Data & AI Architecture Lead - Africa

Job Summary

Position Summary The Data & AI Architecture Lead is a Senior Manager-level role responsible for the architecture, solution design, and technical governance of KPMG T&I's data modernisation, artificial intelligence, and intelligent automation engagements. As AI and data become central to digital transformation mandates across financial services, government, and energy sectors in Africa, this role establishes KPMG T&I's technical authority in data architecture and AI solution design - ensuring that all data and AI proposals are robust, implementable, and ethically sound before delivery commences.

Job Details

Base location

Your location will be determined based on your location. Our main hubs are located in Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi.

Key roles and responsibilities:

(a)Data and AI Solution Architecture (55%)

• Design and review data architecture and AI/ML solution blueprints for all major T&I data and AI pursuits - ensuring technical soundness and delivery feasibility before contract signature.
• Produce high-quality data architecture documents, AI solution designs, and analytics-as-a-service proposals for client engagements.
• Lead client-facing data architecture workshops, demonstrating KPMG's capability in data platform engineering, AI/ML model deployment, and intelligent automation.
• Define KPMG T&I's standard data architecture patterns - including data mesh, data lakehouse, MLOps pipelines, and analytics-as-a-service models.
• Review and approve all data and AI scopes of work, ensuring they are correctly scoped, priced, and aligned to cloud-native data platform capabilities (Azure Fabric, Databricks, AWS, GCP).

(b) Delivery Governance and Quality (30%)

• Provide architecture oversight on active data and AI delivery engagements - attending design reviews, sprint reviews, and client technical steering committees.
• Serve as KPMG T&I's technical authority on AI ethics, model governance, and responsible AI frameworks - ensuring all AI solutions meet appropriate standards.
• Conduct formal architecture health checks at key delivery milestones to identify data quality issues, model performance risks, and scope deviations.
• Maintain KPMG T&I's data and AI asset library - documenting reusable pipelines, model frameworks, analytics dashboards, and automation components with Block E.
• Stay current with evolving African data regulation (POPIA, GDPR-equivalents) and ensure all data architectures are compliant.

(c) Market and Capability Development (15%)

• Contribute to KPMG T&I's Data and AI thought leadership - publishing insights on AI/ML, data modernisation, and analytics trends relevant to African markets.
• Build KPMG T&I's internal data and AI capability through training, knowledge-sharing, and technical mentorship.
• Develop go-to-market propositions for Data and AI services, working with Domain Leads and Alliance Market Leads to position KPMG's capability with clients.
• §Maintain certifications and stay current with the evolving AI/ML platform landscape (Azure AI, AWS SageMaker, Google Vertex AI, Databricks).

Requirements

Academic/ Professional qualifications and Experience:

• Degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or related quantitative discipline.
• Cloud data platform certification required: Azure Data Engineer (DP-203), AWS Data Analytics, or Databricks Certified Data Engineer.
• AI/ML certification preferred: Azure AI Engineer (AI-102), AWS Machine Learning Specialty, or Google Professional ML Engineer.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in data engineering, analytics, or AI/ML, with at least 4 years in a client-facing architecture or consulting role.
• Proven experience designing and delivering data platform migrations, analytics programmes, or AI/ML deployments for enterprise clients.
• Familiarity with African data protection regulation and responsible AI frameworks.

Technical competencies & Personal attributes:

• Demonstrate and articulate KPMG values as well as proven capability in:
• Data and AI depth: recognised technical expert in data architecture and AI/ML solution design with demonstrated implementation experience.
• Architecture clarity: able to translate complex data and AI concepts into clear, structured, implementable solution designs.
• Ethics and governance - understands the responsible AI implications of model deployment and applies appropriate guardrails.
• Client engagement: comfortable leading data strategy and AI roadmap discussions with CDOs, CTOs, and business executives.
• Commercial awareness: designs data and AI architectures that are commercially viable and scalable without unnecessary cost.
• Curiosity and learning stays current with the rapidly evolving AI and data platform landscape.
• Market Intelligence: Demonstrate commercial awareness with sound knowledge of matters affecting the market.
• Business development entrepreneurial mind-set and ability to identify opportunities and develop high quality proposals.
• Personal effectiveness - Excellent report-writing and presentation skills.
• People management - Leadership & management skills.
• Performance management - Be a performance manager to the team in line with performance management guidelines.
• Risk management-lead in ensuring full compliance with KPMG quality & risk management requirements
• Capacity building - Takes a lead in building capability of team to future proof workforce and full utilization of existing workforce.

Benefits

We offer:

• An exciting opportunity to work with a Big 4 firm on cutting edge clients across Africa.
• Continuous learning and development.
• Exposure to multi-disciplinary client service teams.
• Unrivalled space to grow and be innovative.
• Opportunity for international travel.

About Company

KPMG Professional Services

https://home.kpmg.com/ng

KPMG Professional Services and KPMG Advisory Services are the KPMG member firm in Nigeria. The partners and people have been operating in Nigeria since 1978, providing multidisciplinary professional services to both local and international organisations within the Nigerian business community. Our vision is to build and sustain our reputation as the best firm to work with by ensuring our people, clients and communities achieve their full potential. At KPMG, we are committed to working with our clients to cut through complexities of the business world; finding solutions and adding value. Our combination of international and local market knowledge and perspective give us an edge in the professional services industry in Nigeria. This combination enables the Nigerian practice to add real value by developing strategies that give the firms clients a distinct edge over their competitors. As one of the leading providers of professional services, KPMG knows that the success and growth of the firm also depends on the success and growth of the Nigerian economy. Hence, it champions progressive change and makes the future happen for its clients, people and the community, thereby enabling Nigeria success. The firm is involved in the formulation of economic policies for Nigeria through the Nigerian Economic Summit Group. The firm has a full complement of 59 partners and over 1,500 trained and dedicated professional staff; with deep industry skills and competencies in audit, tax and advisory services. KPMG has worked for clients in the public and private sec tor in Nigeria and in several other countries, helping to transform business performance and operations.