Senior Data Architect

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The number 1 Top Employer in South Africa. 
Certified by the Top Employer Institute 2025.

Role Purpose/Business Unit:

We are seeking a Senior Data Architect – a technical “unicorn” with broad expertise across Data Architecture, Solution Architecture, and Cloud Architecture – to join our Big Data & AI team. In this strategic role, you will design and oversee the implementation of scalable, secure, and future-ready solutions that drive Vodacom’s AI/ML initiatives across multiple markets.

Your responsibilities will include:

1. Holistic Architecture Design:

• Define end-to-end architectures for data ingestion, processing, governance, and analytics in a cloud or hybrid environment.
• Collaborate with product owners, data scientists, ML engineers, and DevOps teams to craft integrated solutions that meet both technical and business requirements.

2. Data Architecture & Governance:

• Design robust data models, data pipelines, and feature stores that ensure data quality, lineage, and security.
• Implement best practices for data lifecycle management, metadata cataloging, and regulatory compliance (GDPR, POPIA).
• Design solutions for data masking, encryption, and anonymisation to protect PII.

3. Cloud & Solution Architecture:

• Lead cloud adoption strategies (AWS, Azure, or multi-cloud) ensuring security, cost optimization, and performance.
• Architect microservices, APIs, and containerized deployments (Kubernetes, Docker) for AI-driven applications.
• Ensure high availability, scalability, and fault-tolerance for real-time ML workloads.
• design architecture for on-prem, cloud and hybrid data platforms.
• Develop a data strategy roadmap aligned with business objectives.
• Architect solutions for real-time analytics, reporting, and BI dashboards.
• Enable self-service analytics using tools like Power BI, Qlik, etc. 

4. Technical Leadership & Mentorship:

• Provide thought leadership on emerging technologies (serverless, event-driven architectures, MLOps frameworks).
• Mentor engineering teams in design reviews, architecture patterns, and best practices for building data-intensive solutions.

5. Stakeholder Collaboration & Roadmaps:

• Partner with business and IT stakeholders to create architecture blueprints and technology roadmaps that align with Vodacom’s Big Data & AI objectives.
• Communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, ensuring strategic alignment.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

• 3-year Degree/National Diploma related to IT field of study (minimum)
• 8+ years in architect roles encompassing data, cloud, and solution architecture.
• Strong knowledge of AWS, Azure, or hybrid cloud – including container orchestration and DevOps pipelines.
• Proven track record in data modeling, ETL/ELT pipelines, and data governance for large-scale data platforms.
• Experience architecting or managing AI/ML workflows (e.g., MLOps, feature stores, model registry).
• Familiarity with microservices, REST APIs, GraphQL; proficient in Python, Java, or other modern languages.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and collaboration skills; comfortable presenting to executives and guiding engineering teams.

We make an impact by offering:

• Enticing incentive programs and competitive benefit packages
• Retirement funds, risk benefits, and medical aid benefits
• Cell phone and data benefits, advantages fibre connection discounts, and exclusive staff discounts offered in collaboration with partner companies

Closing date for Applications: 12 March 2025. 

The base location for this role is Midrand, Vodacom Campus. 

The company's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.
Vodacom is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates, and values diversity & inclusion.