Senior Data Engineer

WHAT WE DO

Lula is an innovative and human-focused FinTech company on a mission to help small businesses optimise their cash flow. Our purpose is to help SMEs manage their businesses better, faster, and more simply, so they can spend more time doing what they love.

If you’re looking for a new place to call ‘home’ that believes in the potential of the broader SME landscape in South Africa and a place where you’ll work with awesome people - then Lula’s the place for you!

We’re making business banking fast, human, Lula!

OUR VALUES

• Collaborative - we’re a clan and work together as a team, always towards a common goal
• Committed - we’re accountable and follow through no matter the challenge
• Curious - we look for better ways to do things and make a positive difference
• Connected - we stay close to, learn from and look to understand each other and our customers
• Compassionate - we go out of our way to care about our colleagues, our customers and our community

OVERALL PURPOSE

We are looking for a Senior Data Engineer to join our team. You will be tasked with implementing and maintaining data models with the goal of improving data reliability and quality, ensuring scalable data pipelines are working smoothly, and bugs and performance issues are quickly identified.

As a member of the Data team, your primary focus will be to combine raw information from different sources to create consistent and consumption-ready formats. More specifically, you will need to construct and test architectures that enable data extraction and transformation for predictive or prescriptive modelling.

Responsibilities will include (but is not limited to):

• Leading the development and design of data architecture strategies that align with business goals and objectives.
• Providing guidance and mentorship to junior data engineers, helping them grow and develop their skills.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders across the organisation, including data scientists, analysts, business leaders and third party stakeholders.
• Evaluating new technologies and tools that can improve data processing and analysis, and making recommendations on their adoption.
• Taking ownership of large-scale data engineering projects, managing timelines and budgets, and ensuring successful project delivery.
• Ensuring compliance with data privacy and security regulations, and implementing data governance policies and procedures.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify data-related challenges and opportunities, and develop solutions that meet the needs of the business.
• Driving the adoption of best practices for data quality, reliability, and performance.
• Continuously improving data pipelines and systems, and identifying opportunities for automation and optimisation.
• Developing and implementing disaster recovery and business continuity plans for data infrastructure.

THE COMPETENCIES WE’RE AFTER

• Clear and concise communication and documentation skills
• Process orientated with experience in Agile
• Team-player with a desire to collaborate
• Critical thinking skills
• Focused on high quality output
• Self-starter

THE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT, or related field
• 6+ years experience as a Data Engineer or in a similar role
• Experience in Azure cloud environment preferred
• Experience with data visualisation tools, particularly Mixpanel, is a plus
• Data engineering certification, such as Microsoft Certified Azure Data Engineer, is an advantage
• Proficiency in Python and relevant data packages
• Experience with PostgreSQL/MS SQL databases
• Understanding of schema design and data modelling
• Experience with data shipment via ETL, APIs, etc.
• Familiarity with source code and version control
• Experience with CI/CD tooling and processes
• Experience with data warehouses ( Snowflake / Databricks / Big Query)
• Experience with large scale orchestration ( Airflow / Dagtser / ADF)

ALL STAFF APPOINTMENTS WILL BE MADE WITH DUE CONSIDERATION OF THE COMPANY’S EE TARGETS

Please note that all appointments are subject to our background checking process, which may include Credit, Criminal and any other job inherent checks