Lead Data Engineer

Zego; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Pension

Share options

Annual bonus

£1,000 a year to spend on getting to a

Cutting-edge systems and tools

Job summary

Zego is hiring a Lead Data Engineer to shape and evolve our data platform as we scale. This hands-on role requires building scalable, secure data systems while mentoring engineers and promoting best practices across CI/CD, testing and observability.

You will collaborate with Engineering, Data Science, Analytics and Product to ensure data systems meet analytics and operational needs while guiding architectural decisions and future-proofing the platform.

Qualifications

• 5+ years as a Data Engineer working on scalable data platforms, ideally in product-led or high-growth environments.
• Proven expertise in designing, building, and operating ETL/ELT pipelines and large-scale data architectures.
• Deep hands-on experience with modern data stacks — Python, SQL, Snowflake, Apache Iceberg, AWS S3, PostgresDB, Airflow, dbt, Spark; deployed via AWS, Docker, Terraform.
• Collaborative and cross-functional stakeholder engagement to translate technical concepts into business value.
• Mentorship: supporting the growth of other engineers through code reviews, pairing and knowledge sharing.

Responsibilities

• Act as a senior technical reference point for the Data Engineering team.
• Mentor and coach other engineers, helping them grow their technical skills and deliver high-quality work.
• Promote best practices in data engineering, including testing, CI/CD, observability, and infrastructure as code.
• Design, build, and maintain scalable and secure data pipelines, warehouses, and streaming systems.
• Ensure data is modelled and structured to meet analytics, data science, and operational needs.
• Contribute to the evolution of data architecture to meet current and future business needs.
• Partner with teams across the business to translate requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Identify opportunities for optimisation, re-architecture, or tool improvements.
• Contribute to the definition and execution of the technical roadmap for data engineering.

Skills

ETL/ELT pipelines

Data platform design

Python

SQL

Snowflake

Apache Iceberg

AWS S3

PostgresDB

Airflow

dbt

Apache Spark

Kubernetes

Docker

Terraform

Kafka

Kinesis

MLOps

Data Mesh / Lakehouse

Tools

Python

SQL

Snowflake

Apache Iceberg

AWS S3

PostgresDB

Airflow

dbt

Apache Spark

Kubernetes

Docker

Terraform

Job description

About Zego

At Zego, we're on a mission to do the good thing, not the insurance thing.
Insurance hasn't changed much in over a century. The way we live, work and travel has. We're building the real-time, AI-driven infrastructure that powers innovative insurance, so good drivers get cover that works the way they actually drive.
We're not just updating insurance; We're leading the AI evolution in insurance

For us, AI isn't a line on a roadmap or a buzzword on a slide. It's our operating reality, and it's how we build products that back drivers instead of the old insurance playbook.
We don't do things slowly, and we don't do bureaucracy. We back high-performance builders who want ownership, early responsibility and the chance to do the most career-defining work of their lives. You'll get the space to try things, the tools to move fast, and the room to see your ideas reach millions of drivers.

Do not take our word for it. Read what Zegons say about us on Glassdoor.

If you're ready to build the future of insurance, we're hiring.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Lead Data Engineer to be a technical authority within our data engineering function, helping to shape and evolve our data platform to meet Zego’s ambitious growth.

This is a hands-on technical role- you’ll design and build scalable, resilient, and secure data systems, while acting as a mentor and technical guide for other engineers. You’ll work closely with peers across Engineering, Data Science, Analytics, and Product to ensure our data infrastructure is efficient, reliable, and future-proof.

While this role doesn’t involve direct line management, you’ll be expected to foster technical excellence within the team by sharing knowledge, reviewing code, and coaching others.

What you will be doing

Technical Leadership & Mentorship

• Act as a senior technical reference point for the Data Engineering team.

• Mentor and coach other engineers, helping them grow their technical skills and deliver high-quality work.

• Promote best practices in data engineering, including testing, CI/CD, observability, and infrastructure as code.
  

Platform & Architecture

• Design, build, and maintain scalable and secure data pipelines, warehouses, and streaming systems.

• Ensure data is modelled and structured to meet the needs of analytics, data science, and operational use cases.

• Contribute to the evolution of our data architecture, ensuring it can support both current and future business needs.
  

Collaboration & Delivery

• Partner with teams across the business to understand requirements and translate them into robust technical solutions.

• Identify opportunities for optimisation, re-architecture, or tool improvements.

• Contribute to the definition and execution of the technical roadmap for data engineering.

About You

You’re a hands-on engineer who thrives on solving complex problems and helping others do their best work. You bring technical depth, a pragmatic mindset, and a collaborative approach to everything you do.

What You Bring:

• Experience: 5+ years as a Data Engineer working on scalable data platforms, ideally in product-led or high-growth environments.

• Technical Skills:

  • Proven expertise in designing, building, and operating ETL/ELT pipelines and large-scale data architectures.

  • Deep hands‑on experience with modern data stacks — our tech includes Python, SQL, Snowflake, Apache Iceberg, AWS S3, PostgresDB, Airflow, dbt, and Apache Spark, deployed via AWS, Docker, and Terraform (experience with similar technologies is essential).

• Collaboration: Ability to work effectively with cross‑functional stakeholders, translating technical concepts into business value.

• Mentorship: Demonstrated experience in supporting the growth of other engineers through code reviews, pairing, and knowledge sharing.

• Problem‑Solving: Pragmatic approach to balancing technical excellence with delivery needs.
  

Nice to Have:

• Experience building Data Mesh or Lakehouse architectures.

• Familiarity with Kubernetes, Docker, and real‑time streaming technologies (e.g. Kafka, Kinesis).

• Exposure to ML engineering pipelines or MLOps frameworks.

The Zego ways of working

Teams work better with time to collaborate and space to get things done. We call it Zego Hybrid: some of us are in our office (central London or Halifax) weekly, others monthly or quarterly. It's about finding the balance between face time and focus that produces great work and a healthy life around it.

We also make a point of getting everyone in the same room. Teams come together every quarter, and once a year the whole company does, properly. It's a serious investment and consistently one of the best parts of the year.

Here is what the last one looked like

Benefits

Market‑competitive salary, benchmarked against your function and reviewed every year.

Annual performance bonus, linked to company performance and your contribution.

Share options, a real stake in the company and a share in the future you build

Private medical insurance.

Pension, generous holiday, and £1,000 a year to spend on getting to the office or learning something new.

Cutting‑edge systems and tools, so you always have what you need to drive your impact.

Zego, leading the AI evolution in insurance.

Equal opportunities

We're an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status.