Lead Data Engineer

Howden Group Holdings; England; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Howden Group is expanding its internal data engineering capability and seeks a Senior Data Engineer to lead high-impact initiatives on Databricks and Azure data services.

The role focuses on designing metadata-driven data pipelines, governance, and scalable solutions. You will mentor engineers, collaborate with stakeholders, and ensure robust, efficient data architectures across the Azure ecosystem.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in data engineering with Databricks (SQL & PySpark).
• Strong Azure data services experience (ADF, ADLS, Functions).
• Proven track record in metadata-driven data pipelines.
• Deep expertise in orchestration and data workflow automation (Airflow, DBT).

Responsibilities

• Lead metadata ingestion frameworks and orchestration processes.
• Design scalable, reusable metadata-driven services for pipelines.
• Architect and maintain Databricks/Azure data solutions.
• Establish CI/CD and DevOps practices for data.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate data needs.
• Optimize pipelines for performance and reliability.
• Promote data governance and security best practices.
• Lead ETL design and maintenance.
• Mentor junior engineers and share best practices.

Skills

Databricks SQL PySpark

Azure data services

CI/CD for data engineering

Data governance & security

Tools

Airflow

DBT

Terraform

Bicep

ARM templates

Job description

Description

Lead Data Engineer

Position

Senior Data Engineer to lead and drive forward complex and high-impact data initiatives.

Summary of the Role

Howden Group Services is expanding its internal data engineering capability and is looking for a highly experienced Senior Data Engineer with deepexpertisein Databricks and Azure data services. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in designing and delivering scalable, metadata-driven data solutions, particularly in metadata ingestion and orchestration processes.

The role requires a strategic thinker who can lead technical design discussions, drive best practices, and mentor junior engineers. The successful candidate will be comfortable managing multiple deliverables, working closely with stakeholders, and implementing robust data solutions to enable business insights and operational efficiencies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of metadata ingestion frameworks and orchestration processes.
• Design and implement scalable and reusable metadata-driven services to optimise data pipelines.
• Architect andmaintainrobust data solutions using Databricks and Azure services (suchasAutoloader, Spark DeclarativePipelines AzureData Factory (ADF), Azure Functions, and Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS)).).
• Establish and enforce best practices for data engineering, CI/CD pipelines, and DevOps for data.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders, data scientists, and analysts to understand data needs and translate them into efficient engineering solutions.
• Optimise and enhance existing data pipelines for performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Drive the adoption of data governance and security best practices.
• Lead the design and maintenance of ETL processes
• Mentor and support junior engineers, sharing best practices and driving a culture of continuous improvement.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in data engineering with a strong focus on Databricks (SQL &PySpark).
• Extensive experience with Azure data services, including ADF, ADLS, and Azure Functions.
• Proventrack recordof designing and implementing metadata-driven data pipelines.
• Deepexpertisein orchestration and data workflow automatione.g. Airflow, DBT.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD practices for data engineering.
• Experience with infrastructure as code (Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates) (preferred).
• Solid development and coding standards, with experience in software engineering best practices.
• Experience leading technical design discussions and driving architectural decisions.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate business requirements into data solutions.
• Knowledge of data governance, security, and compliance best practices.
• Experience working with insurance data (notessential, butpreferred).

This role is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Data Engineer who wants to take on a leadership role, influence best practices, and drive high-impact data initiatives in a modern Azure-based data ecosystem.

What do we offer in return?

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new
• We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges
• We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond

Reasonable adjustments

We’re committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours or hybrid working. Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Permanent