Data Engineering Team Lead

Are you an expert in all things data and have experience leading a team? You’re not afraid of complex data sets and tools; in fact, you excel when working with them! If this describes you, then the Data Team Lead position could be a great match.

The Company

Tiko inspires futures where girls and young women take charge of their sexual and reproductive choices, with the freedom to shape their lives. Founded in 2014, Tiko is an African nonprofit organisation that enhances the potential and fosters the resilience of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Sub-Saharan Africa by addressing the critical “Triple Threat”: early pregnancy, HIV, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Tiko has developed its own unique girl-centric technology platform to unite an ecosystem of existing, established partners to provide an environment enabling girls to choose when, where and how they meet their health and wellbeing needs. Leveraging this technology-enabled, community-driven approach, Tiko collaborates with local and national health systems to drive sustainable, transformative change. Tiko operates in seven countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Zambia and Nigeria.

Tiko has offices in South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, the Netherlands and Portugal. Globally, our team consists of +230 enthusiastic, international colleagues. Whether you are working from our biggest office in Nairobi, the fast-growing office in South Africa, or from home, our people are young, and our culture is global and dynamic. Our work environment is fast-paced, informal, and friendly. You can learn more about what being part of Tiko is like here.

We are open to remote work for this position and will happily accept applicants from anywhere in Portugal and South Africa.

The Job
The Data Engineering Team Lead role encompasses leading the data team and utilizing software tools to transform and analyze data, as well as interpreting historical data. A significant aspect of the role is developing and maintaining features in our data warehouse and other platforms to ensure data availability throughout the organization.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, delivery, and evolution of the data platform, pipelines, and models
• Ensure high data quality, reliability, performance, and scalability
• Plan and prioritise work to deliver data initiatives aligned with business and product goals
• In collaboration with the data architect, provide technical leadership, architectural guidance, and code/design reviews
• Coach and support data engineers, fostering strong ownership and engineering standards
• Collaborate closely with analytics, product, and engineering stakeholders
• Balance new development, platform improvements, and technical debt
• Take ownership of delivery outcomes, risks, and continuous improvement
  

About you
Data comes naturally to you, and you understand its significance and the optimal ways to leverage it. You have a keen eye for detail and the skills to design and develop tools that enhance data utilization. Your people management skills are outstanding, and you enjoy leading a team while collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Requirements:

• 8+ years of experience working with complex data sets and expertise in data and tools.
• At least 3 year of experience in leading a data engineering team is required.
• Extensive software development experience, including expertise in programming languages such as Python, Java, or Scala.
• Demonstrated proficiency in handling large volumes of data efficiently.
• Familiarity with data modeling, ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes, and data warehousing concepts.
  
• Advanced working knowledge of SQL and experience with relational databases.
  
• Strong understanding of data quality, governance, and best practices.
• Proven experience making technical decisions
  
• Machine learning knowledge or experience would be a bonus.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to document and explain technical concepts clearly.
• Currently based in South Africa or Portugal.
  
  

Recruitment Process

Introductory call with recruiter | First Interview with Tech Team | Technical Challenge | Final interview with the Tech Team

In addition to your monthly salary, we offer you:

• Benefits and allowances tailored to your location.
• Flexible work arrangements, including remote or hybrid options where applicable.
• A personal development budget of €500 per year to invest in your professional growth - whether through training, certifications, or career advancement opportunities.
• Comprehensive time-off package, including 5 days of wellness leave, all regional public holidays, maternity and parental leave according to local regulations, and unlimited holidays subject to team coordination.
• The opportunity to shape a growing, impactful product and leave your mark on how we work.
• A culture built on trust - we believe you’ll do your best without the need for unnecessary rules or micromanagement.
  

The Details
Interested? Click Apply for This Job! Want more information? Check out our website tikoafrica.org or contact our Global Recruiter. We only accept applications through the apply links, not by email.

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Tiko prioritizes integrity in our workplace and respects your privacy.

Tiko is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour by its employees at work, including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct. This is why we will do reference and background screening checks on successful candidates before hiring. Tiko also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. As part of this scheme, we will request information from your previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during your employment, or incidents under investigation when you left employment. By applying for this position, you confirm you have read and understood these recruitment procedures.

We value your privacy and understand the importance of safeguarding your personal data. We invite you to review our privacy notice for the recruitment process to understand how we collect, use, and protect your personal data during the recruitment process. Click here to view the document. By applying for this position, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our privacy notice.