Lead Data Engineer: Legacy SQL Server Estate Discovery

CreateFuture; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Hybrid/remote options

Office hubs: Edinburgh, Leeds, London,

Office hub in Bulgaria

Job summary

CreateFuture in Glasgow is seeking an experienced Lead Data Engineer to own the discovery and shaping of a large SQL Server estate for a financial services client. You will map data lineage, identify live vs. dead structures, and mentor a small team through remediation and future-state planning.

The role blends hands-on analysis with strategic guidance, requiring collaboration with DBAs and platform owners, while offering hybrid work with two days per week on client sites in Glasgow.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience with large SQL Server estates (OLTP).
• Ability to map data lineage, identify live vs dead schemas, and resolve duplication.
• Understanding of financial services data retention, audit, and regulatory needs.
• Comfort with ambiguity and methodical, evidence-based analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead the as-is analysis of a 1,100-table SQL Server RDS estate.
• Map integration points and trace data lineage using Claude-driven tooling.
• Mentor a small team of data engineers on the engagement.
• Advise on remediation, consolidation, archiving and migration options.
• Produce clear, defensible documentation of the database estate.
• Collaborate with client stakeholders (DBAs, platform owners, risk teams).
• Define and validate the engineering approach for estate discovery.

Skills

SQL Server expertise

Data estate analysis

Mentoring/leadership

AI tooling (Claude)

Tools

AWS RDS for SQL Server

Python

PowerShell

Job description

CreateFuture in Glasgow is seeking an experienced Lead Data Engineer to own the discovery and shaping of a large SQL Server estate for a financial services client. You will map data lineage, identify live vs. dead structures, and mentor a small team through remediation and future-state planning.

The role blends hands-on analysis with strategic guidance, requiring collaboration with DBAs and platform owners, while offering hybrid work with two days per week on client sites in Glasgow.