Lead Data Engineer

We are seeking an experienced Lead Data Engineer with deep expertise in Python, Databricks and Spark to lead the delivery of large-scale data engineering initiatives. This is a unique opportunity for a technical leader who enjoys combining hands-on engineering with project delivery, team leadership and stakeholder engagement in a complex enterprise environment. Client Details Our client is a leading international financial institution with a long-established presence across major global markets. Serving a diverse client base that includes corporates, financial institutions and investors, the organisation delivers a broad range of banking, financing and capital markets services. With significant investment in digital transformation and data-led innovation, the organisation is modernising its technology estate and expanding its enterprise data capabilities. Data plays a critical role in supporting business operations, regulatory obligations, analytics and strategic decision-making, making this an exciting opportunity to contribute to large-scale, business-critical data initiatives within a complex global environment. Description • Lead the end-to-end delivery of data engineering projects, ensuring successful outcomes against business objectives, timelines and quality standards • Design, develop and optimise scalable data pipelines using Python, Databricks and PySpark • Build and enhance ETL/ELT workflows, reusable frameworks and modern data engineering solutions • Provide technical leadership and architectural guidance across data platform initiatives • Design and govern Lakehouse architectures leveraging Databricks and Delta Lake • Manage sprint planning, backlog prioritisation and delivery tracking within Agile teams • Identify and mitigate delivery risks, dependencies and technical challenges • Troubleshoot complex data, platform and performance-related issues • Drive engineering best practices across coding standards, testing, performance optimisation and code reviews • Act as a key interface between business stakeholders and engineering teams, translating requirements into scalable technical solutions • Collaborate with architects, product owners and senior stakeholders to shape delivery roadmaps and technical direction • Lead, mentor and develop a team of data engineers, fostering a culture of ownership and engineering excellence • Ensure data quality, governance, reliability and security across data platforms • Implement monitoring, logging and alerting capabilities to support operational excellence • Champion modern engineering practices, including CI/CD, DevOps and automation • Support production environments and drive continuous improvement across data solutions Profile You will bring: • 10+ years' experience in data or software engineering • Proven experience as a Lead Data Engineer, Technical Lead, Engineering Lead, or similar hands-on leadership role • Strong hands-on expertise in Python • Extensive experience with Databricks, including workflows, notebooks and Delta Lake • Strong experience with Apache Spark / PySpark • Experience building and optimising enterprise-scale ETL pipelines • Strong understanding of modern data architecture and Lakehouse concepts • Advanced SQL and distributed data systems expertise • Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure or GCP • Experience working within Agile delivery environments • Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills • Ability to balance technical leadership with hands-on delivery responsibilities • Experience delivering data engineering solutions within Banking, Financial Services, Capital Markets, Insurance, or other highly regulated enterprise environments would be highly advantageous Desirable experience includes: • Databricks certifications • Kafka or Structured Streaming • CI/CD and DevOps practices • Airflow or Databricks Workflows • Delta Lake optimisation techniques • Docker and Kubernetes • Exposure to machine learning pipelines Job Offer • Competitive day rate of £650-880 per day Inside IR35 (Umbrella) • Initial 6-month contract • Hybrid working arrangement - 2/3 days onsite • Opportunity to lead strategic data transformation initiatives • Access to modern cloud and data engineering technologies • Significant influence over technical direction and delivery • Collaborative, high-performing engineering environment