Lead Data Engineer

newport, wales, United Kingdom Company: JR UK Client / Employer: Formula. Posted: 26.05.2026 Job reference: 623617605790125260837341 Job information Location: JR UK Client / Employer: Formula. Job reference: 623617605790125260837341 Listing type: Basic EU work permit required: No Posted: 26.05.2026 Expires: 10.07.2026 Up to £80,000 | Plus credible benefits Location | Bristol, UK | Hybrid with on‑site requirements We're recruiting on behalf of a leading strategy, operations and digital consultancy dedicated to driving the performance of their clients. This is a people‑first business that prides itself on genuine delivery, not just strategy decks, but hands‑on implementation that creates lasting value. This is a standout leadership opportunity for an experienced Lead Data Engineer who wants to own technical direction, lead multi‑disciplinary teams, and work across client delivery, internal product development, and cutting‑edge data platform challenges. What You'll Be Doing * Providing technical leadership across multiple client engagements and internal product initiatives, setting direction and assuring quality for all data engineering deliverables * Leading the architecture and design of scalable, secure, and cost‑effective data platforms and pipelines, batch, streaming, API, event‑driven, and unstructured * Owning end‑to‑end delivery governance for data engineering workstreams, including planning, estimating, budgeting, mobilisation, and RAID management * Defining and enforcing data engineering standards covering coding, testing, CI/CD, observability, and documentation — including design and code reviews * Partnering with client stakeholders to understand their data maturity, information governance requirements, and security constraints, translating those into robust roadmaps and delivery plans * Leading multi‑disciplinary teams (data engineers, platform engineers, analysts, and data scientists) in an Agile delivery model (Discovery – Alpha – Beta – Live) aligned to GDS/DDAT standards * Driving platform reliability and performance, including monitoring, alerting, and incident response * Getting hands‑on when it counts - complex pipeline development, optimisation, troubleshooting, and secure integration design * Coaching and mentoring data engineering practitioners and building communities of practice and reusable assets * Supporting business development activity including shaping proposals, thought leadership, and capability planning * Providing people leadership to direct reports, including objective setting, performance reviews, and development planning What We're Looking For * Demonstrable expertise in data engineering, including designing and building robust pipelines for streamed, batched, and on‑demand data sources * Must‑have: hands‑on experience with Databricks and Delta Lake * Cloud platform expertise - Azure‑centric, with strong knowledge of Azure Data Factory and related Azure data services * Strong SQL and data modelling skills * Solid understanding of API‑based integrations and SaaS platform connectivity * Proven experience leading complex data engineering workstreams end‑to‑end — planning, governance, risk management, and delivery assurance * Demonstrable leadership experience, including line management and coaching of data engineering practitioners and multi‑disciplinary teams * Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to non‑technical audiences at senior levels * A growth mindset and genuine intellectual curiosity — energised by challenge and continuous learning * Must be eligible for UK Security Clearance (SC level) Why This Role? Lead data engineering delivery across a genuinely varied, complex portfolio Contribute to both client delivery and internal proprietary platform development Join a team of subject matter experts in a people‑first culture Real career progression with direct exposure to senior leadership Hybrid working with flexibility across home, office, and client sites If you're a Lead Data Engineer with a passion for technical leadership and client‑side delivery, please don't hesitate to apply! *Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications, not all applicants will receive feedback* #J-18808-Ljbffr