Lead Data Engineer

Oho Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Oho Group in London is seeking a Lead Data Engineer to architect and build a data platform from the ground up, owning data strategy and real-time infra. You will shape the platform and guide critical technical decisions across distributed pipelines and AI data systems, working with exceptional engineers and founders.

You will lead the data engineering function, tackle hard technical challenges, and position yourself for meaningful equity and long-term impact within a well-funded AI startup.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in Data Engineering or Backend Engineering.
• Strong academic background in a STEM discipline.
• Expert Python and strong data engineering fundamentals.
• Deep experience with distributed pipelines and modern data architectures.
• Strong SQL and production database experience.
• Enjoy solving hard technical problems.

Responsibilities

• Architect distributed pipelines and real-time data infrastructure.
• Lead design decisions for the data platform from the ground up.
• Own data architecture and strategy from day one.
• Collaborate with AI/ML teams and founders.
• Mentor and guide the data engineering function as it grows.
• Drive scalability and reliability across data systems.

Skills

Python

Distributed pipelines

SQL

Data engineering fundamentals

Backend engineering

Education

STEM degree

Tools

Spark

Kafka

Airflow

Vector databases

AWS

GCP

Azure

Job description

Lead Data Engineer / Well-Funded AI Startup / London

A high-growth AI startup is looking for an exceptional Lead Data Engineer to build its data platform from the ground up.

You'll architect distributed pipelines, real-time infrastructure and AI data systems while making the key technical decisions that shape the platform’s future.

What’s in it for you?

• Join a heavily backed AI startup at a major inflection point
• Own the data architecture and strategy from day one
• Solve complex problems across distributed systems and AI infrastructure
• Work alongside exceptional engineers, AI specialists and founders
• Build and eventually lead the data engineering function
• Become a key technical leader with meaningful equity and long-term upside

What they’re looking for:

• 6+ years in Data Engineering or Backend Engineering
• Strong academic background in a STEM discipline
• Expert Python and strong data engineering fundamentals
• Deep experience with distributed pipelines and modern data architectures
• Strong SQL and production database experience
• Someone who genuinely enjoys solving hard technical problems

Bonus: Spark, Kafka, Airflow, vector databases, AI/ML infrastructure or AWS/GCP/Azure.

If you want maximum ownership, serious technical challenges and the chance to build something from zero, this could be the one.

Lead Data Engineer / Well-Funded AI Startup / London