Principal: Data Engineer

ABOUT CELLULANT

Cellulant is a pioneering B2B payments technology company based in Africa that powers payment processing for thousands of businesses.
Through a single, simple connection, our payment platform - Tingg - enables businesses to disburse funds and manage their offline or online collections while allowing their customers to pay via mobile money, local and international cards or direct bank payments.
With local acquiring in over 30 markets and supporting 300+ payment methods, Cellulant processes over 240 million transactions annually for market leaders in various sectors such as Airlines, Telecoms, E-commerce, Ride-Hailing, Retail and Remittances.

OUR STORY

Since our founding in 2003, Cellulant has evolved from a digital content provider into a leading payments platform with a presence in 35 African countries. For more than 20 years, we've built a robust network that integrates multiple payment methods, addressing the unique challenges of Africa’s diverse payment landscape.

We began selling ringtones as a digital content business and quickly realised the need for a more streamlined way to manage payments. This realisation led us to develop a platform that initially allowed customers to check their bank balances and eventually evolved into a comprehensive payment solution. Our journey has seen us partner with more than 1000 businesses, including some of the largest banks and mobile money providers on the continent.

Throughout the years, we've continuously adapted and grown, leveraging our experiences to simplify payments for businesses and consumers alike. Today, Cellulant powers online and offline payment processing allowing businesses to collect payments, send payouts, and accelerate business growth. We’re the payment fabric that makes interoperability possible and stitches Africa together for the global economy.

OUR VISION:

To enable seamless payments across Africa for businesses, banks and consumers. 

Read more about us and our leadership team .

JOB DESCRIPTION: 

As the Principal Engineer in the Database & Data Engineering Department, you will be responsible for building and maintaining Cellulant's rapidly expanding Data Infrastructure.

You will be responsible for architecting, implementing, and maintaining our data infrastructure while ensuring high availability, performance, and security of our databases. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in database design, data pipelines, ETL processes, AWS data solutions, on-prem database setups, and cloud-native architectures.

 KEY RELATIONSHIPS:

• Software Engineers.
• Infrastructure Engineers.
• CI/CD Engineers.
• Data Warehouse Team.
• Customer Success Teams.
• Service Operations Team.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Build different types of data warehousing solutions to meet Cellulant’s data needs.
• Lead the design, implementation, and successful delivery of large-scale data solutions involving multiple data sources.
• Build scalable data infrastructure and understand distributed systems concepts from a data storage perspective.
• Utilize expertise in SQL, ETL, and data modeling.
• Ensure the accuracy and availability of data and understand how technical decisions impact analytics and reporting.
• Deploy and maintain relational and NoSQL databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and Redis.
• Optimize database performance, indexing, partitioning, and query tuning.
• Manage database migrations and upgrades, 
• Implement high availability, clustering, replication strategies, and disaster recovery solutions for on-prem and cloud databases.
• Work closely with networking and security teams to ensure secure database access.
• Develop and manage ETL pipelines using tools like AWS Glue and Lambda.
• Ensure data quality, governance, and compliance with standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2.
• Mentor and coach junior data engineers and DBAs, fostering a culture of automation and DevOps best practices.
• Leverage AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) for seamless data replication and migration.
• Utilize data streaming platforms like Kafka.
• Monitor and analyze database performance using Datadog and other observability tools.
• Implement infrastructure as code (IaC) using tools like Terraform and Ansible for database provisioning and automation.
• Establish data security and encryption best practices across database environments.
• Develop strategies for cost optimization and resource efficiency across cloud-based and on-prem data infrastructure.
• Define SLAs, performance benchmarks, and monitoring standards for data services.
• Collaborate with product and analytics teams to ensure scalable data solutions align with business goals.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Having obtained a Degree in a relevant Computer Science.
• Qualified to ISEB/ISTQB Foundation Level or better.
• You’ve got a working knowledge of Docker.
• You’re interested in growing your knowledge and skills in Test Environment Provisioning and Configuring using technologies like Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, GCP, or AWS.h 
• Knowledge Continuous Integration systems (e.g., Jenkins, Travis, GitLab), Programming languages and tools: Python, Selenium, Java, XML, SQL, JavaScript and REST API testing tools such as Postman, SOAP UI, JMeter.

EXPERIENCE:

• 8+ years of experience in database administration and data engineering.
• Expertise in SQL database administration, tuning, and optimization.
• Experience with AWS RDS, Aurora, and DynamoDB.
• Vast experience deploying large-scale SQL databases and data warehouse platforms.
• Experience deploying services on Managed Databases & Data Warehouses using cloud providers like AWS, GCP, and Azure.
• Proven experience with on-prem database architecture, high availability, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Familiarity with security best practices and compliance frameworks.
• Strong experience with IaC tools like Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation.
• Experience with deploying Non-relational (NoSQL/NewSQL) databases will be an added advantage
• Solid Experience in the administration of Linux environments.
• Solid Experience in the administration of data streaming platforms eg Kafka 
• Experience with data programming/scripting languages eg Python, R is desirable.
• A solid understanding of Internet-based technologies (TCP/IP, DNS, Security, HTTP/HTTPS)
• Strong security awareness for cloud and on-prem databases.
• Ability to document key design and operational practices.
• Experience with Machine Learning model creation, training & operationalisation 
• Familiarity with data lake architectures and big data frameworks.

