AI & Technical Operations Specialist

About the Company

A fast-growing South African consumer rewards and fintech platform, based in Johannesburg, that helps everyday people earn more from their daily habits. Through everyday activity such as shopping, surveys and mobile gaming, members turn ordinary routines into cashback, vouchers, airtime and other rewards, with millions of rand already paid out to users across the country.

The business is scaling its technology and operations into new international markets and is building a culture where AI tools and automation sit at the centre of how the company runs, from reporting through to customer operations and day to day decision-making. It is a fast-moving, systems-minded environment that values output and genuine ownership.

For the right person this is a chance to help shape how a growing fintech operates from the inside, with real influence over how the business is run and a clear route into senior leadership as it expands.

Job Overview

We are looking for an AI Technical Operations Specialist to own the operational and technical backbone of the business, including systems, automations, data pipelines and reporting, and to lead how AI is embedded across the company. This is a hands-on, builder's role for someone who works at the intersection of AI, automation, data and operations.

You will identify where AI and automation can create real impact, build and ship working solutions, and measure the results, while keeping the operational engine of the business running smoothly day to day. Think AI-assisted reporting and forecasting, workflow automation, intelligent monitoring and anomaly detection, and practical tools that make every team faster and sharper.

The role reports into the senior leadership team and works closely with the Operations Manager. It suits a curious, reliable engineer or systems thinker who would rather ship a working solution than write a strategy deck, and who wants to grow into a senior leadership position owning AI and technical strategy across international markets.

Duties and Responsibilities

AI Strategy and Implementation

• Identify where AI and automation can create real impact across reporting, operations, customer support and decision-making.
• Build and deploy AI-powered tools and workflows using platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, AI agents and automation builders.
• Pilot, test and scale AI use cases across the business, then measure their impact.
• Track the AI landscape and bring useful new tools and techniques into the business early.

Systems Monitoring and Intelligence

• Build and maintain monitoring infrastructure across systems, integrations and dashboards.
• Design AI-assisted alerting and anomaly detection that catches issues before they become problems.
• Build and maintain Power BI reporting infrastructure, enhanced with AI-driven insights and forecasting.
• Turn raw, messy data into clean, AI-augmented analysis that supports faster decisions.

Data and Reporting

• Work with medium to large datasets across multiple sources and systems.
• Design data structures and validation logic that keep operational data clean and trustworthy.
• Build automated, AI-enhanced reporting pipelines for weekly and monthly performance analysis.
• Support the data infrastructure behind campaigns, gaming, rewards and slip-processing systems.

Automation and Workflow Engineering

• Architect and build automation systems using tools such as Zapier, Make, Google Apps Script, MessageBird and ActiveCampaign, with AI added where it brings value.
• Debug and root-cause workflow failures down to the system level.
• Build maintainable, well-documented automation and AI architecture.
• Continuously re-engineer processes to remove manual overhead through automation and AI.

Technical Systems and Integrations

• Research, evaluate and integrate new AI tools and platforms.
• Own configuration, integration and technical documentation for new systems.
• Translate business requirements into technical specifications and AI-enabled system designs.
• Build process architecture diagrams and technical documentation.

Testing and Cross-Team Support

• Run UAT and technical testing for new product features and integrations.
• Log, triage and track bugs through to resolution with the development team.
• Support AI adoption across teams through training, tooling and best practice.

Minimum Requirements

• A completed or in-progress technical or analytical degree (Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Information Systems, Actuarial Science, Data Science or similar). Other technical or analytical qualifications considered alongside demonstrated ability.
• Hands-on, practical experience with AI tools, such as LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude), AI agents, prompt engineering or AI-enabled automation, with genuine interest in the AI space and how to apply it.
• Strong analytical and systems thinking, comfortable working with data and finding the signal in the noise.
• Solid working ability in Google Sheets or Excel, including formulas, pivots and data cleaning.

Nice-To-Have

• Power BI or Looker Studio experience (training provided if needed).
• Automation engineering experience with tools such as Zapier, Make, Google Apps Script, ActiveCampaign or MessageBird.
• Basic SQL, or a strong interest in learning it.
• Experience with APIs, integrations and automated data flows.
• Relevant certifications in AI, data, automation or related technologies.

Personal Attributes

• Genuinely interested in AI, experimenting with new tools and following the space closely.
• An engineer or systems thinker who works in architectures, workflows and root causes.
• Analytically sharp and comfortable turning messy data into clear answers.
• A builder who would rather ship a working solution than describe one.
• Highly reliable, doing what they say they will do.
• A clear, structured and direct communicator.
• Calm under pressure and comfortable with ambiguity.
• Hungry to grow into a senior leadership role owning AI strategy across a growing business.

How to Apply?

This is a rare chance to own how a growing fintech uses AI from the inside, with real ownership of systems, architecture and the AI roadmap from day one. For someone with the curiosity and drive to match, it carries a clear path into senior leadership as the business expands into international markets.

Email your CV to charne@skillzpage.com

(If you don’t hear from us within 2 weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful.)