Lead Data Engineer

Lead Data Engineer | Build and Lead the Function
Salary: Up to 90,000
Location: London | Four days per week in the office
Ref: J13197
A scaling AI-powered SaaS business is looking for a Lead Data Engineer to build and lead its Data Engineering function, shaping the team, setting the standards and creating the foundations for its next stage of growth.
You'll have real ownership and a direct influence on how the business builds and delivers its data products. From improving engineering practices to delivering critical pipelines, you'll see the results of your work in live products and the value they create for customers.
Working closely with technical and product leaders, you'll develop engineers, bring structure to delivery and stay hands-on with the most complex technical challenges. It's an opportunity to build a function you can be proud of, with strong engineering principles at its core.
What you'll own:
Engineering standards, tooling and ways of working.
Line management, mentoring and future recruitment.
SQL-led transformation pipelines and Python orchestration.
Code review, automated testing, Git workflows and CI/CD.
Data modelling, deployment controls and production reliability.
Integration of AI outputs into production data pipelines.
Practical adoption of AI engineering tools, supported by validation and quality controls.
What you'll bring:
Experience building a Data Engineering function or significantly improving an existing team's practices.
Proven line-management experience and a track record of developing engineers.
Strong hands-on SQL and Python skills.
Solid experience in data modelling, cloud infrastructure and deployment automation.
The judgement to balance delivery demands with maintainability and technical quality.
This would suit a Lead Data Engineer or hands-on Data Engineering Manager who has raised engineering standards, developed people and made delivery more reliable.
If you're ready to bring that experience to a scaling AI business, apply or message me for a confidential conversation.
Alternatively, you can refer a friend or colleague through our referral scheme. For each relevant candidate you introduce whom we successfully place, you will be entitled to our gift or voucher scheme.
Datatech is one of the UK's leading recruitment agencies specialising in data and analytics and is the host of the critically acclaimed Women in Data event. For more information, visit (url removed) .

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