Data, AI & Engineering Academy Graduate 2027 (Permanent) – Sanlam Group (Bellville, Western Cape)

Company: Sanlam Group (Sanlam Group Technology)

Industry: Financial Services, Insurtech, FinTech & Enterprise AI

Location: Bellville, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Position Type: Permanent Employment (Includes 13-Month Accelerated Development Programme)

Job Category: Data Science, Software Engineering, Cloud Architecture & Artificial Intelligence

Posted Date: 27 August 2026

Closing Date: Friday, 02 October 2026

About Sanlam & The Data, AI and Engineering Academy

Sanlam is Africa’s largest non-banking financial services group, listed on the JSE, A2X, and Namibian stock exchanges, with a presence spanning 27 countries across Africa, India, Malaysia, and Europe.

Sanlam Group Technology is recruiting top-tier recent graduates and soon-to-be graduates for the Sanlam Data, AI and Engineering Academy. This intake offers immediate permanent employment coupled with a structured 13-month accelerated development program based at Sanlam’s head office campus in Bellville, Western Cape. Graduates will build, scale, and deploy enterprise AI, cloud-native software, and advanced analytics platforms using leading technologies (AWS, Snowflake, dbt, Claude, Bedrock) alongside former leads from Google, Meta, AWS, and Spotify.

Choose Your Track: Two Specialized Streams

The Academy offers two distinct development tracks depending on your career ambitions:

Track 1: Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• Focus Area: Finding patterns in enterprise data, building machine learning models, predictive analytics, and agentic AI architectures to drive commercial decision-making.
• Target Roles: Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Data Engineer, AI/ML Engineer.
• Core Tech Stack: Python, SQL, Snowflake, Fivetran, dbt, AWS Bedrock, Claude, and agentic AI tools.

Track 2: Software Engineering & AI

• Focus Area: Modern cloud-native architecture, distributed systems, API integration, microservices, application performance, and DevOps automation.
• Target Roles: Software Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Systems Architect, Integration Specialist.
• Core Tech Stack: Python, Java, .NET, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS Cloud, microservices, and AI co-pilots.

Key Responsibilities & Rotational Workstreams

During the 13-month program, graduates will experience four core development pillars:

1. Rotational Enterprise Exposure

• Cross-Functional Rotations: Rotate across Sanlam Fintech, Financial Markets, Investments, Santam, and core platform development teams to solve high-stakes business challenges.

2. Hands-on AI & Cloud Building

• Enterprise AI Adoption: Help build and deploy responsible, secure AI agent workflows, agentic engineering pipelines, and cloud-native solutions on AWS.
• Data Products: Design, test, and release clean, scalable data products that support Sanlam’s digital banking (GoTyme partnership) and insurance offerings.

3. Mentorship & Hackathons

• Executive Coaching: Receive 1-on-1 mentorship from senior technical leads, analytics directors, and cloud architects.
• Tech Learning Days: Participate in group hackathons, innovation challenges, and Sanlam Group Technology Data Days.

4. Full Career Progression

• Permanent Contract: Transition seamlessly into full-time engineering or data science positions within Sanlam’s global operating clusters upon program completion.

Candidate Profile & Entry Requirements

To qualify for consideration for this permanent graduate placement, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Educational Qualifications (Must hold or complete degree by end of 2026):
  • BCom / BSc / BTech / BEng in one of the following or related quantitative disciplines:
    • Computer Science / Information Technology / Software Engineering
    • Data Science / Data Analytics / Business Intelligence
    • Statistics / Mathematics / Actuarial Science / Quantitative Finance
    • Industrial, Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, or Civil Engineering
• Experience Level:
  • 0 – 12 months of related post-university professional experience (No experience required; work-integrated learning/internships do not count toward the 12-month limit).
• Basic Technical Familiarity (Advantageous):
  • Programming basics in Python, Java, .NET, or SQL.
  • Interest in cloud computing (AWS), database design, data modeling, or modern web frameworks.
• Personal Attributes:
  • Innovative mindset, strong mathematical/logical problem-solving skills, and resilience under pressure.
  • Ability to manage multiple deadlines in a collaborative, customer-centric environment.
• Employment Equity: Sanlam is committed to transformation and employment equity goals; diverse applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Location: Based in or willing to relocate to Bellville, Cape Town, Western Cape.

What Sanlam Offers

• Permanent Employment Security: Immediate permanent contract from day one with market-related benefits and performance rewards.
• 13-Month Accelerated Track: Intensive technical training, cloud certifications, and direct executive coaching.
• World-Class Engineering Culture: Direct exposure to AWS cloud migrations, modern enterprise data stacks (Snowflake/dbt), and generative AI platforms.

Career Advice for Sanlam Academy Applicants

1. Highlight Programming & Cloud Tech: Highlight Python, SQL, Java, or GitHub project repositories clearly on page 1 of your CV.
2. Specify Your Stream Interest: State clearly in your cover letter whether you are applying for the Data & AI Track or the Software Engineering & AI Track.
3. Submit Prior to Closing Date: Applications close on 02 October 2026—shortlisting will commence immediately after the deadline.

Sample Graduate Academy Interview Questions

Technical & Strategic Problem-Solving

• Question (Data & AI Track): “How would you approach cleaning and preparing a massive, unorganized dataset in Python/SQL before feeding it into a machine learning model?”
• Question (Software Engineering Track): “What are the key advantages of microservices and cloud-native architecture compared to traditional monolithic application systems?”

How to Apply

Submit your application directly through Sanlam’s official career portal:

• Company: Sanlam Group Technology
• Position: Data, AI and Engineering Academy Graduate 2027
• Location: Bellville, Cape Town, Western Cape
• Application Deadline: Friday, 02 October 2026

Apply here