Lead Data Engineer

Lead Data Engineer

£100,000 – £120,000

Hybrid – Surrey (1 day in office every fortnight)

Read the overview of this opportunity to understand what skills, including and relevant soft skills and software package proficiencies, are required.

This is a high-impact Lead Data Engineer role, where you'll work across a cutting-edge data stack (AWS, Databricks, Spark, dbt) to design scalable platforms and products that enable self-service analytics, advanced modelling, and AI-driven decision-making.

You'll report into the Head of Data Engineering, supporting a team of engineers through mentorship, coaching, and technical guidance. The role is less about admin-style management and more about making engineers better — building capability, driving best practices, and acting as a foundational support.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading data engineering projects and managing sub-teams
• Designing, optimising, and scaling data platforms in AWS/Databricks
• Driving coding standards, frameworks, and best practices
• Building and supporting modern data pipelines and products
• Coaching and mentoring engineers to raise technical excellence
• Partnering with product managers, data & AI engineers to deliver solutions to major business problems, including Generative AI applications

What we're looking for:

• Hands-on expertise in Python, SQL, Spark, Airflow, Terraform
• Proven experience with cloud-native data platforms (AWS, Databricks, Snowflake)
• Strong track record of mentoring or coaching other engineers
• Knowledge of CI/CD tooling (Git, Jenkins or similar)
• Experience in batch and real-time data processing
• Exposure to data compliance frameworks and cost optimisation
• Interest in Generative AI applications in production is a plus

Package & flexibility:

• Salary around £100k, stretching to £120k
• Hybrid working with only one office day every fortnight