Head of Data Engineering

Recruiter: WatersEdge Solutions

Job Ref:

Date posted: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Location: Cape Town (Hybrid)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Industry: FinTech Data & Analytics Financial Services

WatersEdge Solutions is partnering with a fast-growing, technology-driven financial services organisation to find a Head of Data Engineering. This senior leadership role is ideal for an experienced data professional ready to drive platform innovation, team excellence, and strategic delivery. You'll oversee a mature cloud-based data environment while contributing to broader tech strategy at the executive level.

You will lead and evolve a core data function spanning Data Engineering, Analytics Engineering, and Machine Learning Engineering, shaping the organisation's data strategy, governance, and innovation.

• Lead and grow high-performing teams across Data Engineering, Analytics, and ML Engineering
• Embed best practices for scalable, secure, high-performance systems
• Define and execute a business-aligned data strategy and roadmap
• Architect and maintain modern cloud-based platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Azure)
• Ensure strong compliance with privacy laws and data governance (POPIA, GDPR)
• Oversee data pipeline design, platform performance, and team delivery
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, and Business stakeholders
• Manage budgets, SLOs, SLAs, and vendor relationships

• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or similar (Master's preferred)
• 8-10+ years of experience in Data Engineering with advanced cloud expertise
• 3-5+ years of leadership experience in data teams, governance, and compliance
• Proven track record with cloud-based data platforms, ELT, and CI/CD pipelines
• Hands-on experience enabling MLOps and delivering operational data products
• Strong grasp of data privacy regulations and implementation frameworks
• Experience within product-aligned, agile environments

• Experience in financial services or banking
• Deep familiarity with Snowflake, Azure, and DBT
• Exposure to event streaming tools like Kafka
• Experience with legacy platform modernisation

Snowflake, Azure, Azure SQL (MSSQL), Postgres, Airbyte, Airflow, DBT Cloud/Core, Kafka, Azure ML, Terraform

• Executive-level influence on data and technology direction
• Leadership over a high-impact, cloud-first data function
• Access to cutting-edge AI and data innovation initiatives
• Hybrid working environment based in Cape Town
• Collaborative, product-focused technical culture

The company champions ownership, technical excellence, and commercial awareness. Teams work with a strong product mindset and collaborate across disciplines to deliver customer-focused, data-driven solutions. As part of the leadership group, you'll contribute to innovation at scale in an environment that encourages forward thinking and real-world impact.