The Role

As the Head of Data Engineering at Absa, you will be at the forefront of transforming one of Africa's most established financial institutions into a data-driven powerhouse. This executive leadership position places you at the center of our digital transformation journey, where you'll be accountable for shaping and advising on the IT functional operating model to introduce and scale enterprise data platforms across the organization. You'll lead the evolution of our shared enterprise data warehouse, lakehouse architecture, ingestion and transformation frameworks, and governed data products that serve millions of customers across multiple African markets.

In this role, you'll collaborate directly with the CIO, CDAO, CTO, and other C-suite executives to define the strategic direction of data engineering capabilities across Absa. You'll be responsible for leading multiple engineering teams while establishing platform patterns, standards, and architectures that make trusted, high-quality data available faster, more reliably, and more cost-effectively. This position requires seamless cross-discipline integration across data, engineering, cloud, platforms, architecture, and security teams, ensuring alignment with enterprise strategy while driving measurable business outcomes.

Your influence will extend beyond technical implementation to executive decision-making, where you'll provide evidence-based recommendations that set the direction for full-stack, enterprise-grade data pipelines, platforms, and reusable shared data assets consumed across our diverse business units spanning personal banking, corporate banking, wealth management, and insurance services across the African continent.

What You'll Do

Partner with CIO, CDAO, CTO, and Product Owners to craft multi-horizon strategies for enterprise data warehouse/lakehouse, ingestion frameworks, transformation capabilities, and shared data services
Apply design thinking to create scalable, secure, maintainable data engineering and data platform solutions, guiding teams on architectural patterns from conceptual to logical to physical implementation
Shape blueprints and roadmaps for platform evolution, modernization from legacy EDW to cloud-native solutions, domain data onboarding, and semantic model standardization
Lead detailed scoping, prioritization, and integration plans across ingestion, transformation, modeling (dimensional, Data Vault), and serving layers while managing explicit dependencies
Provide direction across multiple data engineering squads delivering high-impact platform capabilities and shared datasets with full lifecycle accountability
Drive iterative improvements in cost, performance, reliability, data freshness, and scalability using SLO/SLI-driven engineering and data observability practices
Curate and introduce new data engineering technologies through well-designed experiments, PoCs, and controlled pilots, ensuring secure, compliant, and supportable productionization
Promote platform thinking, reusability, and standardization via ingestion frameworks, dbt packages, Terraform/IaC modules, and data product templates
Navigate organizational dynamics and influence across business domains, technology leadership, and enterprise functions while building strong relationships with business data owners
Lead and develop data engineers, analytics engineers, and senior technical talent while strengthening Principal/Lead capability and building high-performing teams
Ensure compliance with data privacy regulations (POPIA/GDPR), security standards, data governance, and regulatory requirements across all data operations
Champion data governance, lineage transparency, privacy-by-design principles, access control standards, and regulatory compliance across all data layers

What We're Looking For

NQF Level 8 qualification/Postgraduate degree in Computer Science, Data/Software Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or related quantitative discipline
12-15+ years in data engineering, enterprise data platforms, or data warehousing with 5+ years leading and managing engineering teams at enterprise scale
Demonstrated success designing, building, and operating production-grade batch and streaming data pipelines with strong DataOps, observability, and lifecycle management
Experience influencing executive decisions across architecture, infrastructure, security, governance, and business data strategy
Proven experience in regulated environments, preferably financial services, including privacy, records management, and audit requirements
Expert knowledge of dimensional modeling, Data Vault 2.0, conformed dimensions, semantic layers, MDM/RDM, and data contracts
Advanced proficiency in SQL, Python, Spark/Scala, dbt, Airflow/ADF/Argo, CI/CD, and scalable batch/streaming pipeline development
Deep understanding of streaming technologies including Kafka/Kinesis, Debezium, schema registry, exactly-once processing, and event-driven patterns
Strong leadership and behavioral competencies including customer-first mindset, strategic influence, ownership and judgment, and inclusive leadership
Experience with cloud platforms, particularly Azure (Fabric/Synapse/Databricks/ADLS), AWS, or GCP environments

Nice to Have

Master's or PhD in Data Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Econometrics, or similar field
Professional certifications in cloud or data engineering (Azure DP-203, Databricks Data Engineer, AWS/GCP Data certifications, SAFe, TOGAF, CNCF)
Experience with table formats including Delta Lake, Apache Iceberg, Hudi, and cloud object storage patterns
Knowledge of performance engineering including partitioning, clustering, compaction, caching, storage tiering, and query optimization
Familiarity with security and governance tools including IAM (RBAC/ABAC), encryption, masking/tokenization, data catalogs (Purview/Collibra)
Experience with DevOps/Platform technologies including Terraform/IaC, Kubernetes, GitOps, observability frameworks, and SRE principles

What We Offer

Competitive executive-level compensation package commensurate with experience and market standards
Performance-based bonuses tied to measurable business outcomes and platform success metrics
Comprehensive health and wellness benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage
Professional development opportunities including conference attendance, certification support, and continuous learning budget
Flexible working arrangements supporting work-life balance and remote collaboration across African markets
Leadership development programs and executive coaching to enhance your strategic impact
Opportunity to shape the future of financial services across Africa while working with cutting-edge data technologies
Access to Absa's global network and international career advancement opportunities

How to Apply

To apply for this transformative leadership role, please submit your comprehensive application through our careers portal including your detailed CV, cover letter highlighting your relevant experience in enterprise data engineering leadership, and examples of successful data platform transformations you've led. We're particularly interested in understanding your approach to building high-performing teams, your experience with financial services data challenges, and your vision for scaling data engineering capabilities across diverse African markets.

Our selection process includes multiple interview rounds with senior technology leadership, technical deep-dive sessions, and case study presentations where you'll have the opportunity to demonstrate your strategic thinking and technical expertise. We're committed to finding the right leader who can drive our data engineering excellence while embodying Absa's values of collaboration, innovation, and customer focus.

About the Company

At Absa, your story becomes part of a larger narrative that's reshaping Africa's financial landscape. With over 100 years of heritage and a presence across 10 African countries plus global offices, we're building the future of financial services through the power of diverse talent and innovative thinking. Our culture celebrates individual journeys while connecting every contribution to something bigger – the economic empowerment of Africa and its people.

We believe that progress is driven by human experience, not hierarchy, which means your expertise and perspective will be valued from day one. Whether you're collaborating with teams in Johannesburg, supporting digital transformation initiatives across our African markets, or working with our global technology hubs, you'll be part of an organization that proves African talent can lead and innovate on the world stage.

As an equal opportunity employer committed to transformation and diversity, Absa offers an environment where you can bring your whole self to work while building solutions that matter. Join us in writing the next chapter of Africa's financial services story, where cutting-edge technology meets deep market knowledge to create meaningful impact for millions of customers across the continent.

Front Arena Developer