Job Title: Technical Team Lead – Azure Data Management

Location: Bryanston, Johannesburg (Hybrid/Flexible)

 

Overview

A leading digital consultancy is seeking a Technical Team Lead to head up a high-performing Azure Data Engineering and BI team. This individual will be responsible for designing and delivering robust, scalable, and secure data solutions in Microsoft Azure. The role combines hands-on technical development with leadership responsibilities and stakeholder engagement, offering a challenging yet rewarding opportunity to lead complex enterprise data initiatives.

 

Key Responsibilities

 

1. Architecture & Design

 

Define and implement modern data architectures using Azure Data Factory for orchestration.

 

Build scalable data platforms leveraging Azure Databricks, Azure SQL, and Synapse Analytics.

 

Design robust Power BI data models, reports, and dashboards with governance controls (access, workspaces, datasets).

 

2. Team Leadership & Agile Delivery

 

Lead and mentor a cross-functional team of Data Engineers, Data Scientists, and BI Developers.

 

Manage sprint planning, workload allocation, and conduct code reviews.

 

Facilitate Agile ceremonies and ensure alignment with Scrum/Kanban best practices.

 

3. Development & Implementation

 

Develop complex ETL/ELT pipelines in Azure Data Factory (data flows, triggers, custom activities).

 

Optimize T-SQL queries, stored procedures, and performance tuning in Azure SQL/Synapse.

 

Create reusable Databricks notebooks (PySpark/Scala) for high-volume data processing.

 

Build advanced Power BI dashboards including row-level security and deployment pipelines.

 

4. Quality, Security & Compliance

 

Enforce CI/CD processes via Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions.

 

Implement monitoring, alerting, and data validation with Azure Monitor and Log Analytics.

 

Ensure data solutions are compliant with privacy and regulatory standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).

 

5. Stakeholder Engagement

 

Translate business requirements into technical specifications.

 

Collaborate with architects, product owners, and security/network teams.

 

Provide technical documentation, demos, and regular project updates to stakeholders.

 

Qualifications & Experience

 

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

 

5+ years in data engineering, with at least 2 years in a senior or lead role.

 

Expert-level experience with Azure Data Factory, Databricks, SQL (T-SQL, Synapse), and Power BI.

 

Strong command of CI/CD pipelines, data modeling, and performance tuning.

 

Familiarity with Azure AD, RBAC, and cloud cost management.

 

Bonus Skills

 

Experience with Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, Lakehouse architecture.

 

Knowledge of ADLS Gen2, file formats (Parquet, Avro), and metadata management.

 

Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python, Scala, or the .NET SDK.

 

Microsoft Certifications: Azure Data Engineer Associate, Azure Solutions Architect