Data Engineering and Architecture Lead

We are X, bigly labs, Dis-Chem’s high-performance innovation hub; a place where bold ideas meet data, design, and radical customer focus to reimagine what healthcare can be.

Our mission is to power the future of healthcare by lowering costs, unlocking new possibilities, and improving access to healthcare for all South Africans. We do this through cutting-edge digital solutions that deliver smarter, more human, and truly patient-focused experiences. Here, your work is not limited to a whiteboard; it becomes real. It drives decisions, shapes experiences, and moves healthcare forward. We are driven by one big question: How do we use data and today’s technology to build breakthroughs to better health?

There’s only one question left: are you ready to make healthcare smarter, and actually mean it?

From retail and pharmacy to clinics, insurance and beyond, we’re applying machine learning and smart systems to reimagine healthcare pathways and create personalised experiences at scale. Here, your work doesn’t sit in a notebook or on a whiteboard. It becomes real. It shapes decisions. It improves lives. And we do it all the Bigly way, questioning, challenging, and building audaciously, together.

We are seeking a visionary Data Engineering and Architecture Lead to lead the design, development, and optimisation of our enterprise data ecosystem. This role is responsible for building scalable, secure, and high-performance data platforms that power analytics, AI, and operational excellence across Dischem and its affiliated businesses. You will be the architect of our data assets by ensuring that our data infrastructure is not only robust and compliant, but also agile enough to support innovation in healthcare, retail, insurance, and beyond.

💡WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR?

Minimum

• Bachelor’s degree (or the equivalent) in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or related field
• 7+ years of experience in data engineering or architecture, with 3+ years in a leadership role
• Deep expertise in SQL, Python or/and Spark, Cloud platforms (Azure or AWS) and cloud-native tools (e.g. DataBricks)
• Proven experience designing, implementing scaling enterprise data platforms using the Medallion Architecture
• Strong understanding of data governance, security, and compliance frameworks
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills

  Advantageous

• Experience in healthcare, retail, or insurance data ecosystems
• Familiarity with data mesh, lakehouse architecture and real-time data processing
• Certifications in cloud architecture or data engineering

🚀WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING?

• Enterprise Data Architecture
• Data Engineering Leadership
• Platform Enablement & Innovation
• Stakeholder Engagement & Governance
• Enterprise Data Architecture
• Data Engineering Leadership
• Platform Enablement & Innovation
• Financial & Vendor Management

👉WHO YOU ARE?

• Structured thinking and systems problem-solving
• Commercial fluency and ability to articulate value levers
• Strategic clarity balanced with practical execution
• Able to co-create solutions with technical teams
• Influences without authority and facilitates decision forums
• Drives initiatives independently with high standards of quality

Our values show up in how we think, build, and make choices that make an impact. We are building a culture that drives progress; one that fixes friction, chases what changes, and owns the outcome. We design with tomorrow in mind, ask sharper questions, and answer them with care, urgency, and systems that scale.

Think you’ve got energy, curiosity, and guts? Come hold the space, make it matter, and own a breakthrough.