Let's Write Africa's Story Together!
Old Mutual is a firm believer in the African opportunity and our diverse talent reflects this.
Job Description
The key focus for the Senior Data Architect is to perform planning aligned to key data solutions, build and participate the architecture capability building, perform data architecture and design, manage data architecture risk and compliance, provide design and build governance and support and communicate and share knowledge around the architecture practices, guardrails, blueprints and standards related to the data solution design.Planning
Lead data solution requirements gathering and ensure alignment with business objectives and constraints.
Define and refine data architecture runways for intentional architecture with the key stakeholders
Provide input into business cases and costing
Participate and provide data architectural runway requirements into Programme Increment (PI) Planning
Architecture Capability
Design and implement enterprise-grade data architectures leveraging Databricks and cloud-native technologies.
Develop and oversee data architecture views and ensure alignment with enterprise architecture.
Maintain and oversee the data solution artifacts in the set enterprise repository and knowledge portals aligned to the rest of the architecture
Manage the data architecture processes based on the requirements for each architype
Manage change impact of the data architecture with stakeholders
Develop and participate in the build of the data architecture practice with embedded architects and engineers including the relevant methods, repository and tools
Manage the data architecture considering the business, application, information/data and technology viewpoints
Establish, enforce and implement data standards, guardrails, frameworks, and patterns
Solution Design
Lead and review logical and detailed data architecture
Evaluate and approve data solution options and technology selections
Select appropriate technology, tools and build for the solution
Oversee and maintain the data solution blueprints
Drive incremental modernisation initiatives in the delivery area
Define data modeling standards, governance frameworks, and best practices for structured and unstructured data.
Risk, Governance and Compliance
Identify, assess and mitigate risks at a data solution architecture level
Ensure and enforce compliance with policies, standards, and regulations
Lead data architecture reviews and integrate with governance functions
Integrate with other governance and compliance functions to ensure continuity in managing the investment and risk for the organisation pertaining to the solution architectures
Establish and provide data standards, guidance, and tools to delivery teams.
Implementation and Collaboration
Establish and provide data solution architectures and tools to the delivery and data engineering teams
Lead and facilitate collaboration with delivery teams to achieve architecture objectives
Manage and resolve deviations and ensure up-to-date data solution design documentation
Identify opportunities to optimise delivery of solutions
Oversee and conduct post-implementation reviews
Ensure the data architecture supports CI/CD pipelines to facilitate rapid and reliable deployment of data solutions
Implement automated testing frameworks for data solutions to ensure quality and reliability throughout the development lifecycle.
Establish performance monitoring and optimisation practices to ensure data solutions meet performance benchmarks and can scale as needed.
Integrate robust data security measures, including encryption, access controls, and regular security audits, into the implementation process.
Lead data warehouse migration projects from legacy platforms to modern cloud-based solutions.
Communication and Knowledge Sharing
Communicate and advocate up-to-date data solution architecture views
Communicate the relevant data standards, practices, guardrails and tools to stakeholders relevant to the solution design
Ensure IT teams are well-informed and trained in architecture requirements
Communicate and collaborate with stakeholders' relevant views on planning, technology assessments, risk, compliance, governance and implementation assessments
Foster collaboration between data architects, data engineers, and other IT teams through regular cross-functional meetings and agile ceremonies.
Communicate and maintain up-to-date blueprint designs for key data solutions
Ensure effective participation in the agile ceremonies (PI planning, sprint planning, retrospectives, demos)
Implement regular feedback loops with stakeholders and end-users to continuously improve data solutions based on real-world usage and requirements
Create a culture of knowledge sharing by organising regular workshops, training sessions, and documentation updates to keep all team members informed about the latest data architecture practices and tools
Qualifications, Experience & Skills:
Matric
Degree or diploma in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering OR relevant diploma / degree
Experience: Requires a minimum of 5 years in a technical/solution design role and a minimum of 7 years relevant IT experience
Data Experience: Required a minimum of 7 years related experience in data engineering, data modeling and design and data management and governance
Expert-level proficiency in Databricks, including Delta Lake, Spark, and MLflow.
Hands-on experience in large-scale data platform implementation (preferably cloud-based).
Proven track record in data warehouse migration (e.g., Teradata, Oracle, or on-prem to cloud).
Strong knowledge of data modeling (Relational, Kimball etc.), data governance, and data integration patterns.
ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE
DAMA-DMBOK
TOGAF
ArchiMate
Cloud Architecture Certifications (AWS, Azure)
Financial Industry Experience
Certifications in Databricks, AWS Data Engineer, or similar.
Data Related Experience:
Big Data and Analytics (e.g., Hadoop, Spark)
Data Warehousing
Master Data Management (MDM)
Data Lakes, Lakehouse, and Data Mesh
Metadata Management
ETL/ELT Processes
Data Privacy and Compliance
Cloud Data Services
Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP) and associated data services.
Proficiency in SQL, Python, and distributed data processing frameworks.
Familiarity with CI/CD for data pipelines and DevOps practices.
Experience with Lakehouse architecture and real-time streaming solutions
COMPETENCIES REQUIRED
Related attributes and competencies related to architecture:
Critical thinking/problem solving
Teamwork/collaboration
Effective Communication Skills
Leadership skills
Knowledge and experience in architecture domains
Knowledge and experience in architecture methods, frameworks and tools
Solution Design Experience
Agile Knowledge and Experience
Cloud Knowledge and Experience
Data related competencies:
Strong knowledge of data modeling (Relational, Kimball etc.), data governance, and data integration patterns
Data architecture principles and methodologies
Data integration technologies and tools
Data management and governance
Skills
Adaptive Thinking, Application Development, Confidentiality, Database Administration, Database Queries, Data Classification, Data Compilation, Data Compression, Data Encoding, Data Modeling, Data Recovery, Executing Plans, Gateway Servers, IT Architecture, Test Case ManagementCompetencies
Education
NQF Level 9 – MastersClosing Date
30 December 2025 , 23:59The appointment will be made from the designated group in line with the Employment Equity Plan of Old Mutual South Africa and the specific business unit in question.
The Old Mutual Story!