Lead Data Engineer

Next Careers; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail company is seeking a Lead Data Engineer to join their eCommerce Data team. Located in Leicestershire, the role involves building scalable data pipelines and collaborating with data scientists and engineers. Candidates should have strong expertise in Python, Spark, and data engineering principles. The position offers a competitive salary of £64,000 - £79,000 and flexible working arrangements, alongside great benefits including discounts and performance bonuses.

Benefits

25% off NEXT products

Company performance based bonus

On-site Nursery

Discounts at partner brands

Access to digital GP services

Financial wellbeing support

Discounted gym memberships

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of Python, Spark, and SQL with experience in databases.
• Good understanding of Data Engineering principles.
• Advanced expertise in Spark performance tuning.
• Strong understanding of working with APIs for large-scale data transfers.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable data pipelines.
• Ensure data quality and integrity.
• Monitor and maintain deployed models.

Skills

Python

Spark (Databricks)

SQL

APIs

CI/CD pipelines

Google Cloud Platform

MLFlow

Job description

We are looking for a Lead Data Engineer to join our eCommerce Data team at NEXT. Based from NEXT Head Office in Leicestershire with a competitive salary range of £64,000 - £79,000 with great benefits!

eCommerce Data provides the department and the business the means to see what is working and what is not by drawing data and analysing patterns of shopping on our site and in general.

What you’ll take on

As an ML Ops Data Engineer within the eCommerce Data team at NEXT your role will involve building and maintaining robust data pipelines and deploying machine learning models into production. You will work closely with data scientists, software engineers, and IT teams to ensure seamless integration and operation of data and machine learning systems. What else is involved?

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable data pipelines and ETL processes.
• Ensure data quality, integrity, and security across all data platforms.
• Collaborate with data scientists to understand data requirements and provide necessary data infrastructure.
• Manage and optimize databases and data warehouses for performance and scalability.
• Collaborate with data scientists to translate prototypes into production-ready solutions.
• Monitor and maintain deployed models to ensure they perform as expected.

You’ll be doing all this from our Leicestershire Head Office. Our offices are inspiring, yes. But we understand that life happens. So, we’re big on making sure your work works for you which is why we offer flexible working.

What you’ll bring

• Strong knowledge of Python, Spark (Databricks), and SQL and experience with relational and NoSQL databases.
• Good understanding of Data Engineering principles and Data modelling methodologies.
• Advanced expertise in Spark, performance tuning and optimization.
• Strong understanding of working with APIs for data transfers for large-scale data.
• Experienced with building and managing CI/CD pipelines, Terraform.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Knowledge of data preprocessing and feature engineering.
• Google Cloud Platform knowledge.
• MLFlow.
• Experience with machine learning frameworks such as MLFlow, TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Scikit-learn.

So if you have proven experience within Data Engineering with great communication skills and the ability to translate business needs to technical requirements for building data engineering solutions, this is the place for you - and your career.

Benefits

• 25% off most NEXT, MADE*, Lipsy*, Gap* and Victoria's Secret* products (*when purchased through NEXT)
• Company performance based bonus
• On-site Nursery available; OFSTED outstanding in all areas
• 10% off most partner brands & up to 15% off Branded Beauty
• Early VIP access to sale stock
• Access to fantastic discounts at our Staff Shops
• Restaurants with great food at amazing prices
• Access a digital GP and other free health and wellbeing services
• Free on-site parking
• Financial Wellbeing - Save, track and enhance your financial wellbeing
• Apprenticeship - Grow and develop on the job whilst gaining a qualification
• Direct to Work - Discount online and instore, collect your items the next day for free from your place of work or local store
• Support Networks - Access to Network Groups to empower and celebrate each other
• Wellhub - Discounted flexible monthly gym memberships, with apps, PT sessions and more

Conditions apply to all benefits. These benefits are discretionary and subject to change.

We aim to support all candidates during the application process and are happy to provide workplace adjustments when necessary. Should you need support with your application due to a disability or long-term condition, feel free to get in touch with us by email [e-mail] (please include ‘Workplace Adjustments’ in the subject line), or call us on 0116 284 2486 and leave a voicemail.

What's Next?

Apply

Show us what you can do. Submit your application online and our recruitment team will take a first look at your experience and strengths.

Inform

Let’s talk. We will get in touch for an initial conversation by phone or video to learn more about you and share what the team is looking for.

Review

If you are invited to an interview, you may be asked to present an interview task or portfolio and talk through your experience in a competency based interview. It is also your chance to ask questions and get to know us.

Offer

If it’s the right match, our recruitment team will be in touch with a job offer and next steps. This is where your journey with NEXT begins.

Team Overview

The Digital & Marketing team brings creativity, technology, and insight together. From bold campaigns and boundary-pushing design to product innovation, digital evolution, and vital data support, these teams shape seamless experiences and drive the business forward.

Explore similar opportunities across our business.

You’ve probably heard of NEXT, but did you know about our portfolio? Every brand in our offering brings a distinct story, attitude and community. Spanning contemporary lifestyle brands, established high street names and timeless collections, together they showcase the vibrancy of today’s retail world.

About NEXT

You know Next, but did you know we’re a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 35,000 people across the UK and Ireland. We’re the UK’s 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we’re the market leader. At the last count we have over 500 stores, plus the Next Online and it’s now possible to buy on-line from over 70 countries around the world! So we’ve gone global!

Challenges. Opportunities. The future. Let’s take it on at NEXT.