Group Specialist: AI, Data and Integration architecture (Durban North) at Aspen Pharma Group

JOB PURPOSE:

• Strategic and tactical role within the Digital Technology organisation responsible for the design, communication, and governance of architecture structures that guide the development of integrated data, integration, and AI solutions supporting current and future business needs. Data, integration, and AI solution architecture encompasses not only technology components but also the organisational and service changes required across data ingestion, integration, modelling, analytics, intelligent automation, and AI-enabled experiences. The role provides architectural guidance on the development and evolution of data, integration, and AI solution components to ensure alignment with enterprise architectures, strategies, policies, standards, and practices, including quality, security, privacy, and master data governance requirements. The incumbent ensures that new and existing solution components remain compatible and interoperable within the broader enterprise application landscape. In addition to architectural responsibilities, the role supports platform ownership and lifecycle execution for the Group’s integration, data, and AI platforms, including integration platforms, enterprise data platforms, analytics and business intelligence tools, master data management solutions, and AI or automation technologies. The role ensures platform roadmaps, release cycles, data integrity frameworks, and operational performance are aligned with business priorities, digital transformation initiatives, and regulatory, audit, and quality expectations. The role acts as a subject matter specialist responsible for translating business requirements and emerging technology opportunities into scalable enterprise data, integration, and AI architectures. The role also contributes to financial planning and governance for the integration of the data, and the AI platform ecosystem. This includes supporting platform license management, contributing to operational and project budgeting (OPEX and CAPEX), assisting in the development of business cases, and providing architectural input into cost optimisation, platform investments, and technology lifecycle Planning.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS:

Data, Integration and AI Architecture Design 

• Design and maintain target architectures and reference patterns for enterprise data, integration, and AI platforms.
• Ensure architectural alignment across projects, programmes, and technology initiatives.
• Serve as solution architect for integration, data, and AI solutions, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture standards.
• Ensure architectures meet functional, non-functional, security, and compliance requirements.

Enterprise Integration Architecture

• Design and govern integration solutions across enterprise systems using API-led integration, event streaming, and data movement frameworks.
• Develop and maintain integration standards including API design, security, monitoring, and lifecycle management.
• Ensure interoperability between enterprise platforms and applications through robust integration architecture.

Data Platform and Governance Architecture

• Design enterprise data architecture frameworks supporting data ingestion, modelling, analytics, and data consumption.
• Ensure data quality, metadata management, and master data management practices are embedded in solution designs.
• Ensure data governance, privacy, and security requirements are incorporated across data pipelines and platforms.
• AI and Advanced Analytics Architecture
• Support the design and governance of AI and machine learning solutions, including model lifecycle management and operational deployment.
• Ensure responsible AI principles, including fairness, transparency, and governance, are embedded in AI solution architectures.
• Support innovation initiatives leveraging analytics, automation, and AI technologies.

Platform Lifecycle and Operational Architecture

• Support the development and maintenance of platform roadmaps for integration, data, analytics, and AI technologies.
• Define operational models supporting deployment, monitoring, support, and lifecycle management of data and integration solutions.
• Ensure production environments operate reliably and meet performance, availability, and governance requirements.

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Ensure architecture decisions comply with enterprise architecture standards, data governance frameworks, and security policies.
• Participate in architecture review boards, governance forums, and risk management processes.
• Evaluate solution changes and ensure alignment with enterprise standards and long-term architecture strategy.

Stakeholder Engagement and Innovation

• Collaborate with business leaders, product owners, platform teams, and governance bodies to translate business needs into technology architectures.
• Communicate architectural decisions, roadmaps, and technology strategies clearly to stakeholders.
• Monitor technology trends in data, AI, and integration technologies and identify opportunities for innovation and improvement.
• Develop business cases and proofs of value for emerging technology opportunities.

Financial Planning and Platform Cost Management

• Supports financial planning and cost governance across the data, integration, and AI platform landscape.
• Provides architectural input into platform investment decisions, project scoping, and technology lifecycle Planning.
• Supports management of operational and capital expenditure associated with integration, data, and AI platforms, including platform licensing, infrastructure consumption, and tooling.
• Contributes to the development of business cases for platform enhancements, architecture initiatives, and innovation projects.
• Works with platform owners, finance stakeholders, and delivery teams to ensure technology solutions are aligned with approved budgets and cost optimisation strategies.
• Provides architectural guidance to balance performance, scalability, and cost efficiency across enterprise technology platforms.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Business or Equivalent
• Current industry certification in architecture (i.e., TOGAF, GxP, ISO 9000)
• Business Process Management Methodology (i.e., BPM, SDLC, ITIL, DevOps, Agile, COBIT)
• Certification or relevant experience in Cloud Platforms, Data architecture and analytics platforms, integration and API platforms, Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies
• 6–10 years’ experience designing and delivering enterprise integration, data platform, or analytics solutions within complex organisational environments.
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering API-based integration solutions, including gateway, runtime management, security, and observability.
• Experience designing and delivering enterprise data platforms, pipelines, and data models supporting both batch and real-time processing.
• Hands-on exposure to analytics, business intelligence, and AI or machine learning initiatives from proof-of-value or proof-of-concept through to production deployment.
• Experience working within enterprise architecture, security, and data governance frameworks, including formal change management and release controls.
• Proven ability to collaborate with business stakeholders, product owners, vendors, and cross-functional technology teams within a matrixed enterprise environment.