Data Engineering Lead

Job Title - Data Engineering – Data Infrastructure

Location - London, Hybrid

Salary - £80,000 - £90,000 + Benefits

Job Type - Permanent

Want to be the technical voice on client missions, build production data systems with your own hands and grow the next generation of engineers, all without being boxed into one tool or one product?

Our client is a fast-growing, founder-led technology consultancy delivering data infrastructure and platforms for ambitious organisations. They are looking for a senior data or analytics engineer to join as an Engineering Lead in their Data Infrastructure practice. You will work directly with the founders, have real influence over technical direction, and play a central role in shaping how the practice grows.

The role This is a genuinely broad senior role. Rather than owning a single product, you will work across the full data infrastructure surface, pipelines, lakehouse, data modelling, BI, analytics and integrations into client operational and finance systems. You will bring a centre of gravity, perhaps BI and analytics, APIs and integrations, or modelling, but you will never be locked into it.

You will set the technical bar, stay hands-on as a primary engineer, and act as a forward-deployed engineer with direct access to client stakeholders. You will also line manage and develop a group of Engineers, with the explicit aim of growing each of them into an Engineering Lead in their own right.

Depending on the mission, there is also the opportunity to act as delivery lead on client missions, owning scope, timeline, resourcing and client communication end to end.

What you’ll be doing

Setting technical direction

Own architecture, framework, vendor and build-versus-buy decisions within the data infrastructure stack, with genuine autonomy on day-to-day technical calls.

Lead on whatever toolset a client engagement needs, from the preferred modern data stack to the client’s own platform. Building and shipping

Stay hands-on as a primary engineer, building pipelines, models, dashboards and integrations.

Review work across the practice and set the standard for technical quality.

Pair with Engineers, unblock them, and take on the hardest problems yourself when it makes sense. Developing people

Line manage your own group of Engineers through regular 1:1s, performance reviews and input into compensation.

Own their growth path, helping every Engineer progress towards an Engineering Lead role. Working with clients

Act as a forward-deployed engineer with direct access to client stakeholders.

Translate client needs into technical decisions, and explain technical constraints in language that lands. Leading missions (where applicable)

Take on delivery lead responsibility for one or more client missions, owning scope, timeline, resourcing and communication.

Coordinate Engineers and other leads across your missions and keep the founders updated. About you

A senior data or analytics engineer with strong SQL, dbt and data modelling skills.

Proven experience shipping, supporting and iterating on pipelines, lakehouse models and BI tooling in production.

Working command of a modern data stack such as Fivetran, Databricks, dbt and Looker, plus the adaptability to pick up client-specific tooling quickly.

Good knowledge of Python, APIs and Git, and working knowledge of cloud infrastructure, primarily AWS.

Able to hold a technical conversation with a non-technical client stakeholder without losing either side.

Someone who sees mentoring as core to the job, not an add-on.

Comfortable making decisions with imperfect information and owning the outcome.

Confident running client engagements end to end, including the awkward conversations, if taking on delivery lead duties.

A strong problem-solver with a passion for learning and great attention to detail.

A 2:1 or above in a STEM degree. Why you’ll love it

Real influence. Work directly with the founders and shape technical direction, standards and the growth of the practice.

Variety. Every client mission is different, with exposure to a wide range of platforms, sectors and problems.

Autonomy. No sign-off culture for day-to-day technical decisions. You are trusted to make the call.

Leadership without leaving the code. Lead people and missions while staying a hands-on engineer.

Investment in you. Structured onboarding, funded vendor certifications, and support to attend external conferences, courses and training.

Flexibility. Hybrid working across the UK, in a small, fast-moving business where roles are deliberately not tightly bounded. INDS