Job Description

Are you passionate about designing and shaping the future of data? As a Data Architect, you'll play a key role in crafting, deploying, and managing our organization's data architecture. You'll define how data is stored, consumed, integrated, and managed across various systems, ensuring seamless connectivity and efficiency. Your expertise will help align our data framework with business goals, driving innovation and supporting our overall data strategy. If you're ready to make an impact with your architectural vision, we'd love to hear from you!




Purpose:




To lead the implementation of our Master Data Management (MDM) strategy, enhancing the structure, quality, completeness, and integrity of people data across the organisation by implementing best practices in data management. This role involves overseeing data reporting, mass data load processes and data health checks, while collaborating closely with People Shared Services and key stakeholders. The Data Architect will be responsible for designing and executing our data validation, cleansing, and governance approach to ensure that our people data is accurate, reliable, consistent, compliant and accessible for operational and strategic decision-making.




This is a hybrid opportunity with 3 days based in our Johannesburg office, and 2 days remote.

Key Responsibilities

Key Accountabilities


MDM Strategy & Implementation: Lead the design and implementation of the global MDM framework for people data. Define and maintain the global data architecture and governance model, collaborating with IT, HRIS, and Shared Services to align on system integration and data flows.




Data Development and Governance: Establish and govern policies and principles for data development and management to ensure data quality, integrity, and security across all systems. Implement industry best practices, review code and support practices to align with these standards.




Data Design: Design data solutions aligned with our goal of establishing a central data platform that guarantees integrity and security. Drive the rationalisation and consolidation of data platforms, promoting simplification and standardisation of integrations.




Data Support: Advocate for data and BI within Sage, assisting colleagues in understanding our data and its value. Support People Function colleagues by identifying key internal and external data sources.




Reporting & Insights: Lead a small team responsible for standard and ad-hoc reporting. Ensure that reporting outputs align with data architecture, collaborating with analytics and workforce planning teams for strategic insights.




Data Operations & Quality: Implement and ensure adherence to data governance policies and procedures, maintaining data quality, integrity and security across all data systems. Manage data reporting systems, mass data load processes, owning and performing regular health and maintaining dashboards. Lead the approach on data cleansing, validation, and standardisation processes . Develop automated processes to maintain data accuracy and completeness.




Documentation & Reporting: Prepare analytical summaries and maintain comprehensive documentation on data topics, including internal and external sources, data-related findings and new/existing requirements.




Data Architecture Maintenance: Maintain and support the existing data architecture to ensure it meets the organisational needs. Continuously monitor and optimise data storage, retrieval and distribution systems.




Compliance and Security: Stay updated with emerging data technologies and industry best practices, proposing and implementing improvements to data architecture and processes to ensure compliance and security.




Data Requirements: Provide the business with data requirements for non-BAU reporting requirements. Develop and support a data governance framework that aligns with business strategies and objectives.




What are we looking for:


Strong experience implementing MDM frameworks, ideally in a global HR or people operations context.


Expertise in data architecture, metadata management, data modelling, integration and designing and optimising relational and non-relational databases.


Experience with Workday, SAP, ServiceNow, or other HCM platforms.


Proficient in tools for data quality management reporting (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) and data upload processes (e.g., EIBs, APIs).


Ability to translate business needs into data solutions while effectively addressing and improving data challenges.


Experience in managing data projects, ensuring alignment with business goals.


Demonstrated ability to lead and build high-performing data teams.


Strong stakeholder management, communication and teamwork skills with cross-functional groups.




Your benefits:


- Work away scheme for up to 10 weeks a year


- On-going training and professional development


- Paid 5 days yearly to volunteer through our Sage Foundation


- Flexible work patterns and hybrid working