Data Engineering Lead
Contract Data Engineering Lead£600/day - Inside IR353 MonthsHybrid / WFH (UK-based)
A large UK organisation is in the middle of a major data platform transformation, moving from a legacy, third-party-managed environment to a modern, cloud-native setup. They are now looking for a Data Engineering Lead to support this transition and help stabilise and shape the data engineering function during a critical phase of change.
This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll take ownership of day-to-day operations while also helping define how data engineering is delivered post-migration.
THE ROLEAs Data Engineering Lead, you will:
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Lead a small team of data engineers across contractors and permanent staff.
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Oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring pipelines are stable and production-ready.
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Support the transition from an outsourced model to an internal engineering function.
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Improve governance, standards, and delivery processes across the data platform.
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Work closely with analytics, architecture, and delivery stakeholders.
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Balance operational leadership with longer-term planning and strategy.
YOUR SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
Essential:
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Strong experience with Snowflake, AWS, Airflow, and dbt.
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Proven background leading data engineers in production environments.
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Experience supporting data platform migrations or major transformations.
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Confident making technical trade-offs and owning design decisions.
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Comfortable operating in fast-moving, change-heavy environments.
Nice to have:
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Experience introducing DevOps practices into data teams.
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Background in large, complex organisations.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
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A stable, well-structured data engineering team.
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Production-grade, governed pipelines in place.
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Clear ownership and operating model for post-migration delivery.
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Improved confidence from stakeholders in the data platform.
CONTRACT DETAILS
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Rate: £600 per day
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IR35: Inside
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Length: 3 months initially, strong chance of extension
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Location: UK-based, hybrid working
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Start: ASAP