Senior Data Engineer - Remote at RPO Recruitment

Job Description

• RPO's client is actively seeking a skilled Senior Data Engineer to join our client based in Gauteng remotely.
• This is an exciting opportunity for a dedicated data professional to elevate their career by building and optimizing Microsoft-based data infrastructure powering real-time financial analytics, fraud detection, and business intelligence systems.
• If you have extensive experience in data engineering within a Microsoft environment and a passion for fintech innovation, we want to hear from you!

Responsibilities:

• Maintain an understanding of the latest SQL features and programming practices through continuous learning.
• Back up files from local directories to share and VSTS.
• Identify problems uncovered by customer feedback and testing and correct or refer them to appropriate personnel.
• Evaluate code to ensure it meets industry standards, is valid, properly structured, and compatible with various Azure SQL versions.
• Determine user needs by analysing technical requirements.
• Manage data analysis and integration of disparate systems.
• Ensure high quality and optimum performance of code delivered.
• Follow internal standard guidelines.
• Understand database operations and optimization for Microsoft SQL Server.
• Develop reporting systems that provide accessible information for decision-making.
• Conduct troubleshooting on code, tables, indexes, and SQL server instances.
• Generate and deliver quality reports to customers and perform quality assurance checks on reports.
• Collaborate with various teams; translate business requirements into scalable data solutions.
• Participate in design reviews and provide input on requirements, product design, and potential problems.
• Test and prove that the software meets major architectural requirements.
• Prove for scalability and performance of a software.
• Ensure the quality of the system as a whole.
• Stay up to date with the latest Microsoft data technologies, Azure services, and data engineering best practices.
• Troubleshoot and optimize Azure data pipelines, SQL Server performance, and resolve data quality issues.
• Continuously improve data infrastructure to reduce latency, increase throughput, and optimize Azure costs using FinOps principles.
• Evaluate and integrate new Microsoft data tools and Azure services to enhance data platform capabilities.
• Mentor and guide junior data engineers on the team.
• Participate in architecture reviews and ensure all data solutions adhere to high-quality standards and best practices.
• Communicate with stakeholders to understand data requirements and provide technical solutions.
• Work independently and deliver high-quality work within tight deadlines.

Requirements:

• BSc/BEng in Computer Science, Data Science, or comparable experience.
• 7+ years professional data engineering experience, 3+ years in a senior/lead capacity.
• 7+ years T-SQL/SQL Server expertise, deep Azure Synapse Analytics skills, C#/.NET for data processing applications.
• Strong Azure Data Factory, Azure Databricks, SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), Azure Stream Analytics, Event Hubs.
• Azure Synapse Analytics, Power Designer for data modelling, Azure DevOps for CI/CD.
• Dimensional modelling with Power Designer, SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), schema design for OLAP/OLTP, performance optimization.
• Power BI integration, SSAS/SSRS experience, DAX/MDX knowledge, semantic layer design.
• Azure DevOps pipelines, ARM templates/Bicep, Azure Monitor, Application Insights.
• Unit testing for T-SQL and data pipelines, data quality frameworks, integration testing with Azure Data Factory.
• Strong in basic DB concepts, joins, aggregate functions and commands (DDL, DML, TCL DCL) and help write and optimize in-application SQL statements.
• Proficiency in advance SQL concepts like CTE, Recursive queries, Pivots, Self joins, Temporary functions, UDF, etc..
• Deep understanding of relational database concepts with a solid knowledge of MS-SQL.
• Proficiency with version control systems such as Git and Azure Repos.
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills in Microsoft environments.
• Experience with ETL tools.
• Expertise in SQL Server performance tuning and optimization of large-scale data systems.
• Good communication and leadership skills.

Advantageous Skills:

• Azure Machine Learning and Azure Cognitive Services experience for ML pipelines.
• Experience with Microsoft Fabric and its unified analytics platform.
• Real-time analytics with Azure Stream Analytics and Complex Event Processing.
• Azure Cost Management and FinOps experience optimizing data workloads.
• Power Platform integration (Power Apps, Power Automate) for data workflows.
• Experience with Cosmos DB for multi-model database scenarios.
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate or Azure Solutions Architect certification.

Benefits:

• The opportunity to work on cutting-edge fintech solutions that make a real impact.
• A remote-first work environment that values work-life balance.
• Regular team get-togethers to foster collaboration and innovation.
• Continuous learning opportunities in the fast-paced world of fintech.
• A culture that encourages creativity, hard work, and pushing technological boundaries.

Closing Date: 28 July 2025