VML — Data Engineer, Marketing & Analytics

Capability: Technology & Innovation

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Work Model: Hybrid (average four days in office per week)

About VML

VML is leading creative company that combine brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, to help brand grow. In 2026, VML was named Campaign’s Global Network of the Year and ranked number 2 Creative Network of the Year at Cannes Lions. VML operate in 55+ market worldwide, with main office in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore.

VML is part of WPP — trusted growth partner for world’s leading brand. Every day, VML power over 350 million personalised experience between brand and their customer, using deep expertise, strong technology partnership, and cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Large Language Models.

Our global team of 4,000+ data specialist serve more than 150 market across the globe. We operate with integrity, respect for data privacy, and full transparency.

About the Role

Data Engineer, Marketing and Analytics, is key technical person responsible for designing, building, and maintaining strong data pipeline and infrastructure that power VML’s digital and media reporting and product analytics for our top-tier client.

This role make sure data is high quality, reliable, and accessible for analysis, reporting, and advanced analytics — including feeding platform like Amplitude.

You will work with modern data stack including Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Matillion for ETL/ELT, Snowflake as cloud data warehouse, and Rudderstack for customer data. Your work will help analytics and data science team get critical insight, support AI/ML application, and provide strong data to product analytics platform like Amplitude. You also responsible for monitoring, fixing problem, and optimising data workflow.

Please note: UK working hours required for this role.

Key Responsibilities

Data Pipeline Development:

• Design, develop, and build scalable ETL/ELT pipeline using Matillion and GCP services like Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, BigQuery, and Composer/Airflow, to bring data into Snowflake

Data Ingestion and Integration:

• Set up and manage data stream from different source — including Rudderstack, APIs from ad platform and analytics tool, and other raw data feed
• Make sure data is ready for tool like Amplitude

Data Transformation and Modelling:

• Write complex SQL transformation in Snowflake to clean, enrich, and model data for reporting tool like Tableau and Amplitude
• Design data schema — star, snowflake, data vault — to meet business requirement

Infrastructure Management:

• Monitor, maintain, and optimise performance, security, and cost of data infrastructure across GCP and Snowflake

Quality Assurance and Monitoring:

• Build data quality check, validation rule, and automated monitoring for all data pipeline
• Fix data problem and pipeline failure quickly

Reporting and Visualisation Support:

• Work with analytics and visualisation specialist to make sure data model meet their reporting need and perform well for query

Documentation and Governance:

• Create and maintain documentation for data pipeline, data model, schema, and data dictionary
• Follow data governance, privacy (GDPR, CCPA), and security standard

Collaboration and Innovation:

• Work closely with data analyst, data scientist, product manager, solution architect, and client team to understand data need and build technical solution
• Stay updated on new data engineering technology, AI/ML data preparation, and best practice

Automation:

• Automate routine data management task, monitoring, and deployment using Python scripting

Requirements

• Minimum 5 year engineering and development experience
• Strong client-facing skill — responsive, results-driven, good at consulting on complex technical and strategic data challenge
• Strong attention to detail, good organisation skill, able to work alone and manage multiple project and small team in fast-paced environment
• Experience with enterprise-level client and understanding of complex web/app ecosystem, privacy regulation (GDPR, CCPA), and data governance best practice
• Deep knowledge of client website, mobile app, business model, and online marketing and product strategy

Technical Skills Required:

• Cloud Platform: Strong GCP experience — BigQuery, Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions, Cloud Composer (Apache Airflow)
• Data Warehousing: Solid Snowflake skill — data loading, SQL querying, performance tuning, schema design
• ETL/ELT Tools: Strong experience building data pipeline with Matillion or similar tool like Fivetran or Stitch
• Customer Data Platform: Experience with Rudderstack for event collection, data routing, and destination management
• Product Analytics: Familiarity with Amplitude or similar tool like Mixpanel or Pendo
• Programming: Advanced SQL skill, plus Python for scripting, automation, and API integration
• BI and Reporting: Experience supporting BI tool like Tableau, Looker Studio, or Power BI
• Data Collection: Experience integrating data from API (REST, GraphQL), SFTP, and event-driven architecture
• Data Modelling: Practical experience with data modelling technique for analytical database
• Version Control: Know Git and modern software development practice

Beneficial Skills:

• Experience with AWS or Azure
• Knowledge of Docker or Kubernetes
• Exposure to streaming data technology like Kafka

Domain Knowledge:

• Strong understanding of digital marketing data — ad impression, click, conversion, media reporting metric, product usage data, and customer journey data
• Familiar with GDPR, CCPA, and data security best practice
• Understand how data engineering support analytics, reporting, and machine learning across platform including Amplitude

Leadership and Interpersonal Skills:

• Client Engagement: Experience engaging directly with client, gathering requirement, presenting solution, and managing expectation
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication — able to write complex technical document and lead technical discussion confidently
• Problem-Solving: Able to work in team to solve complex problem in fast-paced environment
• Project Management: Experience working within project management office framework
• Adaptability: Able to build confidence through maturity, expertise, and clear communication

Equal Opportunity

VML is equal opportunity employer. All applicant considered without discrimination. We committed to culture of respect where everyone belong and have equal chance to grow in their career. Preference in appointment will be in line with company EE strategy.