Job Purpose:
The Tech Lead provides strategic technical leadership across digital platforms by shaping and validating complex solution designs that meet evolving business needs. Ensures all solutions align with enterprise architecture principles, standards, and governance requirements to maintain consistency and control. Guides engineering teams in delivering scalable, secure, and high-performing systems that support long-term sustainability. Influences technical decision-making across cross-functional teams to optimise integration, performance, and reliability. Drives disciplined execution and quality outcomes by balancing innovation with risk management and operational efficiency.
Job Description:
Solution Design & Architecture Alignment
- Lead the end-to-end design of complex, enterprise-scale technical solutions aligned to business
strategy.
- Guide implementation approaches to ensure adherence to architectural standards and patterns.
- Validate solution alignment to enterprise architecture frameworks, principles, and governance.
- Drive adoption of scalable, reusable, and future-fit design practices.
- Embed best practices across engineering teams to improve design quality and consistency.
Technical Governance & Standards
- Provide oversight to ensure adherence to engineering standards, governance frameworks, and
design controls.
- Evaluate solution proposals for scalability, resilience, maintainability, and long-term sustainability.
- Guide and endorse critical technical decisions, balancing trade-offs, risks, and business impact.
- Ensure consistent execution of design reviews, approvals, and technical assurance processes.
- Align delivery outputs to governance requirements and architectural compliance standards.
Platform Integration & Optimisation
- Drive integration across systems, platforms, and services to ensure seamless interoperability.
- Resolve integration challenges to improve system connectivity, data flow, and operational efficiency.
- Lead initiatives to enhance system performance, reliability, and scalability.
- Promote optimised and efficient design approaches across digital environments.
- Enable modular and extensible architectures that support evolving business needs.
Stakeholder Engagement & Influence
- Engage senior stakeholders to shape and influence technical strategy and architecture direction.
- Provide expert advisory on solution design, system architecture, and technology decisions.
- Translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights for decision-making.
- Align cross-functional teams to architectural standards and delivery expectations.
- Foster collaboration across engineering, product, and architecture communities.
Delivery Enablement & Technical Leadership
- Guide engineering teams to ensure effective and consistent implementation of solution designs.
- Enable delivery outcomes by addressing technical constraints and removing blockers.
- Drive adherence to quality standards across the software development lifecycle.
- Mentor and support engineers in applying best practices and architectural principles.
- Promote disciplined and high-quality execution across delivery teams.
Qualifications and experience
- Relevant Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field –
(essential)
- Postgraduate qualification in Architecture, Enterprise Systems, or related discipline –
(advantageous)
- +6 years' experience in software engineering, systems design, or architecture – (essential)
- Strong experience in at least one modern programming language (e.g. Java, Python, C#, C++) –
(essential)
- Strong understanding of software development methodologies and engineering best practices –
(essential)
- Experience working in Agile environments (e.g. Scrum) – (essential)
- Strong understanding of performance, scalability, and security principles – (preferred)
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and modern database technologies –
(advantageous)
Key competencies and work ethic
- Collaborative partner – Builds strong relationships with stakeholders while driving cross functional
work teams and projects. Open, honest and direct, comfortable giving and receiving constructive
feedback. Thinks and acts independently as well as collaboratively.
- Technology expert, bringing top-quality expertise to drive priorities while introducing new tools
and practices. Is curious and adaptable, finds agile and rapid ways of implementing solutions fast.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills – Integrates multiple data sources to apply strong
judgment; applies expertise to execute functions in a competitive, evolving shopper landscape.
- Detail orientated – able to identify process inefficiencies and proactively resolve performance or
delivery concerns.
- Ability to work under pressure and under tight time constraints, managing multiple demands
while organizing, prioritizing, and reordering workload in a rapidly changing and fast-moving
environment.
- Highly organised with a focus on execution. An attitude of accountability with a strong drive
for excellence – Sets stretch goals for self and others while working tenaciously toward meeting
and exceeding expectations.
- Innovative and solution-orientated – Open to new ideas and possibilities and proactively
contributes ideas and solutions that serve the flow of work and meeting deadlines.
- Results-driven - Proactively drives results, setting stretch goals for self and others, while remaining
focused and working tenaciously to meeting and exceeding expectations within quality standards.
- Excellent communication and leadership skills – Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Able to simplify technical concepts and convey messages and ideas to users across organisational
levels.
- Flexible and resilient – Able to work in a fast-paced environment, balancing multiple and
competing priorities while managing ambiguity and adapting as the business evolves.
- An independent, motivated self-starter, with the ability to take initiative and work under own
direction.
- Business acumen - Understands how business operates and the issues and risks that drive
technological success and impact commercial viability.
Our Group and all its operating companies is committed to creating, embracing, and preserving a diverse workplace that values the unique talents, perspectives, backgrounds, and abilities that enrich our organisation. A place where everyone matters and feels included.
We are committed to Employment Equity when recruiting internally and externally.
Please take note that by responding to this application and providing your personal information, you confirm your express and informed consent for Shoprite Checkers (Pty) Ltd and all its subsidiaries and affiliates companies to process your personal information for the Company to consider your application for this position. All Personal Information which you provide to the Company will be used and/or retained only for the purposes for which it is collected, whereafter it will be permanently destroyed. Your information is only retained if it is required by law or where you have given consent to us to retain such information for an extended period.
If you don't hear from us within 14 days, please consider your application unsuccessful. Any personal information collected as part of your application will be destroyed, securely, in accordance with South African legislation.
