Head of Data needed at KingMakers
Job title : Head of Data
Job Location : Western Cape, Cape Town
Deadline : May 05, 2025
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About The Role
- As Head of Data Engineering, you will lead the vision, strategy, and execution of our data engineering function. You will be responsible for building and scaling a high-performance data platform that supports business-critical analytics, AI/ML applications, and real-time data processing at scale.
- You will manage a global team of data engineers and work cross-functionally with AI, product, finance, risk, and executive leadership teams to ensure our data infrastructure is not only robust and scalable but also aligned with KingMakers’ broader business objectives.
- This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership role that requires deep technical expertise, strong people management skills, and the ability to drive strategic data initiatives in a high-growth, fast-paced environment.g that insights derived from data are systematically integrated into all aspects of our operations – from marketing to product development.
What You’ll Be Doing
Strategic Leadership & Execution
- Define and execute KingMakers data engineering strategy, ensuring alignment with business objectives
- Drive technical decision-making and platform investments, optimizing for scale, security, and performance
- Establish and enforce best practices in data architecture, governance, quality, and reliability
- Collaborate with product, finance, and AI teams to unlock the full potential of data across the business
Technical Excellence & Data Platform Development
- Architect and lead the development of a highly scalable, cloud-native Enterprise Data Platform
- Oversee real-time and batch data processing pipelines, ensuring efficiency, low latency, and accuracy
- Build and manage data lake and data warehouse solutions for advanced analytics and AI-driven applications
- Implement data observability, governance, and compliance frameworks to ensure security and regulatory adherence
- Drive automation and continuous improvement across the data engineering stack
People Leadership & Team Development
- Lead and scale a high-performing team of data engineers across multiple locations
- Foster a culture of collaboration, ownership, and continuous learning
- Implement career development plans, coaching, and mentorship programs
- Scale the team through hiring, training, and process improvements to meet business demands
Requirements
- 8+ years of experience in data engineering, software engineering, or related fields, with at least 5+ years leading teams
- Proven track record of building and scaling enterprise data platforms in high-transaction environments
- Expertise in distributed data architectures, cloud data engineering, and real-time processing
- Strong background in Databricks, Apache Spark, PySpark, and big data technologies
- Experience with high-volume financial transactions and ensuring data integrity in regulated environments
- Deep knowledge of data governance, observability, and security best practices
- Multi-site engineering team management experience, ideally across different time zones
- Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to influence executive stakeholders and translate business needs into technical solutions
Nice-to-Have Experience
- Experience with Microsoft Azure and the SQL data stack
- Knowledge of Kafka, MongoDB, and other event-driven architectures
- Background in hyper-growth startups or fast-scaling digital businesses
- Familiarity with machine learning and AI-driven data processing pipelines
How You’ll Work At KingMakers
- Customer Focus – Everything we build is designed to enhance user experience and business impact
- Innovation & Big Thinking – We challenge the status quo, leveraging technology to push boundaries
- Ownership & Accountability – We take responsibility for solving problems and driving results
- Speed & Focus – We prioritize action, iterating quickly to improve continuously
- Collaboration & Transparency – We work cross-functionally and value candid, open communication
- Fun – We celebrate our wins, learn from challenges, and support each other’s development
How to Apply for this Offer
Interested and Qualified candidates should Click here to Apply Now
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