Senior Data Engineer| Contract

IQbusiness; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

IQbusiness is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to join a 12-month hybrid role in Cape Town. You will design, build, and govern scalable data pipelines and cloud-native platforms, with a focus on Snowflake architecture and dbt models.

The role involves AI-driven ingestion, cost/performance tuning, and close collaboration with analytics and data science teams. You will optimise data flows, implement robust governance, and automate deployments via Git-driven processes while documenting paradigms for

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field as a baseline requirement.
• 5+ years of experience in data engineering or similar roles.
• Hands-on Snowflake design, architecture, and administration experience.
• Proven dbt experience for modular models, testing, and lineage.
• Strong SQL and Python abilities for data pipelines and transformations.
• Experience with AI-driven data ingestion and unstructured data handling.
• Familiarity with data governance, security, and cost/performance tuning.
• Experience building cloud data pipelines (Azure/AWS/GCP) with Git workflows.
• Knowledge of Kimball/Dimensional data modelling concepts.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimise scalable data pipelines.
• Architect Snowflake environments with security and governance.
• Develop dbt models following best practices and documentation.
• Build ingestion pipelines using Snowpipe, Streams and Tasks.
• Implement AI-driven ingestion to enrich unstructured data.
• Tune Snowflake for cost efficiency and performance.
• Ensure data quality, reliability, and observability across transformations.
• Collaborate with analytics, product, and data science teams.
• Automate deployments and workflows using Git-driven processes.
• Maintain thorough documentation and share knowledge with the team.

Skills

SQL

Python

Multi-tenant architecture

Data modelling

AI-driven ingestion

Security frameworks

Data governance

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IS/related

Tools

Snowflake

dbt

Snowpipe/Streams/Tasks

Git

CI/CD

Azure

AWS / GCP

Job description

iqbusiness is seeking to employ a **Senior Data Engineer**on a 12-month contract to collaborate with an international partner from our offices in Welgemoed, Cape Town, Northern Suburbs. This is a hybrid role (3 days on-site; 2 days WFH). As a Senior Data Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, building, maintaining, and architecting scalable data pipelines and cloud-native data platforms. You will play a key role in enabling analytics and data science teams by designing robust Snowflake architecture, ensuring high-quality, reliable, and well-modelled data while leveraging dbt for transformation, automation, and governance. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional stakeholders to deliver efficient, modern data solutions aligned with business needs.Key Responsibilities:* Design, build, and optimise scalable data pipelines.* Architect Snowflake environments, security frameworks, and data governance.* Develop and maintain dbt models following best practices (modularity, testing, documentation, lineage).* Build continuous ingestion pipelines using Snowpipe, Streams, and Tasks.* Implement AI-driven ingestion pipelines to process, enrich, and structure unstructured data* Optimise cost and performance within Snowflake (warehousing strategy, query tuning, resource monitoring).* Ensure data quality, reliability, and observability across all transformations.* Work with analytics, product, and data science teams to deliver well-modelled datasets.* Automate deployments and workflows using Git-driven processes.* Maintain documentation and share technical knowledge with the broader team.Minimum Requirements:* Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field* 5+ years of experience as a Data Engineer or in a similar data-focused role* Strong hands-on experience with Snowflake architecture, design, and administration (mandatory)* Strong hands-on experience with dbt (mandatory)* Proven experience designing multi-tenant or multi-schema data warehouse architectures within Snowflake* Proficiency in SQL and Python* Experience building ingestion pipelines that leverage AI or machine learning models* Experience designing and operating data pipelines in cloud environments (Azure, AWS, or GCP)* Experience with version control (Git) and CI/CD workflows* Solid understanding of data modelling (Kimball/Dimensional)Skills Required:* Ability to work with end users to define requirements and identify solutions* Strong analytical and problem-solving skills* Excellent visualisation skills* Excellent communication skills* A mindset focused on quality, reliability, and continuous improvement* Ability to prioritise tasks, solve complex problems, and drive process improvement *Note: As all business roles require honesty in the handling of or access to cash, finances, financial systems, or confidential information, our recruitment process requires that the following background checks be completed: credit, criminal, ID, and qualification verification.**iqbusiness is committed to sustainable growth and transformation; we embrace diversity and employ previously disadvantaged individuals.*