Senior Data Engineer – Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

PBT Group; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

PBT Group in Johannesburg is seeking an experienced Senior Data Engineer with strong Google Cloud Platform (GCP) expertise to design, develop and optimise scalable, cloud-native data platforms and near-real-time data pipelines.

You will work on distributed data pipelines using BigQuery, Dataflow, Pub/Sub and dbt, with Python and SQL, in a hybrid Johannesburg environment. The role is a 12‑month contract starting December 2026 / January 2027, offering collaboration with cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in Data Engineering.
• Strong GCP experience with BigQuery, Dataflow, Pub/Sub.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL.
• Experience designing distributed data-processing solutions.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and maintain scalable cloud-native data pipelines on GCP.
• Build batch and near-real-time data flows.
• Implement streaming architectures using Pub/Sub and Dataflow.
• Manage workloads with Cloud Run and GKE.
• Collaborate with teams to deliver robust data solutions.

Skills

GCP

BigQuery

Dataflow

Pub/Sub

dbt

Python

SQL

Distributed processing

Event-driven

Education

BSc Computer Science

Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer

Tools

Terraform

Looker

Job description

PBT Group is seeking an experienced Senior Data Engineer with strong Google Cloud Platform (GCP) expertise to join a project focused on designing, developing and optimising scalable, cloud-native data platforms and near-real-time data pipelines.

The successful candidate will have extensive experience building highly parallelised, distributed data-processing solutions, with a strong understanding of batch and streaming architectures, event-driven processing and cloud-based data engineering.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop and maintain scalable data pipelines and cloud-native data solutions on Google Cloud Platform.
• Build and optimise batch-processing and near-real-time data pipelines.
• Design and implement highly parallelised distributed data-processing solutions.
• Develop and manage workloads using Cloud Run and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).
• Design and implement streaming architectures using Pub/Sub and Dataflow.
• Work with large-scale datasets and optimise data processing for performance, scalability and cost efficiency.
• Implement and maintain data workflows and orchestration solutions.
• Collaborate with technical teams and stakeholders to deliver robust, reliable and scalable data solutions.

Required Skills and Experience

• 8+ years of experience in Data Engineering.
• Strong, practical experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP), particularly:
• BigQuery
• Dataflow
• Pub/Sub
• Strong experience with dbt.
• Advanced Python and SQL skills.
• Proven experience designing and developing distributed data-processing solutions.
• Strong understanding of highly parallelised processing, event-driven architectures and near-real-time data pipelines.
• Experience developing and optimising both batch and streaming data solutions.

Complementary Skills

Experience with any of the following will be advantageous:

• Power BI and/or Looker.
• Terraform and Infrastructure as Code.
• Event-driven architecture and integration patterns.

Qualifications

• Relevant degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or a related field.
• Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification would be advantageous.
• Location: Johannesburg – Hybrid
• Contract Duration: 12 months
• Expected Start Date: December 2026 / January 2027