Senior Data Scientist/Engineer (Platform and Enablement Lead)

BigTalent; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

BigTalent in Bellville, Cape Town (Hybrid) is seeking a Senior Data Scientist/Engineer to lead platform and enablement initiatives.

You will own central data science infrastructure, drive best practices, and grow internal capabilities through training, governance, and support.

This leadership role blends hands-on data engineering with mentoring to empower analytics teams across the organization.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in data science, analytics, or data engineering.
• Proven ability to manage data science platforms and cloud infrastructure.
• Experience with data governance and regulatory compliance.
• Strong coding skills in Python, R, SQL and data tooling.

Responsibilities

• Lead the management and continuous improvement of central data science platforms.
• Ensure infrastructure is scalable, secure, and supports high performance analytics workflows.
• Establish data governance policies and promote privacy compliance.
• Mentor and train analysts to build a self-sufficient data science community.
• Evaluate and recommend new tools to keep the tech stack cutting-edge.
• Support analytics teams with technical guidance and platform documentation.

Skills

Data science leadership

Data engineering

Platform governance

Cloud computing

Python

R

SQL

Mentoring

Training

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s in CS or Data Engineering

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Senior Data Scientist/Engineer (Platform and Enablement Lead)

Job Openings Senior Data Scientist/Engineer (Platform and Enablement Lead)

About the job Senior Data Scientist/Engineer (Platform and Enablement Lead)

We're Hiring: Senior Data Scientist / Data Engineering (Platform and Enablement Lead)
Bellville, Cape Town (Hybrid)

Are you passionate about empowering data teams and building robust data science platforms? Do you enjoy combining technical depth with mentoring and enablement? If so, this leadership role could be your next career move.

A leading analytics-driven organization is looking for a Senior Data Scientist (Platform and Enablement Lead) to take ownership of central data science infrastructure, champion best practices, and grow internal capabilities through training, governance, and support.

What Youll Be Doing

Lead the management and continuous improvement of central data science platforms

Ensure infrastructure is scalable, secure, and supports high performance analytics workflows

Establish data governance policies and promote compliance with data privacy regulations

Mentor and train analysts, helping to build a high-performing, self-sufficient data science community

Evaluate and recommend new tools, ensuring the team has access to cutting-edge capabilities

Support analytics teams with technical guidance, platform documentation, and centralised services

What Youll Bring

Bachelors or Masters in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or a related field

8+ years of data science experience in retail, banking, or telecoms

Proven ability to manage data science platforms and cloud infrastructure

Expertise in data engineering, cloud computing, and data governance

Strong coding skills (e.g., Python, R, SQL) and experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)

A passion for learning, teaching, and advancing data-driven culture

Why Join?

Youll be part of an environment that values collaboration, continuous learning, and real impact. This is a rare opportunity to shape the tools and practices that power data science across an entire organization, while mentoring others and leading from the front.