Head of Data Platform Engineering

Hastings Direct; Bexhill-on-Sea; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

£6k car allowance

Flexible hybrid working

4Cs performance bonus

Private medical insurance (PMI)

Life assurance 4x salary & pension up

Health and wellbeing programs

28 days annual leave + bank holidays

Job summary

Hastings Direct is seeking a senior data platform leader to design, build and maintain our Snowflake and Azure platform. You will lead platform engineering, quality and governance delivery teams, delivering projects and BAU in alignment with CIO ways of working and Hastings strategy.

You will drive a Centre of Excellence to support data teams, ensure data quality, security, lineage and observability, and influence decisions beyond technology for the company’s growth.

Qualifications

• Proficiency with cloud data platforms and ETL/ELT technologies.
• Experience with data quality, lineage, observability and metadata management.
• Strong leadership in a data engineering environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Data Platform Operations: manage production ETL/ELT pipelines, security and access controls.
• Data Platform Optimization: ensure cost-efficient delivery within budget and agile constraints.
• Centre of Excellence: establish a data platform CoE to support all Hastings data teams on Snowflake usage.
• Coding Standards: implement and enforce coding standards for high-quality outcomes.

Skills

Snowflake

Azure

CI/CD

Data Platform Engineering

Leadership

Data Governance

Stakeholder Communication

Data orchestration

Problem Solving

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity for overall responsibility for the design, build, and maintenance of the Snowflake and Azure enterprise data platform.

You will manage platform engineering, quality and governance delivery teams, delivering both projects and BAU activities, aligning to CIO ways of working and co-ordinating delivery plans with end-to-end outcomes across CIO.

Next to delivery you will need to focus on a clear understanding of the Hastings strategy and an ability to interpret that into the daily work to push our achievements and support the continued growth of the company. As a strategic leader the role holder will be expected to work beyond technology to influence decisions and outcomes for the greater good.

Job Details

• Data Platform Operations: Managing production ETL/ELT pipelines and data orchestration frameworks. Ensuring data platform security, compliance, and access controls. Implementing and governing data quality, lineage, observability, and metadata management. Ensuring the sustainability and scalability of our data infrastructure and that it enables the company to achieve its business objectives
• Data Platform Optimization: Ensuring that the team is working efficiently and effectively, bringing an agile mindset to adapting to changing circumstances while working within the organisational constraints of budget, resource and quality. Work closely with CIO FinOps and all data teams across company to ensure our data platform run cost stays within the agreed budget
• Centre of Excellence: Implement a data platform engineering CoE within in the PDA community to support all data teams at Hastings to use Snowflake platform efficiently and effectively
• Coding Standards: Create, implement, maintain and control adherence to appropriate coding standards in line with industry best practices to meet quality measures and guarantee the achievement of high-quality outcomes.

Skills We Would Love You To Have

• Proficiency with traditional database and cloud data platform ETL technologies
• Proficiency with Big Data integration technologies
• Significant experience of CI/CD, data platform engineering, testing and release principle/best practice
• Significant experience in a business within a fast-paced and constantly evolving market. Must have previous experience leading and maintaining a high standard in a business’s data engineering department.
• Knowledge/experience working with numerous methodologies and tools.
• An excellent communicator, both in written and oral form and an equally proficient listener with all audiences and stakeholders.
• Deep passion for research and analysis, outstanding troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, and the ability to manipulate, interpret, and understand large amounts of data

Regrettably we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role

• Benefits: competitive salary and £6k car allowance
• Flexible working - we champion a flexible hybrid working approach - please speak to your recruiter to discuss in more detail
• Competitive bonus scheme- all colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus
• Physical wellbeing - as a Band 5 colleague, Hastings pay for you to receive private medical Insurance (also known as PMI). This gives you flexibility and convenience to see a specialist or consultant and allows you to decide when and where you will be seen
• Financial wellbeing - as well as providing you with 4x your salary with our life assurance cover, income protection at no extra cost, and matched pension contributions up to 10%, we are proud to provide you with an award winning package which includes - discounts, cashback, free independent mortgage advice and free access to financial wellbeing support
• Mental wellbeing programme - we have the thrive mental health app, our colleague assistance programme available 24/7, our own in-house mental health first aiders, support groups and a dedicated team to make sure we are covering your needs
• There's more! - 27 days annual leave + bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell one of your weeks, access to our health care cash back plans, dental plans, discounted health assessments, Cycle to work and tech schemes, discounted and free onsite facilities, social events throughout the year and much more ...

Hastings Group is an equal opportunities employer which means we treat people fairly. We welcome applications from all suitably skilled persons regardless of their gender, age, race, disability, ethnic background, religion/belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or marital/family status. Please also note that we have a thorough referencing process, which includes credit and criminal record checks.

At Hastings Direct, we’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, we encourage you to be open with us. Our recruitment team is here to provide the support you need to ensure a fair and accessible experience for all.

Job Posting End Date

27/09/2026