Data Engineering Lead

Contract Data Engineering Lead £600/day - Inside IR35 3 Months Hybrid / WFH (UK-based) A large UK organisation is in the middle of a major data platform transformation, moving from a legacy, third-party-managed environment to a modern, cloud-native setup. They are now looking for a Data Engineering Lead to support this transition and help stabilise and shape the data engineering function during a critical phase of change. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll take ownership of day-to-day operations while also helping define how data engineering is delivered post-migration. THE ROLE As Data Engineering Lead, you will: • Lead a small team of data engineers across contractors and permanent staff. • Oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring pipelines are stable and production-ready. • Support the transition from an outsourced model to an internal engineering function. • Improve governance, standards, and delivery processes across the data platform. • Work closely with analytics, architecture, and delivery stakeholders. • Balance operational leadership with longer-term planning and strategy. YOUR SKILLS & EXPERIENCE Essential: • Strong experience with Snowflake, AWS, Airflow, and dbt. • Proven background leading data engineers in production environments. • Experience supporting data platform migrations or major transformations. • Confident making technical trade-offs and owning design decisions. • Comfortable operating in fast-moving, change-heavy environments. Nice to have: • Experience introducing DevOps practices into data teams. • Background in large, complex organisations. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE • A stable, well-structured data engineering team. • Production-grade, governed pipelines in place. • Clear ownership and operating model for post-migration delivery. • Improved confidence from stakeholders in the data platform. CONTRACT DETAILS • Rate: £600 per day • IR35: Inside • Length: 3 months initially, strong chance of extension • Location: UK-based, hybrid working • Start: ASAP Desired Skills and Experience Contract Data Engineering Lead £600/day - Inside IR35 3 Months Hybrid / WFH (UK-based) A large UK organisation is in the middle of a major data platform transformation, moving from a legacy, third-party-managed environment to a modern, cloud-native setup. They are now looking for a Data Engineering Lead to support this transition and help stabilise and shape the data engineering function during a critical phase of change. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll take ownership of day-to-day operations while also helping define how data engineering is delivered post-migration. THE ROLE As Data Engineering Lead, you will: Lead a small team of data engineers across contractors and permanent staff. Oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring pipelines are stable and production-ready. Support the transition from an outsourced model to an internal engineering function. Improve governance, standards, and delivery processes across the data platform. Work closely with analytics, architecture, and delivery stakeholders. Balance operational leadership with longer-term planning and strategy. YOUR SKILLS & EXPERIENCE Essential: Strong experience with Snowflake, AWS, Airflow, and dbt. Proven background leading data engineers in production environments. Experience supporting data platform migrations or major transformations. Confident making technical trade-offs and owning design decisions. Comfortable operating in fast-moving, change-heavy environments. Nice to have: Experience introducing DevOps practices into data teams. Background in large, complex organisations. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE A stable, well-structured data engineering team. Production-grade, governed pipelines in place. Clear ownership and operating model for post-migration delivery. Improved confidence from stakeholders in the data platform. CONTRACT DETAILS Rate: £600 per day IR35: Inside Length: 3 months initially, strong chance of extension Location: UK-based, hybrid working Start: ASAP