Lead Data Engineer

Salary: Up to £70,000 + Bonus

About Us

Impactive is exclusively partnered with a Leeds-based Data & AI consultancy that turns messy, complex data into decisions people can actually use.

They’re expanding their team and looking to hire a Lead Data Engineer, based in Leeds City Centre with a hybrid setup (2 days per week in‑office).

Their work sits at the intersection of data engineering, science, machine learning, and real‑world problem solving. They help organisations ask better questions of their data, and then build the models, tools, and insight to answer them.

They're big believers that great results come from a smart mix of technology and humans who know how to use it. No hype, no black boxes for the sake of it - just thoughtful, practical applications of data and AI that deliver impact.

They’re looking for a hands‑on Lead Data Engineer who enjoys staying close to the tech while taking ownership of delivery and direction.

This role is roughly 60% hands‑on, 20% mentoring/leading, and 20% shaping data engineering strategy, ideal for someone who has led or coached others but still wants to be actively building high‑quality data pipelines.

They’re open to candidates from a range of cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.). What’s most important is strong core engineering capability, the confidence to set and drive standards, and the ability to link technical delivery with broader business objectives.

The person

• 5+ years of experience in data engineering, management, data governance, or a related role.
• Strong experience with data management tools, databases and cloud platforms (AWS, Snowflake).
• Knowledge of data privacy laws and compliance requirements.
• Familiarity with data modelling, ETL processes, and data architecture.

The Role

• Lead/mentor a small team of 2-3 data engineers, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence.
• Define and execute the data engineering strategy in alignment with business objectives.
• Advocate for best practices in data engineering, governance, and security of data held by HF adhering to compliance with industry regulations (e.g., GDPR).
• Architect, build, and maintain scalable, high-performance data pipelines.
• Own data observability - ensuring data quality, consistency, and availability across the organisation.
• Optimise ETL/ELT processes to support data ingestion, transformation, and warehousing.
• Collaborate with Product and Consultancy teams to optimise data collection, storage, and retrieval.
• Communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders effectively.
• Evaluate and implement emerging data technologies to improve efficiency and performance.
• Conduct regular audits and assessments to identify and address data-related issues.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Strong Python / SQL coding skills including strong knowledge of Data Management tools (e.g. DBT).
• Clear and structured thinking.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities both internally / externally.
• Attention to detail and a proactive approach to data integrity and security.
• Ability to translate business needs into data management solutions.