Head of Data (South Africa) needed at Sun International

Description

• The Head of Data is responsible for leading the design, implementation, and evolution of the company’s data architecture, platforms, and practices. This role ensures that data is accurate, accessible, secure, and strategically valuable across all business functions.
• The Head of Data will oversee the development of data pipelines, reporting systems, and analytics capabilities, enabling teams to make informed decisions, meet regulatory obligations, and unlock new opportunities.
• This is a hands-on leadership role, combining technical depth with business acumen. (Based in Johannesburg/Cape-Town/Durban)
• Own and evolve enterprise data architecture (lakes, warehouses, marts) and modern data platforms like Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, and Databricks.
• Drive data governance, lineage, cataloging, access controls, quality, encryption, and GDPR-aligned compliance.
• Lead data engineering delivery, including ETL/ELT pipelines, real-time data flows, and integration of internal (PAM, game engines, payments) and external data sources.
• Enable analytics and reporting through dashboards, KPIs, self-service tools, and regulatory/operational insights.
• Embed data capture and observability into product and platform features in partnership with software teams.
• Build and lead a high-performing data team while driving a data-driven culture and supporting executive decision-making.

Technical and Core behavioural competencies:

• Enterprise Data Architecture & Platforms
• Dat Engineering & Pipelines
• Data Governance & Quality
• Analytics & BI
• Security, Compliance & Privacy
• Strategic Thinking
• Managing Customer & Stakeholder relationships
• Applying expertise and technology
• Collaborating & Communicating
• Agile & Adaptable
• People Development
• Innovation
• Execution Focus

Requirements

• Master’s in Computer science, Data Engineering, Information Systems or related field advantageous
• 10-12 years’ experience in data architecture, engineering, or analytics
• Proven leadership experience in building and scaling data teams and platforms
• Expertise in cloud data platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and modern data tools
• Strong understanding of data modelling, warehousing, and real-time processing
• Experience in iGaming, fintech, or other regulated industries
• Familiarity with BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Looker) and SQL-based reporting
• Knowledge of data privacy regulations (GDPR, POPIA) and compliance frameworks