Lead Data Engineer
£100,000 – £120,000
Hybrid – Surrey (1 day in office every fortnight)
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