Specialist: Data Scientist - JHB at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Description

Accountability: Data management and Data visualization / reporting (50%)

• Deliver key strategic data projects following the data standards and principles. This includes performing tasks in the data delivery lifecycle i.e. identifying data sources, analysis and interpreting data, data mapping, development (coding and scripting), testing, performing releases, and documenting project deliverables.
• Interpreting and analysis of data requirements from data owners to design solutions for new changes or upgrade requirements.
• Analyse and understand how data is managed and governed in data platforms, providing analytical expertise in the governance, interpretation and maintenance of data.
• Handling and mining of large, diverse data sets with an ability to work with both structured and unstructured data.
• Monitor services to ensure uptime on all data environments by monitoring the activity on the different server environments.
• Conduct investigations to identify any system failures and apply necessary corrective actions.
• Promote Metadata and jobs between the Development, Test and Production systems and ensure this complies with releases standards, guidelines and policies.
• Transforming official data reports into easily understandable visuals
• Clean and organize large datasets, for analysis and visualization; verify and ensure accuracy, integrity, and consistency of data.
• Ability to develop data dashboards, data quality monitoring, interactive reports, charts, graphs, and other visual representations using MS Power BI, QlikView and other data visualisation tools. 

Accountability: Stakeholder management (20%): 

• Coordinate all changes on the platform to ensure ongoing stability by contributing to business and project requirements on an adhoc basis. Take remedial action to ensure seamless customer service.
• Provide support to ensure data services are running as per service level agreements. Escalate non-adherence through the relevant channels within SLA context.
• Maintain professional relationships with stakeholders ensuring continuous communication and managing expectations.
• Engage and provide data support to internal and external audit

Accountability: Data Governance and Adherence (20%) 

• Ensure proper data governance is in place adhering to risk and control principles in deliverables and perform risk and control assessments, front to back for the allocated business.
• Ensure controls are in place over applications to ensure the data integrity by performing data integrity gap analysis
• Monitor and track data quality issues, identify gaps, and apply action plans to remediate gap
• Manage user and group permissions and authorizations via a request. 

Accountability: Continuous self-development and growth (10%)

• Sharing of knowledge and skills. Focus on data skills evolution and remaining relevant.
• Proactively increase technical skills through active research. Keep abreast of legislation and other industry changes that impacts on role by reading the relevant newsletters, websites and attending sessions. 

Education and Experience Required

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or Mathematics.
• 2+ years of relevant experience in Data Management, Business Intelligence, Data quality management
• Coding skills (Python, R) would be of benefit
• Visualization skillsets
• PowerBI or ClickView would be of benefit
• Proficiency in SAS programming language (solid) 
• Database management