Data Engineer

Data Engineering Lead London (Hybrid) | Contract | Inside IR35 | Up to £600 per day Data Engineering Lead | Financial Services Transformation Programme We are supporting a major financial services transformation programme and are seeking an experienced Data Engineering Lead to drive the delivery of a modern cloud-based data platform. This role requires a senior data engineering professional who can provide technical leadership across engineering teams while remaining hands-on when required. You will play a key role in designing scalable data solutions, establishing engineering standards, and leading the delivery of critical data initiatives within a complex enterprise environment. Working closely with Data Architects, Product Owners and business stakeholders, you will help shape and deliver a strategic data platform transformation. Key Responsibilities • Lead data engineering delivery across multiple workstreams. • Provide technical leadership and guidance to Data Engineers. • Define and implement engineering standards, best practices and governance. • Design and oversee scalable data pipelines and transformation frameworks. • Collaborate with Data Architects to deliver target-state platform architecture. • Drive the migration of data assets from legacy platforms to modern cloud technologies. • Ensure data platforms are robust, secure, scalable and operationally efficient. • Partner with Product Owners and business stakeholders to deliver value-driven solutions. • Support architecture reviews and technical governance forums. • Mentor engineering teams and drive continuous improvement initiatives. Essential Experience Leadership & Delivery • Proven experience leading Data Engineering teams within large enterprise environments. • Experience delivering complex data transformation programmes. • Strong stakeholder management and communication skills. • Experience working across cross-functional delivery teams. Data Engineering & Platforms • Databricks • Delta Lake • Unity Catalog • dbt • Spark / PySpark • Data pipeline development • Lakehouse and modern data platform architectures Cloud Technologies • AWS • S3 • Glue • Airflow Data Modelling & Architecture • Data Vault • Kimball • Data warehousing concepts and best practices Modernisation Experience Experience supporting migrations from technologies such as: • Teradata • Hadoop • Oracle • SAS Preferred Experience • Financial Services or Banking sector experience. • Experience working within regulated environments. • Large-scale cloud transformation programmes. • Agile delivery methodologies. • Experience working alongside Data Product Owners and Data Architects. Skills & Attributes • Strong technical leadership capability. • Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills. • Ability to influence both technical and non-technical audiences. • Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities. • Delivery-focused mindset with a commitment to quality. • Comfortable operating within fast-paced transformation programmes. Contract Details • Day Rate: Up to £600 per day • Contract Type: Inside IR35 • Duration: Initial contract through to December, with potential for extension • Location: London (Hybrid, subject to confirmation) • Start Date: ASAP / Short notice preferred Apply If you are an experienced Data Engineering Lead with expertise across Databricks, dbt and AWS, and a proven track record delivering enterprise-scale data transformation initiatives, please apply with your latest CV for immediate consideration.