Principal Specialist – Business Intelligence - Lesaka ( FinTech) at Lesaka Technologies

Purpose

• The Principal Specialist: Business Intelligence serves as the most senior BI practitioner in the Merchant Data Department.

This role is responsible for:

• Defining BI architecture and governance standards
• Leading the design of enterprise dashboards and reporting
• Ensuring consistent, high‑quality BI outputs
• Mentoring BI developers and elevating capability
• Aligning BI delivery with business needs and analytical frameworks

You will operate at the intersection of technical excellence and business value, ensuring that BI outputs are not only accurate — but also actionable, accessible, and impactful.

Key Responsibilities

BI Architecture & Platform Ownership

• Own the architecture, governance, and structure of the BI platform.
• Define standards for report design, naming conventions, data models, and calculations.
• Manage BI workspaces, access controls, and certification frameworks.
• Maintain a governed BI asset register with clear lifecycle management.

BI Development & Delivery

• Lead the design and development of enterprise dashboards and reporting suites.
• Translate complex business requirements into high‑performance, visually effective BI solutions.
• Review and approve BI outputs before production release.
• Evaluate and recommend improvements to BI tools, capabilities, and platform features.

Mentorship & Collaboration

• Provide hands‑on mentorship and code review support to BI developers.
• Collaborate with analytics teams to ensure consistency in metrics and frameworks.
• Work with Business Advisory to ensure outputs support strong decision‑making.
• Help elevate technical capability across the BI function.

Qualifications & Experience

Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative or analytical discipline
• 8+ years BI development experience
• 3+ years in a senior or lead BI role
• Expert‑level experience in Power BI (or equivalent BI platform)
• Strong SQL skills and understanding of data models
• Proven experience managing BI architecture and governance
• Experience delivering dashboards for executive/board audiences
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and lead BI teams

Advantageous:

• Financial services / fintech experience
• Experience with semantic layers or metric frameworks
• Exposure to accessibility standards
• Experience in federated or data‑mesh environments