Data Scientist

NawiriGroup is foremost known as a leading safari travel group, offering great personalised nature-based travel experiences across the African continent. Our core purpose goes beyond delivering exceptional safaris. We are a platform that connects local communities, expert partners, investors, and travellers to drive positive impact at scale within some of Africa’s most iconic wilderness areas.

Since inception, we’ve supported national parks, community-led conservancies, local communities and governments with many initiatives and millions of dollars in their efforts to safeguard and manage some of Africa’s most important wilderness areas. We believe travel should be a force for good and our vision is to use responsible travel to create a sustainable and prosperous future for natural ecosystems in Africa and the local people living in and around these unique, globally important areas.

Today, through the Group’s various subsidiaries across multiple countries, which includes Asilia Africa, a leading safari operator with 17 bespoke camps and lodges across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, with a full-service DMC offering, and the multi-award-winning African safari tour operator Go2Africa, we employ close to 1,200 people in sub-Saharan Africa all dedicated to delivering immersive experiences while working towards our goal of delivering impact at scale.

Purpose Driven

• Our shared purpose is encapsulated in our group name - ‘Nawiri’ is Kiswahili for ‘to flourish/thrive’, reflecting our vision of creating a future where vital ecosystems and local communities thrive together.We are proud as a group to be B Corp certified, a testament to our dedication to balancing the needs of people, planet, and profit in everything we do. Our journey with B Corp started more than a decade ago when Asilia qualified in 2012, the first African Travel company to do so.

• Last financial year we contributed US$9.8m to nature protection and positive impact projects. We continue to grow our impact reach and agenda.

• We have ambitious commercial growth plans and are expanding our operational, commercial, analytical and technology capabilities to enable the further scaling of both our guest experiences and travel offerings.

Why should you work for us?

• Join a team that has continuously led the way in our industry, ranging from creating cutting-edge technology platforms to deploying innovative solutions to lead the way in sustainable operations.

• We take pride in creating a culture where people grow, find purpose, and contribute to progress that reaches far beyond the organisation. Training and development are at the heart of this journey, and we are proud of the number of in-house programmes that we have available, including a training library offering over 130 different training modules.

• Enjoy the flexibility of a hybrid working arrangement to get the most out of your working hours. Combine work in one of the Nawiri Group offices, located in the picturesque cities of Cape Town, Nairobi, Arusha, and London, with the option of remote work.

• Join at an exciting time in the Nawiri data and analytics space as we significantly accelerate how Nawiri Group leverages data to support decision-making and improve propositions and experiences. This role will provide significant opportunities to grow and contribute to the overall success of the group.

ROLE SUMMARY

This role is well-suited to someone with strong foundations in SQL and Python who is comfortable working across data engineering, analytics, and early-stage data science within the Group. You will spend much of your time preparing, integrating, and structuring data to make it analysis-ready, while gradually taking on more responsibility for exploratory analysis, predictive modelling, and insight generation. As the data function continues to mature, you will have the opportunity to help improve processes, tooling, and data quality standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Data Engineering & Data Preparation

• Build and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines using Python, SSIS, AWS Glue, or similar tools

• Integrate and maintain data from APIs (HubSpot, GA4, external vendors)

• Design and maintain data models and schemas in SQL Server and AWS RDS

• Clean, standardise, and transform raw data into analysis-ready datasets

• Support improvements in data team processes, tooling, and documentation

• Assist with implementing data quality checks and monitoring

Data Science & Analytics

• Explore and analyse data to generate insights and support business decisions

• Build, test, and iterate on prototype predictive models

• Support stakeholders with ad-hoc analysis and structured reporting

• Assist with dashboard creation and self-service analytics (Power BI where applicable)

• Contribute to feature engineering and early model operationalisation

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in informatics/information systems, Computer science or related field.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a data scientist, data analyst, or data engineering role or similar.

• Strong experience with SQL (T-SQL), including writing complex queries, optimising logic, and building well-structured database objects.

• Proficiency in Python, including data manipulation using Pandas, writing automation scripts, and working with REST APIs (e.g. HubSpot, GA4, internal APIs).

• Experience designing and working with data models and structured datasets (e.g. star, snowflake, or dimensional models).

• Understanding of ETL/ELT principles and experience with tools such as Microsoft SSIS, AWS Glue, Airflow, dbt, or custom Python pipelines.

• Experience working with relational database systems, particularly Microsoft SQL Server or similar platforms.

• Exposure to cloud environments, preferably AWS (RDS, EC2, Lambda, S3), or a strong willingness to learn quickly.

COMPETENCIES

• Analytical and detail-oriented

• Deciding, proactive and initiating action

• Planning and organising

• Process optimisation and efficiency-focused

• Working with people (Team-focused)

• Good written and verbal communication skills

• Good listening skills

• Ability to learn and adapt

• Delivering results and meeting stakeholder expectations

• Adapting and responding to change

ATTRIBUTES AND BEHAVIOURS

• Accountable

• Quality focused

• Organised

• Solutions driven

• Critical thinking

• Adaptable

• Confident

• Independent

• Proactive

• Agile

• Methodical

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

At Nawiri Group, we are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion. We encourage Employment Equity candidates and individuals with disabilities to apply. As an equal opportunities employer, we believe that a diverse workforce is key to our success. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, or beliefs.