Founding Data Engineer

PermanentManchester, United Kingdom90,000Founding Data Engineer4 day working week – Monday – ThursdayUp to 90,000 + bonus / equityAbout the companyA well-backed startup building a platform that enables car dealerships to acquire vehicles directly from private sellers in a more efficient, data-led way.They are scaling quickly across the US and are now at the point where data needs to evolve from something functional into something structured, scalable and commercially powerful.This is a Founding Data Engineer hire, offering real ownership from day one and the opportunity to shape how data underpins both the product and growth of the business.They also offer a 4-day working week (Monday to Thursday), hybrid working with Wednesdays from home, and an office moving into Manchester city centre.The roleYou’ll be joining an environment where data exists but is not yet optimised for scale.There is a bespoke dashboard, multiple data sources, and increasing complexity across marketing, CRM and dealership data.You will assess what exists, decide what needs to change, and build the right foundations.This role spans Data Engineering and Analytics Engineering, meaning you will not only move data but structure it in a way the business can use.ResponsibilitiesAssess data quality, structure and flowBuild scalable data pipelines using Python and SQLModel and transform data into clean, usable layersDefine architecture and toolingIntegrate APIs, CRM and SaaS toolsOwn how data is surfaced across the businessWhat makes this differentYou will make decisions on tooling and infrastructure, work through ambiguity, and balance speed with quality in a fast-moving environment.Product and commercial focusYou will work closely with marketing, sales funnel and CRM data, helping shape a future data-driven product and improving conversion and performance.What they’re looking forStrong Python and SQLMySQL experienceAPI and SaaS integrationsCloud experience (Google Cloud preferred, AWS also relevant)Startup mindset with ownership and paceExperience working in a marketing-led or commercially driven environment, with a strong understanding of the sales funnel and customer journey, for example within SaaS, marketing platforms, marketplaces or recruitment businesses where data directly impacts acquisition, conversion and revenueEnvironmentA fast-paced startup environment where priorities evolve, requiring pragmatism, ownership and collaboration.Logistics & packageLocation: Bolton, moving to Manchester city centreHybrid: 3 days onsite, Wednesdays from homeWorking pattern: 4-day week (Mon–Thurs, 8am–6pm)Salary: Up to 90,000 + bonus / equity