ByteMeDirk

▼ PROFILE

Data engineering specialist with 9+ years building innovative, scalable solutions and leading teams to deliver complex data architectures. Academic journey combines practical industry experience with rigorous scholarly pursuit, bridging technical excellence with strategic research vision. Currently completing BSc Honours in Computing and IT while pursuing MSc in Computer Science at Heriot-Watt University (2026 start), focusing on cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and energy-efficient alternatives in AI/ML research.

▼ PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

► SYNTHESIS SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES

• Design and implement cloud-native data solutions on AWS and GCP delivering highly scalable platforms
• Architect comprehensive data lakes and lakehouses using Data Vault and Medallion Architecture patterns
• Develop modern NLP solutions and integrate large language models (LLMs) into production systems
• Guide development teams using Apache frameworks, Python, and enterprise-grade methodologies

► EQUAL EXPERTS

• Led technical teams for UK's largest e-commerce partnership using Snowflake, DBT, Airflow, and GCP
• Conducted critical technical assessments as primary liaison for business stakeholders
• Drove improvements in code quality and SDLC standards across development teams

► TERAFLOW.AI

• Architected enterprise data platforms for major FinTech companies and banks in South Africa
• Spearheaded teams of cloud engineers delivering efficient data processing pipelines
• Mentored junior team members through comprehensive training programs

► RINGIER SOUTH AFRICA

• Architected robust data platform hosting over 2000 ingestion endpoints
• Led design of event-driven data lakes and warehouses for cross-functional teams
• Enabled analytics and data science teams to scale through unified data access

► HOWLER

• Spearheaded architecture of modern data analytics platform with automated ETL pipelines
• Implemented robust data governance practices and centralized warehousing solutions
• Collaborated directly with founders and product teams on scalable data solutions

► PERCEPTECH

• Developed open-source reporting suites and Python-based solutions for global clients
• Designed data engineering strategies aligned with business objectives
• Provided consulting services for data architecture and implementation

▼ TECHNICAL SKILLS

▼ EDUCATION

► HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY

► UNIVERSITY OF DERBY

• Software Engineering: 83%
• Computing Technologies in Society: 74%
• Cyber Security and Ethical Hacking: 70%
• Distributed Applications and Web Services: 68%
• Research Project: In Progress

► ONLINE BUSINESS SCHOOL

► QUALIFI LTD

► ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

• Data Analysis and Interpretation Specialization - Wesleyan University (Coursera, 2019)
• Big Data Micromasters in Data Science - University of Adelaide (edX, 2018-2019)
• Build, Train & Deploy ML Models with Keras - Google Cloud Platform
• Data Science Foundations: Data Mining - Professional Certification

▼ LANGUAGES

• English: Native/Bilingual Proficiency
• Afrikaans: Full Professional Proficiency

▼ INTERESTS & HOBBIES

• Alternative ML Substrates: Analog & Organoid Computing Platforms
• Fitness: Running, Calisthenics, Traditional Lifting, Rock Climbing & Bouldering
• Woodworking: Custom Furniture Design & Construction
• R&D Leadership & Technical Innovation

▼ Recommendations

• "If you look up data engineer in the dictionary you'll find a picture of Dirk. He has a passion for solving problems and even amongst the craziness of delivery he finds moments of inspiration to find optimizations and improvements that lead to better and more stable data processes. I've learned a ton from him over the years and have always been impressed with his calm demeanor and clarity of thought even amongst 100s of data pipelines and complex technical challenges. He is a beyond valuable part of any team." - Sheldon Williams
• "Dirk's ability to navigate complex environments and problems has proven time and time again to be a massive advantage to any team. His ability to keep cool under pressure and stay productive regardless of the blockers is inspiring to those around him, ensuring that a team is always moving forward. His natural leadership abilities ensures that anyone working in a project with him is comfortable, confident and can take on any challenge. He is a real team player, making any experience with him a massive win for any project." - Irene Viljoen
• "Dirk executes his Data Engineering work with clinical precision and panache, unafraid of exploring the deep end of the tooling he works with, he enforces best practices resulting in highly maintainable, scalable and readable codebases. It is a pleasure to work with Dirk, who tends to lead by example instead of by force." - Christiaan Viljoen
• "Dirk brings a wealth of knowledge across many different areas - from AWS itself, to data lakes, containerisation, Python and more. He is the ultimate teammate, always willing to mentor/assist the team, and solve the tough problems. His best-practice approach means that his impact and value-add is long lasting and scalable. It is an absolute pleasure to work with Dirk!" - Gabriel Eisenberg