SKILLS:

• Database Administration for SQL and NoSQL environments.
• Linux Administration.
• Proficiency in Data Streaming Platforms (Kafka).
• Programming/scripting languages (Python, R) desirable.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) proficiency (Terraform, Ansible, CloudFormation).
• Database security and encryption best practices.
• Performance tuning and capacity planning.

DESIREBALE TRAITS:

• Aligned with Cellulant’s core purpose and vision: We are a purpose-driven organisation that puts our customers first, not just in our mission but in practice. Our culture reflects this. If ‘customer delight’ resonates with you, if it is something you constantly strive for, then you will find it easy to become part of our organisation and team. We love what we do, and our environment is engaging, challenging, and fun. If our aspirations and purpose do not resonate with you, you won’t enjoy working here and won’t produce exceptional results for yourself or us.
• Values & respect: Cellulant operates with mutual respect and dignity. Whilst we want super-star contributions and attitude we do not tolerate or promote super-star behaviour. Be authentic and genuine. We do what we say, we say what we do and provide full transparency to our customers and colleagues. We are a down-to-earth and well-grounded bunch and are secure in our abilities, which is evident in our work and our almost two decades of history.
• Collaboration: Teamwork is critical as it brings the best out in us and helps us stretch and grow as peers, nurture and retain our talent and innovate for our customers. Collaboration is one up from teamwork; here we work together towards a common goal: “to create opportunity” for our customers and our colleagues. It means setting aside our egos and opinions and allowing space for the diversity of opinions, ideas and suggestions of colleagues. 
• Leadership in all we do: We are focused on creating opportunity for all. An audacious goal. It requires courageous leadership of self, peers and teams. Without direction, we will drift, and our teams will drift. We move ahead by boldly leading, respectfully challenging, and setting an example for our industry, our peers and our teams.
• Technical excellence across our business portfolio: We run a precise and data-driven business. We base decisions on facts not feelings or industry practices. If you are in command of your domain and you strive for excellence in “your space” then you will fit in very well with us.
  Problem-solving skills: The ability to provide simple, practical solutions to complex challenges. You need to be an independent thinker who can see things differently and get to the root cause of issues quickly. Equally, you need to be able to assist team members with their problem-solving abilities and instil a mindset that will enable solutions and constant improvement.
• High energy & motivation: As a disruptive, agile organisation we need to be substantially better than our competition. Here are Cellulant you will have to have a lean mindset and manage our operations and your business domain with that in mind. This mindset requires high energy and resilience. If you regard yourself as a high performer and an A-player, then this culture will suit you well. 
  
• A structured, organised and growth-mindset mentality: We rely on your ability to structure and organise yourself in a way that contributes to our day-to-day success. We rely on your ability to transfer knowledge and skills to team members, to give them the benefit of your knowledge and skills gained elsewhere and to help them speed up and expedite their own growth and thinking.
• Handle pressure, learn and reflect: Cellulant is a high-performance demanding environment. This must suit you. We all make mistakes but must be willing to admit to mistakes, reflect on them and learn, so we improve rather than perpetuate the same mistakes.

Why Work For Us?

At Cellulant, transforming payments in Africa isn't just a job; it is our mission. We believe by simplifying the way people pay and get paid; we are accelerating businesses, opening up markets, bridging wealth gaps and connecting Africa to the global economy.

Some exciting things about us...

• We have an Extensive Footprint: We have an office presence in over 10 countries, and our products serve 35 countries across Africa with a global workforce of about 300 employees.
• We believe that innovation is at the Heart of Fintech: Thousands of companies use our technology to deliver seamless payment experiences. Our customers range from various sectors such as Airlines, Telecoms, E-commerce, Ride-Hailing, Retail, to Remittances.
• We Support a Diverse and Inclusive Workforce: We focus on the growth and development of our employees through well-developed, individualised career paths ensuring you reach your full potential in a supportive and delivery-oriented environment.
• We Put our Employees First: We offer market-related compensation, generous personal time off and, markets permitting, medical and life insurance benefits.
• We Seek Collaborative Builders: At Cellulant, we believe that great ideas happen when we come together. We, therefore, nurture a collaborative work environment that challenges, engages and empowers each person to contribute to the growth and success of the business.
• We Solve for Africa’s Digital Economy: We’re solving payment challenges on the continent to create opportunities and accelerate economic growth for all of Africa.