Lead Data Engineer

Client: Leading UK Bank

Contract Type: 6-month contract – Inside IR35

Location: UK (Hybrid – London / Regional offices)

Start: ASAP

Role Overview Lead a squad of Data Engineers delivering strategic data products for one of the UK’s largest banks. You will combine deep technical expertise with people leadership, architecture decisions and stakeholder management.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of 6–10 Data Engineers (onshore + offshore)
• Own the technical roadmap for the data platform (AWS + Databricks + dbt + Airflow)
• Architect scalable, cost-efficient and governed data solutions
• Drive best practices in engineering, testing, observability and documentation
• Act as senior technical point of contact for Data Science, Analytics and Business teams
• Champion cloud cost optimisation and platform modernisation
• Ensure delivery within strict regulatory timelines

Essential Skills & Experience

• 8+ years total experience with at least 3 years in a Lead/Principal Data Engineer role
• Expert-level AWS, Databricks, dbt and Apache Airflow
• Proven experience leading teams in a regulated financial services environment
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to translate business needs into technical solutions
• Deep knowledge of data governance, lineage and quality frameworks

Nice to Have

• Terraform, CloudFormation or CDK
• Real-time data platforms (Kafka/Kinesis)
• Previous UK banking experience