Sanlam Data, AI and Engineering Academy

Data, AI and Engineering Academy Graduate

An exciting opportunity to join a 13-month accelerated development program is available for soon-to-be or recent graduates to join the Sanlam Data, AI and Engineering Academy.

We are seeking bright and curious minds who are passionate about solving real-world problems through technology, engineering, data and artificial intelligence alongside leading technology practitioners from across the group, including FinTech, Financial Markets, Risk and Savings, Distribution, Investments, and core platform teams.

Being selected for a Data, AI and Engineering Academy Graduate position will entail: 

Permanent employment from the onset.
Market-related benefits and rewards.
Participation in a structured 13-month accelerated development program. 
Hands-on experience in the largest and most diverse non-banking Financial Services organisation in Africa (banking and rewards to Launch in 2027).
Exposure to leading-edge technologies and the opportunity to apply your skills in the process of designing and launching new capabilities that impact Sanlam’s core metrics and solve our biggest problems and client / intermediary needs.
Collaboration with experienced Sanlam employees and builders in the programme.
Access to mentoring, coaching and guidance from experienced technology, engineering, AI and business leaders.
Opportunity to build a career at Sanlam and gain access to opportunities across a diverse set of capabilities, propositions, and geographies.

All about Sanlam

Sanlam is one of the largest internationally active insurance organisations in the world and has the biggest non-banking financial services footprint on the African continent. The Group has an active presence in 27 countries, operating across the African continent, India, Malaysia, and selected developed markets. It is listed on the Johannesburg, A2X, and Namibian stock exchange.

Further to this, Sanlam has:

• Strategic growth investments across Africa and Asia, including a significant presence in India (Shriram) and the SanlamAllianz partnership that expands Sanlam's reach to Africa.
• Entered into specialist insurance capabilities through the Santam Lloyd's Syndicate 1918 in London, enabling global underwriting.
• Partnered with GoTyme to build innovative digital banking and financial services capabilities, creating new opportunities in banking, lending and ecosystem-based financial solutions.
• Developed Sanlam's own enterprise AI platforms, orchestration capabilities and AI engineering ecosystem to enable responsible, scalable and secure AI adoption across the Group.
• Invested in cloud, data and engineering platforms, including enterprise-wide cloud migration, modern data (Snowflake, FiveTran, dbt) platforms, AI capabilities and API-driven ecosystems that support future growth.

The application of technology and data is at the heart of our success. We strive to transform into a tech company with a strategy and associated investments geared towards the optimal use of technology to achieve objectives and market advantage. To this end, we are in the midst of a full cloud migration to AWS and the scaling of cloud-first data (Snowflake, dbt) and AI platforms (Bedrock, AI AgentCore, Claude), agentic engineering and have sourced talent from AWS, Google, Meta and Spotify, amongst others.

The Sanlam Data, AI and Engineering Academy forms part of Sanlam Group Technology. It is designed to build data analytical and technical skills which are critical in a fast-growing technological and data-driven environment, and critical to Sanlam’s success. We seek to build careers for people who can help meet Sanlam’s stakeholder promises, drive further growth, and prepare for the evolving roles and professions that will shape the future of work, within the Sanlam Group.

What will you do?

The Sanlam Data, AI and Engineering Academy is offering two exciting development opportunities over a 13-month period, aimed at launching your career in either Data & AI or Software Engineering & AI.

Data and AI:

• You are passionate about all things related to data: finding patterns in data, using data to build insight, aid decision-making and process action, and to create real commercial value.
• You want to establish strong foundations in data management, data engineering and AI-ready data products, in a fast-moving and complex enterprise data domain.
• You’re interested in tackling complex data problems, and learning how to apply AI, ML, predictive analytics and agentic AI to deliver unique insights, prompts and direction.
• You aspire to develop your analytical skills to grow your career in roles such as Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Data Engineer, or AI/ML engineer.

Software Engineering & AI:

• You have a passion for engineering and solving complex problems.
• You aspire to grow in the domains of engineering and modern engineering with an interest in cloud-native architecture, distributed systems, application integration and agentic engineering.
• You want to solve problems by applying the latest innovations in the digital world, modern engineering practices, as well as modern integration patterns and AI techniques.
• You seek a career as a Software Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Integration Specialist or  Architect.

During the 13-month program you will receive

• Ongoing technical training, real-world enterprise-level experience, business acumen and competency-based training in a professional environment.
• Guidance through coaching and mentorship from subject matter experts in the Sanlam Technology and Sanlam Analytics Teams to ensure that you are well-equipped to grow and become successful in your chosen career.
• The opportunity to work cross-functionally to learn across various disciplines and be equipped with a diverse skillset, gaining access to multiple parts of the data and tech capabilities, and working with multiple parts of the business.
• Rotate to different IT and business teams to get exposure to a variety of tech and data disciplines, enabling you to find the best fit for your skills and interests.
• The opportunity to participate in innovation competitions and tech learning days, such as the SGT data day, and hackathons.
• Functional training with world class facilitators and hands-on experience with the leading IT & BI tools and technology that will enable you to play a key role in Sanlam’s strategy to modernise the IT agenda and drive the data driven decision making capability.

What will make you successful in this role?

The graduate programme is suited to independent and self-motivated individuals with strong analytical skills. Some of the key traits that will make you successful include:

• An innovative mindset and problem-solving ability
• A passion for data, technology and AI
• The ability to juggle deadlines and tasks from various stakeholders
• A high value of client centricity and collaboration
• Be open to receive feedback for continuous personal growth

Qualification and Experience

We will only consider students who already hold a degree or will obtain a degree by the end of 2026. Previous work experience is not a prerequisite, but you should not have more than 12 months' related post-university professional working experience. Working experience obtained as part of a work-integrated learning programme won't be considered as professional working experience.

• BCom, BSc, BTech:
• Information Technology / Computer Science
• Data Science / Data Analytics / Business Intelligence
• Statistics / Mathematics / Finance / Actuarial
• Industrial / Electrical / Chemical / Civil / Mechanical Engineering, BEng

Knowledge & Skills

We do not expect you to come with a wealth of knowledge as our curriculum will cover everything you need to know. However, it does help if you have a basic understanding of the following:

• Programming languages and frameworks such as Python, Java, .Net, and SQL
• Data analysis, modelling and visualisation
• Business and process analysis

Knowledge and Skills

Personal Attributes

Build a successful career with us

We’re all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future – your career, your personal development and of achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping  our employees to realise their worth. Through its five business clusters – Sanlam Fintech, Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development.

Core Competencies

Turnaround time

The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers. 

Closing date: 27 September 2026

Our commitment to transformation