Tech Lead SLS SanlamConnect

What will you do?

We are looking for a Platform Tech Lead to provide senior technical leadership for SanlamConnect’s intermediary digital platform. This role is responsible for leading the technical strategy, architecture and delivery across a complex platform environment that supports intermediary journeys across SanlamConnect, Sanlam Risk and Savings (SRS) and Glacier.

The Platform Tech Lead operates primarily through influence, delegation and strategic direction, balancing long‑term technical vision with pragmatic execution. While retaining strong technical credibility, the role spends less time on hands‑on coding and more time on architectural leadership, organisational development and enabling effective delivery across multiple teams.

Working closely with the Senior Product Manager, Design Lead and other senior stakeholders, the Platform Tech Lead ensures that platform capabilities deliver consistent value to the business while maintaining high standards of engineering excellence, operational maturity and organisational health.

As the Platform Tech Lead, you will be accountable for the technical direction, integrity and effectiveness of SanlamConnect’s intermediary platform, enabling multiple teams to deliver high‑quality, secure and scalable solutions.

You will:
⦁    Define and drive the technical strategy and roadmap for the intermediary platform in alignment with SanlamConnect’s business strategy.
⦁    Lead and influence multiple engineering teams or complex technical areas spanning several teams.
⦁    Partner closely with Product and Design leadership to translate strategy and experience intent into robust technical solutions.
⦁    Ensure architectural coherence and technical alignment across initiatives and teams.
⦁    Build engineering capability, develop leaders and foster a strong, collaborative engineering culture.
⦁    Provide senior technical input into investment decisions, prioritisation and delivery trade‑offs.

What will make you successful in this role?

Leadership & Organisational Development
⦁    Lead multiple engineering teams or a complex technical area spanning several teams.
⦁    Develop and mentor other Tech Leads and senior engineers, building leadership depth and succession.
⦁    Coach senior engineers and leaders, providing guidance on technical, organisational and delivery challenges.
⦁    Drive engagement across teams and foster an inclusive, collaborative and high‑performance culture.
⦁    Navigate complex organisational dynamics and resolve multi‑stakeholder conflicts effectively.
⦁    Contribute to hiring, team design and organisational structures that improve delivery effectiveness.
⦁    Manage performance across teams, addressing complex performance and capability challenges.

Technical Strategy & Architecture
⦁    Define and evolve the technical strategy and roadmap for SanlamConnect’s intermediary platform.
⦁    Make architectural decisions that span multiple systems and teams, establishing clear standards and governance.
⦁    Lead the design of complex, multi‑team systems, ensuring alignment and long‑term sustainability.
⦁    Establish and maintain engineering standards, patterns and best practices across teams.
⦁    Balance technical excellence with business needs, making informed and pragmatic trade‑offs.
⦁    Lead large‑scale technical initiatives such as platform evolution, modernisation and architectural change.

Delivery & Programme Enablement
⦁    Coordinate complex, multi‑team delivery initiatives, ensuring alignment with business priorities.
⦁    Identify and manage technical risks, dependencies and delivery bottlenecks across initiatives.
⦁    Drive consistent delivery and continuous improvement in engineering effectiveness and operational maturity.
⦁    Support resource planning and capacity decisions for the area of responsibility.
⦁    Establish key technical and operational measures and promote a data‑driven engineering culture.
⦁    Standardise delivery and operational processes across teams where appropriate.

Stakeholder Engagement & Influence
⦁    Partner with senior business, product and technology leaders on strategy, planning and execution.
⦁    Represent engineering in senior and executive forums, clearly articulating technical direction, risks and trade‑offs.
⦁    Influence product and experience strategy through strong technical insight and systems thinking.
⦁    Build strong cross‑functional partnerships to enable collaborative, end‑to‑end delivery.
⦁    Communicate technical vision and strategy clearly through written and verbal channels.

Operational Excellence & Quality
⦁    Drive high standards for reliability, resilience, security and operational excellence across the platform.
⦁    Ensure appropriate operational practices, including incident management and continuous improvement.
⦁    Lead and coordinate responses to significant technical incidents and root‑cause improvements.
⦁    Foster a culture of quality, innovation and technical excellence beyond immediate teams.
⦁    Contribute to organisation‑wide improvements in engineering practices and maturity.

Qualification and Experience

• Degree or Diploma in Information Technology, Computer Science or a related field.
• Typically 12–15+ years of software engineering experience, with significant experience in senior technical or engineering management roles.
• Proven experience leading multiple teams or complex technical domains in enterprise‑scale environments.
• Demonstrated ability to influence at senior levels without direct authority.
• Strong technical depth and architectural credibility, with the ability to engage deeply in complex technical discussions.
• Excellent communication skills, capable of translating complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Strong strategic thinking, balancing long‑term vision with incremental delivery.
• Proven track record of driving change at scale and building high‑performing engineering organisations.

Knowledge and Skills

• IT Strategic Planning
• Trend Analysis
• Business Knowledge
• Relationship management
• Resource planning and risk management

Core Competencies

• Being resilient - Contributing strategically
• Collaborates - Contributing strategically
• Cultivates innovation - Contributing strategically
• Customer focus - Contributing strategically
• Drives results - Contributing strategically

Personal Attributes

• Organisational savvy - Contributing strategically
  
• Balances stakeholders - Contributing strategically
  
• Develops talent - Contributing strategically
  
• Drives vision and purpose - Contributing strategically

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. 

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.

Our commitment to transformation