Lead Data Engineer

Code and Theory; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital creative agency in Greater London is looking for an experienced Lead Data Engineer. In this role, you will architect and build scalable data infrastructure, work cross-functionally with teams, and establish engineering best practices. The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience in data engineering, with strong skills in Python and SQL, and the ability to deliver solutions that drive business value. This position involves autonomy in decision-making and a pivotal role in shaping the data strategy.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in data engineering with skills in building data pipelines.
• Ability to deliver data solutions that drive measurable business value.
• Deep expertise in Python and SQL for ETL and data processing.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build scalable data infrastructure.
• Work cross-functionally with stakeholders across the agency.
• Establish engineering standards and best practices.

Skills

Data engineering experience

Product orientation

Cloud data platforms expertise

Python proficiency

SQL proficiency

Mentoring skills

Communication skills

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Lead Data Engineer to architect and build scalable data infrastructure that powers data-driven insights and predictive and generative models. The ideal candidate will be a product-minded technologist, practiced in translating business needs into elegant technical solutions. They will have broad purview to establish best practices, and lay the foundation for a world-class data organization. As a lead engineer, they will get to work cross-functionally with stakeholders across the agency, have significant autonomy in technical decision-making, and play a pivotal role in shaping our data strategy and data engineering team culture.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 5+ years experience in data engineering, with demonstrated experience designing, building, and scaling data pipelines and infrastructure from the ground up
• Strong product orientation, with proven ability to identify opportunities, prioritize initiatives, and deliver data solutions that drive measurable business value
• Deep expertise in cloud data platforms
• Proficiency in Python and SQL both for data processing and ETL, as well as for closely collaborating with the Machine Learning Engineering team
• Track record of mentoring engineers and establishing engineering standards, documentation, and best practices
• Familiarity with marketing data ecosystems (GA4, advertising platforms, CRMs, CDPs)
• Great communication, and an ability to communicate with the spectrum of technical levels present at an organization like Code and Theory, which is 50/50 Tech/Creative

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience with data governance, privacy compliance, and security best practices
• Experience integrating AI/ML capabilities into data pipelines; exposure to GenAI applications

ABOUT US

Born in 2001, Code and Theory is a digital-first creative agency that sits at the center of creativity and technology. We pride ourselves on not only solving consumer and business problems, but also helping to establish new capabilities for our clients. With a global client roster of Fortune 100s and start-ups alike, we crave the hardest problems to solve. We have teams distributed across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The Code and Theory global network of agencies is growing and includes Kettle, Instrument, Left Field Labs, Create Group, Mediacurrent, Rhythm, and TrueLogic.

Striving never to be pigeonholed, we work across every major category: from tech to CPG, financial services to travel & hospitality, government and education to media and publishing. We value the collaboration with our client partners, including but not limited to Adidas, Amazon, Con Edison, Diageo, EY, J.P. Morgan Chase, Lenovo, Marriott, Mars, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, and Tik Tok.

The Code and Theory network is comprised of nearly 2,000 people with 50% engineers and 50% creative talent. We’re always on the lookout for smart, driven, and forward-thinking people to join our team.