Lead Data Engineer
£90,000 + Bonus + Benefits
Hybrid: Minimum 3 Days Onsite (London – Commutable)
Gravitas is partnering with a leading international organisation to recruit a Lead Data Engineer for a high‑profile data and analytics transformation. This is a senior individual‑contributor role with strong technical authority, where the successful candidate will define engineering standards, challenge third‑party delivery, and shape how modern data platforms are designed and used.
This is not a team management role and not a head‑down development position. The organisation is looking for a technical lead engineer who sets the bar for design quality, data modelling, and platform best practices, and who is comfortable influencing vendors, partners, and senior stakeholders.
The Role
As the Lead Data Engineer, you will define and own key data engineering standards across a modern Google Cloud analytics platform. You will work closely with internal teams and third‑party partners, providing architectural leadership, challenging technical approaches, and ensuring solutions are well‑designed, scalable, and fit for enterprise use.
You will remain close to the detail, particularly around data modelling and warehouse design, while operating as a senior technical authority rather than a line manager.
This role operates on a hybrid basis with a minimum of three days per week onsite in London and therefore requires candidates to be commutable.
Key Responsibilities
- Act as Lead Engineer, defining the grade and technical standards for data engineering across the programme
- Provide technical leadership across enterprise data platforms and analytics solutions, with a strong focus on GCP
- Lead and govern data modelling and schema design, particularly within:
- Medallion Architecture (Bronze / Silver / Gold)
- Silver‑layer modelling for analytics‑ready datasets
- Own and assure BigQuery data warehouse design, performance, and optimisation
- Challenge and influence third‑party delivery partners, ensuring best practices are followed and technical decisions are robust
- Partner closely with internal technology and business stakeholders, influencing ways of working and technical culture
- Ensure strong governance across data pipelines, modelling standards, documentation, and lineage
- Translate complex technical concepts into clear guidance for non‑technical and semi‑technical audiences
- Support and shape global analytics and reporting initiatives
- Maintain high standards of quality through design reviews, testing approaches, and architectural assurance
- Contribute hands‑on where appropriate, without acting as a pure delivery developer
Skills, Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Strong experience in enterprise data engineering and analytics best practices
- Deep expertise in data modelling and schema design, particularly for analytics use cases
- Hands‑on experience with Google Cloud Platform, including: BigQuery (essential), Composer or equivalent orchestration tools
- Strong understanding of Medallion Architecture, with particular strength in Silver‑layer modelling
- Excellent ability to review, challenge, and improve third‑party technical designs and delivery
- Proven ability to influence technical direction without direct line management
- Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills
- Ability to articulate technical concepts clearly to non‑technical audiences
- Comfortable operating in complex, delivery‑focused environments
Technical Experience
- BigQuery data warehousing and optimisation
- ETL / ELT pipelines and orchestration
- SQL (advanced querying and performance tuning)
- Python for data engineering and analytics use cases
Ideally (Desirable)
- Exposure to Vertex AI and/or Google Enterprise tooling
- Experience with streaming or integration platforms such as: Striim or Informatica
- Experience working in environments alongside BI and reporting platforms
- Insurance experience is not required but preferred
Package & Location
- Salary: £90,000
- Bonus: Performance‑related
- Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package
- Working Model: Hybrid – minimum 3 days per week onsite in London (commutable)
