Data Lead

Role Overview

The Lead of Data – Lightstone Auto is responsible for leading the delivery and evolution of data capabilities within the Auto business, ensuring high-quality, scalable, and reliable data solutions that support business objectives. The role focuses on the design, development, and optimisation of data platforms, structures, pipelines, and models, while working closely with business, product, and engineering teams to translate requirements into effective data solutions.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical leadership with a practical, delivery-focused mindset, ensuring that data solutions are robust, efficient, and aligned to business needs. This role will be reporting to the Head of Data.

• Lead the design, development, and optimisation of data pipelines, models, and platforms
• Translate business requirements into scalable and efficient data solutions
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to data engineers and analysts
• Ensure data solutions are maintainable, well-structured, and aligned to best practices

• Design and implement data architectures, including data marts, integration layers, and APIs
• Ensure efficient data ingestion, transformation, and integration across systems
• Contribute to platform evolution, including performance optimisation and scalability improvements

• Implement and maintain data quality controls, validation processes, and monitoring
• Ensure reliability, accuracy, and availability of data across key datasets
• Identify and resolve data issues, and continuously improve data processes

• Implement and uphold data governance practices within Auto data domains
• Support data classification, retention, and lifecycle management processes
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations (e.g. POPIA, PAIA) and internal policies

• Work closely with Product, Business, and Engineering teams to deliver data solutions aligned to business needs
• Translate data and technical concepts into clear, practical insights for stakeholders
• Support client-facing and internal initiatives where data expertise is required

• Lead and mentor a team of data engineers and analysts
• Support team development through coaching, knowledge sharing, and technical guidance
• Foster a culture of ownership, quality, and continuous improvement

• Stay up to date with emerging data technologies and practices
• Contribute to improving data capabilities, tools, and processes within the business
• Identify opportunities to enhance efficiency, scalability, and data usability

• Relevant Degree (Data, Engineering, Computer Science, Business or similar)
• 10–15+ years’ experience in data-related roles
• 5+ years in Data Management Leadership roles
• Data discipline and related problems solving, decision making and influencing across teams
• Data platforms, engineering, or architecture
• Data governance and compliance
• Data product, commercial environments
• Stakeholder collaboration, engagement and advisory skills
• Automotive, financial services, or consumer data experience
• AI/ML concepts and the practical application of advanced analytics to solve business problems and enhance data products
• Experience implementing data strategies and operating models aligned to business needs
• Understanding of end-to-end data lifecycle management, including retention, archiving, and deletion aligned to legal and business requirements
• Strong understanding of modern data architectures, data platforms, and integration patterns (ETL/ELT, APIs) across on-prem and cloud environments
• Proficiency in SQL-based environments and experience with data pipeline development, automation, and performance optimisation
• Solid grounding in data governance, data quality, and regulatory compliance (including POPIA)
• Ability to translate data into commercially valuable products and support client-facing use cases
• Experience working across technical, business, and regulatory stakeholders
• Understanding of automotive, mobility, or consumer data environments…