this dynamic team to enjoy an empowering culture and opportunities for professional growth.

Benefits

Annual Foos-Fest

AI-Powered Hackathons

Personalized Mentorship

Qualifications

• Minimum of 4+ years of experience as a data engineer or in a similar role.
• Technical expertise with data models, data mining, and segmentation techniques.
• Experience in developing cloud solutions, preferably AWS.

Responsibilities

• Build and optimize scalable data systems and pipelines.
• Evaluate complex business needs to design data-driven solutions.
• Conduct advanced data analysis and reporting.
• Prepare data for modeling using machine learning techniques.

Skills

Data modeling

Advanced SQL

Python

AWS

Java

Data analysis

ETL pipelines

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Tools

Spark

Job description

Our Story

At Scrums.com (Formerly SovTech), we believe the future of software lies in the talent, innovation, and creativity found on the African continent. Headquartered in South Africa, our team of highly-skilled engineers, designers and strategists span the continent, tapping into Africa's diversity to fuel a collaborative culture of disruptive thinking and technical excellence. For over a decade, we have been pioneering world‑class software development for a global audience, with a mission to become Earth's leading software company from the world’s fastest growing continent. We design and develop solutions that empower our clients to digitally transform and thrive globally and are the leading custom software development company from Africa that, like any great tech company, was founded in a garage. Scrums.com (formally SovTech) has now grown to more than 300 of the best software engineering experts, building world‑class platforms for growing businesses across four cities on three continents. We are always actively searching for the continent's most talented and driven techies to join our growing team—those who benchmark themselves against the best on the planet and wake up hungry to master their craft and continue advancement.

Embrace Our African Talent Footprint, Flexibility, and Autonomy 🌍

• At Scrums.com, we champion an empowered workplace where you shape the culture, influence decisions on tech stacks, and take charge of user testing—all while working from wherever you thrive best across our interconnected Guilds.
• Our distributed teams span South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and other parts of the continent, showcasing the diversity and brilliance of African talent.

The Scrums.com Vibes 💙

• Annual Foos‑Fest ⚽️ : Showcase your skills at our legendary Foosball Festival and take home quirky, sought‑after awards.
• AI‑Powered Hackathons 💻 : Collaborate with your team to create innovative, market‑ready products in just 24 hours—all while enjoying live music and family‑friendly fun.
• Year‑End Celebrations 🏞️ : Reflect and connect at our unforgettable year‑end events, a decade‑old tradition we continue to cherish.
• Popcorn Fridays, Dev Chats, and Braais🍿 : Bond with colleagues over insightful discussions and sizzling good vibes.
• Fluid Clubs🥾 : Join like‑minded peers in activities like hiking, running, and more to foster shared interests beyond work.
• Weekly All‑Hands 🙌 : Stay inspired and in the loop with our weekly All‑Hands sessions that bring us together as one team.
• Explore Week 🐘 : Our annual tradition encourages you to work from anywhere around the globe for one exciting week—freedom meets inspiration!

Scrums.com Rewards & Recognition 🎉

• Stacos (our company currency) : Reward and recognise your peers with Stacos and exchange them for cool vouchers to celebrate accomplishments big and small.
• Commission Incentives : Unlock attractive rewards for successful business development leads and employee referrals.

Continued Career Growth & Support 🔑

• Internal AI Platforms : We empower our teams with access to both closed and open source LLM’s that make work easier and empower your professional growth. We love AI!
• High‑Performance Culture : Stay aligned and on track with OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and structured annual reviews.
• Personalized Mentorship : Receive dedicated guidance from leadership and the Talent SuccessTeam through one‑on‑one sessions and quarterly check‑ins tailored to your career aspirations.

Our teams are powered by AI—Transforming How We Work 🤖

• Our teams embrace cutting‑edge AI platforms, agents and tools, creating smarter workflows and accelerating career development with AI.
• OpenAI, Anthropic, Llama - we use them all so choose what suits you best!
• You don’t need your own licenses - we cover the costs and have our own internal AI platforms that gives you access to them all in a secure environment.

Join us and be part of a dynamic, supportive team that’s making waves across Africa.

Location

Location: South Africa (SA), Zimbabwe

Contract Type

Contract Type: Independant Contractor Agreement

Engagement Length

Engagement Length: 12 Month Contract

Years of Experience

Years of Experience: Minimum of 4+ years of experience

Qualifications

Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree in computer science or similar technical field of study or equivalent practical experience.

Working model

Working model: Hybrid

Core Tech Stack

Core Tech Stack: Python | AWS | Java

Requirements

• Build and optimize scalable data systems and pipelines using Python, AWS, and Java.
• Evaluate complex business needs and objectives to design data‑driven solutions.
• Conduct advanced data analysis, providing insights and reports on key findings to drive business decision‑making.
• Prepare data for prescriptive and predictive modeling, leveraging machine learning techniques.
• Develop, maintain, and refine algorithms and prototypes to ensure data accuracy and efficiency.
• Integrate and combine raw data from diverse sources to create cohesive and reliable datasets.
• Develop and implement analytical tools and programs that support large‑scale data processing and analysis.
• Collaborate with data scientists, architects, and other stakeholders on multiple high‑impact projects.
• Ensure data quality and system reliability through regular testing, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
• Stay up‑to‑date with the latest developments in technology and best practices, and apply this knowledge to enhance data engineering practices.

What you will be doing

• Minimum of 5 years of experience
• Previous experience as a data engineer or in a similar role
• Technical expertise with data models, data mining, and segmentation techniques
• Advanced SQL skills and relational database management
• Experience in developing data processing applications using Python, Spark or Java
• Experience in developing ETL pipelines
• Experience in developing solutions for the Cloud (preferred certification: AWS Cloud Data Engineer)
• Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, IT, or similar field