Technology Enterprise Architect

African Parks; Randburg; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

African Parks seeks an Enterprise Architect to develop a data-driven decision-making system that integrates various ecological and operational data. In this pivotal role, you will design scalable systems that enhance park management efficiency while supporting conservation efforts across remote locations.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing APIs and data flows.
• Skills in disaster recovery and business continuity planning.
• Proficient in creating architectural models.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain system architecture.
• Design management protocols for data and network access.
• Oversee vendor relationships and ensure data integrity.

Skills

System Integration

Data Management

Security Protocols

Collaboration

Networking

Education

Relevant IT Degree

Job description

The organisation was founded in 2000 in response to the dramatic decline of protected areas due to poor management and lack of funding. We have a clear business approach to conserving Africa’s wildlife and remaining wild areas. We currently manage 23 national parks and protected areas in 13 countries covering over 20 million hectares.

Our Organisation

African Parks has more than 5700 employees, all of whom are conservationists. We operate in dynamic environments, demanding resilience, adaptability, and a deep respect for nature to ensure the African Parks Model functions optimally. Learn more about our model here.

Our Technology

AP has interconnected systems with varying operating models and environmental challenges, including offline systems due to poor connectivity. This creates a hybrid-hosted model of systems, security, and accessibility. Master-data management is challenging due to offline data sources.

Why you should join our team

African Parks is developing an innovative, data-driven decision-making system integrating ecological, social, financial, and management data. The Enterprise Architect role is crucial in building this system, enabling park managers to understand land cover, species distribution, community projects, security efforts, and deployment capabilities in one environment.

You will be part of a small team building something new in conservation technology. Your role involves integrating data from various systems, devices, and sensors into a unified dataset. The role requires solutions-oriented individuals who can learn and adapt to new technologies and structure data for analytics, while keeping an eye on how it influences conservation decisions.

Our technology supports conservation efforts across remote African parks, including tracking wildlife and ranger patrols, and ensuring communication from deep within parks to operational reports. The conservation technology department manages all communications and data collection tools used on the ground.

The conservation technology aspect

Join us to transform conservation through innovative technology and data solutions. The Enterprise Architect will design scalable systems to improve park management, collaboration, and operational efficiency. This role involves working with advanced tools, aligning technology with our conservation mission, and fostering continuous learning and professional growth in a fast-paced environment.

Systems aspect

We are at the forefront of conservation technology, designing and implementing systems that manage protected areas more effectively. The Enterprise Architect ensures these systems work together seamlessly, maintaining security and scalability, and acts as the bridge between technical resources and business system owners.

The role involves creating logical, physical, virtual, and technical diagrams to illustrate system integration, data flow, and hosting architecture, ensuring efficient operation and data management across interconnected systems.

IT Aspect

Our IT team supports operations across 24 parks in 13 countries, often in remote locations with connectivity challenges. Your work will enable critical data and communication tools that support biodiversity protection, ecosystem management, and climate response efforts. The role involves managing hybrid systems, ensuring data integrity, security, and system scalability, and acting as the “glue” that integrates complex systems and vendors.

Key responsibilities include defining and maintaining system architecture, managing APIs and data flows, overseeing vendor relationships, ensuring data integrity, and implementing disaster recovery and business continuity plans.

Key relationships

Key stakeholders

• Technology Vendors and Partners
• Business System Owners
• Regional Technology Teams

Indirect stakeholders

• End users
• IT suppliers and services
• Regional staff
• Audit and risk teams

Job specification

• Define architecture models for system integration, security, network, and hosting.
• Manage data constraints, flows, and offline data management.
• Design network management and system accessibility protocols.
• Advise on business process analysis, master data management, and service delivery.
• Ensure data integrity and system interoperability rules are in place.