National AI Awards 2025Discover AI's trailblazers! Join us to celebrate innovation and nominate industry leaders.

Nominate & Attend

Lead Data Engineer

Reading
1 week ago
Create job alert

We are searching for an experienced Lead Data Engineer for an exciting data-driven business with multiple office locations across the UK.

The role is offered as a remote position, but you MUST be based in the UK to be considered for the opportunity.

In this role you will be involved in determining the future direction and impact of data engineering within the business.

This is an extremely exciting Lead Data Engineering role, a fantastic opportunity for an experienced, innovative and hands-on data professional to help shape our client's products and solutions.

Reporting directly to the Head of Data Engineering, you will play a crucial role in driving the team's vision and objectives to completion. You will be expected to provide technical leadership, own the solution, ensure the reliability of data products, and collaborate closely with your team and other teams to optimise data solutions.

This is a fantastic opportunity for highly skilled and motivated Lead Data Engineer with strong expertise in data architecture, ETL pipelines, cloud technologies and big data solutions - knowledge of Hadoop and HDFS is 100% required!

You MUST have also run a team to be considered for this role - it could be a small or medium sized team but you do need team management experience - this is a MUST HAVE requirement for our client.

In this role, you will have the following: -

Technical Leadership
Team Management
Leading by Example (100% hands-on)
Data Strategy & Solutions
Cloud (Azure or AWS)
Championing Technical Excellence
Leverage Big Data Technologies
Collaboration
Developing Large, Complex Data Sets
Building Advanced Data Solutions
Ensuring Cost Efficiency - Cost Models and Budgets.
About You

You will be a passionate leader with extensive, in-depth and hands-on experience within Data Engineering - you will have the ability to inspire, mentor and motivate a talented team of Data Engineers.

The ideal candidate will be/have: -

Seasoned hands-on experience in data engineering, with extensive experience in a leadership or mentoring role. Demonstrated track record of leading complex data engineering initiatives at scale. Extensive experience in designing, implementing, and optimising data solutions, supported by a history of successfully managing technical teams and projects.
Exceptional coding skills.
Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or similar (applied to Data/Data Specialisation).
Extensive experience in Data Engineering, in both Cloud & On-Prem, Big Data and Data Lake environments.
Expert knowledge in data technologies, data transformation tools, data governance techniques.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Good understanding of Quality and Information Security principles.
Effective communication, ability to explain technical concepts to a range of audiences.
Able to provide coaching and training to less experienced members of the team. Essential Skills:

Programming Languages such as Spark, Java, Python, PySpark, Scala or similar (minimum of 2).
Extensive Big Data hands-on experience across coding/configuration/automation/monitoring/security is necessary.
Significant AWS or Azure hands-on experience.
ETL Tools such as Azure Data Fabric (ADF) and Databricks or similar ones.
Data Lakes: Azure Data, Delta Lake, Data Lake or Databricks Lakehouse.
Certifications: AWS, Azure, or Cloudera certifications are a plus.
To be considered for this role you MUST have in-depth experience of Hadoop and HDFS.
The role comes with an extensive benefits package including a good pension, good holiday allowance, healthcare, bonus and more!

Please note, to be considered for this opportunity you MUST have the Right to Work in the UK long-term as our client is NOT offering sponsorship for this role.

KEYWORDS

Lead Data Engineer, Senior Data Engineer, Spark, Java, Python, PySpark, Scala, Big Data, AWS, Azure, Cloud, On-Prem, ETL, Azure Data Fabric, ADF, Hadoop, HDFS, Azure Data, Delta Lake, Data Lake

Please note that due to a high level of applications, we can only respond to applicants whose skills and qualifications are suitable for this position.

No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate against any of the protected characteristics that fall under the Equality Act 2010.

Bowerford Associates Ltd is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Lead Data Engineer

Lead Data Engineer

Lead Data Engineer

Lead Data Engineer

Lead Data Engineer

Lead Data Engineer

National AI Awards 2025

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Machine Learning Jobs Skills Radar 2026: Emerging Tools, Frameworks & Platforms to Learn Now

Machine learning is no longer confined to academic research—it's embedded in how UK companies detect fraud, recommend content, automate processes & forecast risk. But with model complexity rising and LLMs transforming workflows, employers are demanding new skills from machine learning professionals. Welcome to the Machine Learning Jobs Skills Radar 2026—your annual guide to the top languages, frameworks, platforms & tools shaping machine learning roles in the UK. Whether you're an aspiring ML engineer or a mid-career data scientist, this radar shows what to learn now to stay job-ready in 2026.

How to Find Hidden Machine Learning Jobs in the UK Using Professional Bodies like BCS, Turing Society & More

Machine learning (ML) continues to transform sectors across the UK—from fintech and retail to healthtech and autonomous systems. But while the demand for ML engineers, researchers, and applied scientists is growing, many of the best opportunities are never posted on traditional job boards. So, where do you find them? The answer lies in professional bodies, academic-industry networks, and tight-knit ML communities. In this guide, we’ll show you how to uncover hidden machine learning jobs in the UK by engaging with groups like the BCS (The Chartered Institute for IT), Turing Society, Alan Turing Institute, and others. We’ll explore how to use member directories, CPD events, SIGs (Special Interest Groups), and community projects to build connections, gain early access to job leads, and raise your professional profile in the ML ecosystem.

How to Get a Better Machine Learning Job After a Lay-Off or Redundancy

Redundancy in machine learning can feel especially frustrating when your role was technically advanced, strategically important, or AI-facing. But the UK still has strong demand for machine learning professionals across fintech, healthtech, retail, cybersecurity, autonomous systems, and generative AI. Whether you're a research-oriented ML engineer, production-focused MLOps developer, or applied scientist, this guide is designed to help you bounce back from redundancy and find a better opportunity that suits your goals.