Lead Data Engineer

JN Bentley; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bentley benefits brochure attached

Hybrid working Leeds office (2 days)

Job summary

JN Bentley is seeking a Lead Data Engineer to design, deliver and improve the organisation's central data platform. The role combines data architecture, hands-on engineering, line management and technical leadership to provide secure, scalable data for reporting, analytics and AI.

You will design scalable data warehouse and Fabric/Azure-based solutions, set standards, develop data models, build pipelines and ensure governance, security and efficient data consumption.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in data architecture or senior data roles.
• Experience designing modern cloud data platforms, ideally Fabric/Azure.
• Strong SQL, data modelling, warehousing and integration knowledge.
• Experience with governance, security, source control and automated deployment.
• Excellent communication and technical leadership; prior line management.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement scalable data warehouse and Microsoft Fabric solutions.
• Define data architecture standards, patterns and best practices.
• Develop conceptual, logical and physical data models aligned with business needs.
• Build and maintain reliable data pipelines and integrations.
• Integrate data from databases, APIs, files and third parties.
• Set ingestion, transformation, storage and consumption standards.
• Support governance, quality, security, lineage and access controls.
• Optimize performance, resilience, storage and cost of the data platform.
• Evaluate new technologies and propose business-fit solutions.
• Provide technical leadership, design assurance and mentoring across the data team.
• Line manage data team members, including objectives and development.

Skills

Data architecture

Data engineering

Cloud data platforms

SQL

Data modelling

Warehousing

Lakehouse architecture

Data governance

Security

Source control

Git

Line-management

Technical leadership

Problem-solving

Communication

Tools

Git

Microsoft Fabric

Azure

Job description

JN Bentley is a leading civil engineering and construction organisation that directly employs over 2,500 people. We are a fast-growing business and are successfully working alongside companies such as National Grid, Rolls Royce, Yorkshire Water, United Utilities, Welsh Water, Severn Trent Water, the Environment Agency, and the Coal Authority, which has allowed us to progress as a leader in the UK construction and civil engineering sectors whilst developing and maintaining an excellent reputation with our clients. Across JN Bentley and our design and build companies MMB and JBA Bentley, annual revenue now exceeds £650 million. The Lead Data Engineer will design, deliver and improve the organisation's central data platform. The role combines data architecture, hands-on engineering, line management and technical leadership to provide secure, scalable and trusted data for reporting, analytics and AI.

As a Lead Data Engineer, You Will

• Design and implement scalable data warehouse and Microsoft Fabric solutions.
• Define data architecture standards, design patterns and engineering best practices.
• Develop conceptual, logical and physical data models aligned with business requirements.
• Design, build and maintain reliable data pipelines and integrations.
• Integrate data from databases, APIs, files and third-party platforms.
• Set standards for data ingestion, transformation, storage and consumption.
• Support data governance, quality, security, lineage and access controls.
• Optimise the performance, resilience, storage and cost of the data platform.
• Evaluate new technologies and recommend solutions that meet business needs.
• Provide technical leadership, design assurance and mentoring across the data team.
• Line manage members of the data team, including objective setting, development, workload planning and performance support.

What You'll Need

• Strong experience in data architecture, data engineering or a comparable senior data role.
• Experience designing and delivering modern cloud data platforms, ideally using Microsoft Fabric or Azure.
• Strong knowledge of SQL, data modelling, warehousing, lakehouse architecture and integration patterns.
• Experience with data governance, security, source control and automated deployment practices.
• Strong communication, problem-solving and technical leadership skills.
• Experience using source control tools such as Git.
• Previous line-management experience, with the ability to develop, support and motivate technical team members.

What's in it for you?

Enjoy hybrid working from our Leeds office (2 days per week), a competitive salary, and a fantastic working culture. We offer a supportive environment and access to a wide range of financial, lifestyle, health, and wellbeing benefits. To view our full range of benefits, please see the Bentley benefits brochure attached.