Associate Data Engineer

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth. 

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

Job Title: Associate Data Engineer
Company: WPP Media South Africa
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Reports To: Senior Data Specialist

About the Role
The Associate Data Engineer is a technical role focused on the architecture, automation, and reliability of WPP’s media data ecosystem. Moving beyond front-end visualization, this role is responsible for building and maintaining the "data pipes" that collect, clean, and transport data from diverse AdTech/MarTech platforms into centralized environments. You will leverage your background in Application Development to move the agency away from manual reporting toward a scalable, code-based analytics environment.

Core Responsibilities
1. Pipeline Engineering & Automation (Primary Focus)
•    Design, build, and maintain automated data pipelines using Adverity, Supermetrics, Fivetran and Python to eliminate manual reporting cycles.
•    Map and automate complex workflows between SharePoint, BigQuery, and Power BI to ensure 100% data availability.
•    Use Google Apps Script and VBA Macros to innovate and streamline internal business processes and reporting templates.
2. ETL, Data Modeling & SQL Optimization
•    Develop and optimize SQL logic within GCP BigQuery to ingest, clean, and structure large-scale marketing datasets.
•    Implement dbt (Data Build Tool) fundamentals to ensure data transformations are modular, version-controlled, and tested.
•    Apply Dimensional Modeling (Kimball) to structure data for maximum efficiency and reduced cloud processing costs.
3. Media Intelligence & Visualization
•    Design and maintain interactive dashboards in Power BI (Advanced DAX) and Looker Studio for internal and external stakeholders.
•    Integrate data from Google Marketing Platform, Meta, Amazon, TikTok, and other major AdTech stacks.
•    Support strategic analysis using specialized media tools including Nielsen and Telmar for cross-channel spend and reach-based planning.
4. Data Governance & Quality Assurance
•    Implement automated validation rules and "Data Health" alerts to identify discrepancies before they reach the client.
•    Oversee data accuracy, completeness, and naming convention consistency across all platforms.

Qualifications & Technical Requirements
•    Education Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Engineering, or related quantitative discipline (preferred).
•    Experience 2–4 years’ experience in data analysis, reporting automation, or data operations within a media, marketing, or digital environment.

Technical Competencies
SQL & Data Transformation
•    Strong working proficiency in SQL (joins, aggregations, window functions)
•    Experience transforming and structuring multi-source datasets for reporting
•    Exposure to data modelling principles (fact/dimension concepts)
•    Data Transformation using DBT and best practices
Data Integration & Automation
•    Experience maintaining and configuring automated data pipelines (Adverity, Supermetrics, API connectors)
•    Exposure to scripting for automation (Python, VBA, or Google Apps Script)
•    Demonstrated ability to reduce manual reporting through automation
Cloud & Data Platforms
•    Working knowledge of Google Cloud (BigQuery querying and dataset management)
•    Experience integrating AdTech and MarTech data into centralised reporting environments
BI & Reporting Enablement
•    Advanced Power BI or Looker Studio development (data modelling + refresh logic)
•    Advanced Excel proficiency (complex formulas, pivots, automation)
•    Ability to structure scalable reporting templates
Business & Communication Skills
•    Ability to translate technical outputs into actionable insights
•    Comfortable engaging with cross-functional stakeholders
•    Experience supporting finance, planning, and strategy teams with data outputs