Senior Data Architect
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Safaricom's M-PESA Africa is hiring a Senior Data Architect to design and govern enterprise data architecture across multiple markets. This hybrid role in Nairobi focuses on data strategy, governance, and modern data platform architecture supporting mobile money, payments, and AI/analytics. Requires a CS/IT degree and extensive architecture experience.
- Senior individual contributor role with broad cross-functional influence
- Hybrid work arrangement based in Nairobi, Kenya
- Focus on M-PESA Africa multi-market data architecture and governance
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Safaricom's M-PESA Africa is hiring a Senior Data Architect to design and govern enterprise data architecture across multiple markets. This hybrid role in Nairobi focuses on data strategy, governance, and modern data platform architecture supporting mobile money, payments, and AI/analytics. Requires a CS/IT degree and extensive architecture experience.
- Senior individual contributor role with broad cross-functional influence
- Hybrid work arrangement based in Nairobi, Kenya
- Focus on M-PESA Africa multi-market data architecture and governance
- Requires CS/IT degree and extensive data architecture experience
- Deadline: 29/10/2026
- Salary open/negotiable
AI job guide
Use this guide to check salary signals, requirements, documents, application steps and safety before you apply.
AI salary guide
Source salary availableThe source lists Open. Confirm the final pay, benefits, contract terms and allowances directly with the employer before accepting an offer.
Can you qualify for this role?
- UnclearRelated work experienceThe text mentions experience, but the exact level should be confirmed at source.
- RequiredEducation or certification mentioned in the postThe captured text mentions education, a diploma, certificate, or licence.
- PreferredPractical evidence in part_time, Data Architecture, Enterprise ArchitectureThe tags and summary point to skills connected with this role.
- RequiredAvailability to work in NairobiThe vacancy is associated with this location.
- UnclearComfort with the Full Time contract termsConfirm hours, duration, probation and benefits at the original source.
Documents to prepare
- Likely requiredUpdated CV
- Role specificCover letter or short employer message
- OptionalProfessional references
- Role specificAcademic or professional certificates
- VerifyID or passport only after verifying the employer
Application tips for this job
- Place your strongest Senior Data Architect evidence in the first half of your CV.
- In your cover letter or employer message, connect your experience to Safaricom and the role in Nairobi.
- Add concrete examples related to part_time, Data Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, ideally with measurable outcomes or clear responsibilities.
- Follow the instructions from Corporate Staffing Kenya; avoid sending documents to unofficial contacts or copied links.
- Confirm the deadline, interview location and employer contact before sharing personal documents.
- Plan to submit before the listed deadline: 2026-10-29.
Source and safety check
- Corporate Staffing Kenya
- Original source link available
- Application method is clear
- Deadline is available: 2026-10-29
- HighThe post may mention payment. Verify directly with the official source before continuing.
Never pay for interviews, shortlisting, medical checks, uniforms, or job placement. Confirm every application at the original source before sharing personal documents. Report suspicious listing.
Interview preparation
- What experience makes you a strong fit for this Senior Data Architect role in part_time, Data Architecture?
- How have you handled responsibilities similar to those in this job post?
- Are you available to work in Nairobi under the listed contract or schedule?
- Prepare examples with clear responsibilities, tools used and measurable outcomes.
- Review the source and research Safaricom before the interview.
Ask what the first priorities will be in the role and how success will be measured.
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Original source description
Job Title: M-Pesa Africa: Senior Data Architect
Date Posted: 23/10/2026
Job Type: Hybrid
Job Level: Management
Employer: Safaricom
Industry: IT
Salary: Open
Location: Nairobi
Country: Kenya
Deadline: 29/10/2026
IT Jobs, Safaricom Jobs. Senior Data Architect designs enterprise data landscapes and pipelines for M-Pesa Africa, requires a CS/IT Degree and extensive architecture experience. Hybrid role in Nairobi.
Job Summary
M-PESA Africa is looking for a Senior Data Architect to design, govern, and evolve our enterprise data landscape across our markets. Operating at the intersection of mobile money, payments infrastructure, AI, and analytics, you will set the architectural standards and strategic direction for how data flows, is governed, and generates value across M-PESA’s platforms.
This is a senior individual contributor role with broad influence across engineering, product, compliance, and group-level stakeholders. You will be expected to lead with vision, mentor others, and translate complex data challenges into scalable architectural solutions.
Key Accountabilities
- Data Architecture & Strategy
- Own the enterprise data architecture across M-PESA Africa’s multi-market environment, spanning transactional, operational, analytical, and AI/ML data domains.
- Define and enforce data modelling standards, data flow patterns, and integration architecture for real-time and batch processing pipelines.
- Lead architecture design for data platforms supporting payment rails, API analytics, fraud and AML detection, and regulatory reporting.
- Drive the transition to modern data architectures: data mesh, data lakehouse, event-driven patterns aligning to M-PESA’s cloud and hybrid infrastructure strategy.
- Data Governance & Standards
- Establish and champion enterprise-wide data governance frameworks, data quality standards, and master data management (MDM) policies across all six markets.
- Define data classification, lineage, and cataloguing standards, ensuring traceability from source systems (e.g., Fintech 2.0 Platform) through to consumption layers.
- Partner with Compliance, Legal, and Market teams to ensure data architectures meet local regulatory obligations and cross-border data sovereignty requirements.
- Integration & Platform Architecture
- Architect data integration patterns between M-PESA core systems, third-party platforms and analytics/AI layers.
- Collaborate with API gateway teams to define event-driven, API-first data exchange patterns aligned with the integration layer strategy.
- Design and govern streaming and CDC pipelines using technologies such as Apache Kafka and Oracle GoldenGate across market-level deployments.
- AI & Analytics Enablement
- Design data architectures that underpin AI/ML use cases including transaction monitoring, watchlist screening, customer intelligence, and predictive analytics.
- Define feature store design, data pipeline standards, and model serving infrastructure patterns for production ML workflows.
- Partner with the AI/ML team to evaluate and onboard vector databases, embedding pipelines, and LLM-ready data infrastructure.
- Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
- Serve as the senior data architecture voice in Architecture Review Boards, design forums, and group-level governance bodies.
- Mentor and coach mid-level data engineers and architects across markets, building data architecture capability within the team.
- Produce executive-ready architecture artefacts, including C4/Mermaid diagrams, ADRs, and data strategy presentations for CTO/CIO audiences.
- Lead vendor evaluations for data platform tools, cloud data services, and governance technologies.
Qualifications
- Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or a related field.
Experience
Experience in data architecture, data engineering, or closely related technical disciplines, with at least 3 years in a senior or lead capacity.
Proven track record designing enterprise-scale data platforms in financial services, fintech, or telecommunications.
Deep expertise in data modelling (conceptual, logical, physical) for both OLTP and OLAP systems.
Hands-on experience with cloud data platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and big data technologies (Spark, Databricks, BigQuery, Redshift, etc.).
Proficiency in data integration patterns: ETL/ELT, Change Data Capture (CDC), event streaming, and API-driven data exchange.
Strong understanding of data governance frameworks and tools (DAMA-DMBOK, Apache Atlas, Collibra, or equivalent).
Experience with streaming platforms such as Apache Kafka in high-throughput transactional environments.