Job Description

Our client, a highly respected global legal practice with offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, is seeking an experienced Data Engineer to join their Johannesburg office based in Sandton. This role is ideal for a technical specialist who thrives in a professional services environment and is passionate about developing scalable, secure, and high-performing data infrastructure.
Role Summary / Objective
The Data Engineer will be responsible for designing, maintaining, and optimizing the firm's data architecture and pipelines. This role ensures seamless data flow from ingestion through storage to processing, enabling the Data & Analytics function to drive actionable insights across the firm. You will work closely with the Head of Data & Analytics, technical teams, and business stakeholders to support firm-wide data strategy, governance, and innovation.
Key Responsibilities
Core Engineering Duties
Build, maintain, and optimize data pipelines for efficient data ingestion, transformation, and integration.
Design and manage scalable relational and NoSQL databases, ensuring performance and accessibility.
Ensure compliance with data governance frameworks and privacy regulations including GDPR and POPIA.
Support Data Analytics teams with data infrastructure, troubleshooting, and optimization.
Automate workflows using AI/ML-based techniques for anomaly detection and predictive tasks.
Implement robust testing frameworks and perform end-to-end data quality assessments.
Collaboration & Communication
Work with cross-functional teams--developers, analysts, operations, and business stakeholders--to understand data requirements and deliver integrated solutions.
Document workflows, configurations, and processes to support consistency and institutional knowledge.
Continuous Improvement & Innovation
Stay abreast of evolving technologies, proposing enhancements to improve data engineering practices.
Contribute to internal data engineering standards, ensuring code quality, documentation excellence, and security best practices.
Growth & Team Contribution
Participate in code reviews, architecture discussions, and knowledge-sharing sessions.
Take ownership of assigned projects and support delivery alongside senior team members.
Qualifications & Skills
5+ years' experience in Data Engineering, ETL development, or SQL-based data solutions.
Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related technical field.
Strong proficiency in SQL, NoSQL, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure).
Experience with data pipeline frameworks such as Apache Kafka, Airflow, or similar.
Familiarity with Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse, or equivalent tools.
Advantageous: Python scripting, Aderant, iManage, or experience in legal/finance/professional services environments.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with meticulous attention to detail.
Proven ability to collaborate effectively across technical and business teams.
Remuneration
Competitive Market Related Salary
Interested
Apply Now
Join a global legal practice where innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence drive meaningful impact across the firm.
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