Lead Data Platform Engineer

Gorilla; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading data infrastructure firm is seeking a Lead/Staff Data Platform Engineer to drive the technical vision of their data platform. This remote-first role requires expertise in AWS, Terraform, and strong Python skills. The successful candidate will design scalable solutions and mentor engineering teams to enhance their capabilities. This position offers flexible work options and the opportunity for impactful work in the energy sector.

Benefits

Flexible work options

Generous PTO allowance

Health insurance coverage

International travel opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience designing, building, and scaling data platforms or backend infrastructure.
• Strong Python skills.
• Deep experience with Terraform.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical vision and strategy of the internal data platform.
• Design and implement platform services for data efficiency and security.
• Mentor engineers and improve team practices.

Skills

AWS services

Terraform

Python

CI/CD

Kubernetes

Data governance

Tools

Docker

Airflow

DBT

Snowflake

Databricks

Job description

Overview

At Gorilla, we're building the data infrastructure that powers energy companies on their journey to net-zero. As a Lead/Staff Data Platform Engineer, you'll play a key role in defining and scaling our data platform to meet the increasing complexity and volume of data-driven use cases in the energy industry. You'll combine deep hands-on technical expertise with the ability to drive initiatives across teams, shaping the technical foundation that supports our products and customers.

You won't just be building services—you'll be designing the architecture, improving the developer experience, and guiding our platform strategy with a strong focus on performance, security, and scalability.

Your Role

• SaaS experience in high-load, data-intensive environments.
• Lead the technical vision and strategy of our internal data platform, influencing architectural decisions and establishing best practices across the engineering organization.
• Design, implement, and evolve platform services that enable teams to work with data efficiently and securely, using modern tooling such as Terraform, Docker, and cloud-native patterns.
• Drive cross-team initiatives, helping teams adopt and scale platform capabilities (e.g., CI/CD, observability, workflow orchestration) with a focus on reliability, security, and performance.
• Collaborate with stakeholders (data engineering, backend, DevOps, product) to identify platform gaps and design scalable, long-term solutions that unlock product innovation.
• Mentor and support engineers, fostering technical growth, improving team practices, and elevating the quality of engineering across the board.
• Ensure operational excellence by automating infrastructure, monitoring key systems, and leading incident response and root cause analysis for platform-related issues.
• Evaluate and introduce new technologies and practices (e.g., container orchestration, data lake solutions, workflow orchestration tools) based on evolving business needs.

What You'll Need

• Proven experience designing, building, and scaling data platforms or backend infrastructure in production environments.
• Strong Python skills, with a solid foundation in software engineering principles.
• Expertise with AWS services, including Lambda, ECS/EC2, S3 and RDS.
• Deep experience with Terraform and infrastructure-as-code practices.
• Familiarity with tools like Airflow or DBT, and data platforms such as Snowflake or Databricks.
• Solid experience with CI/CD, observability, and platform reliability practices in cloud-native environments.
• Understanding of distributed computing concepts, and experience designing systems for scale, security, and availability.
• A proactive, collaborative mindset and demonstrated ability to lead technical projects and align stakeholders around shared goals.
• Strong communication skills and a mentoring attitude that improves the technical capabilities of those around you.
• Experience with container orchestration (Kubernetes) in cloud or hybrid environments.
• Understanding of data governance and security best practices in regulated industries.

Remote First Option

Our flagship office is in Antwerp, and we also have an office in London and co-working spaces in Reading (UK), Austin (US), and Melbourne (ANZ). This is a Remote First role, giving you the freedom to choose where and how you work: from one of our offices (if you're nearby), from home, or a mix of both. Please note that you must be based in Belgium, the UK, or Germany, as we are not able to consider candidates living in other countries.

What's in it for you

• Flexible work options - We offer country-specific mobility benefits, and the ability to work flexible hours. You will be equipped with the best technology for remote work.
• A job with purpose: At Gorilla, we're not just watching the world change—we're making it happen! We provide cutting-edge data services to energy retailers, helping them tackle climate change while keeping the lights on; we're here to make a big impact and have some fun along the way.
• Remuneration Approach which is clear and no-nonsense based on your experience and location.
• Core Benefits - Wherever your location, you can expect a generous PTO allowance and health insurance coverage.
• Career Growth opportunities: As Gorilla is growing at an incredible pace, you can leave your mark - growing alongside Gorilla. Lifelong learning is part of our DNA, and we care about your individual dreams and ambitions, beyond just work.
• International Travel: We host Gorilla Company Wide Gatherings where we all get a chance to see each other in real life. Past locations have included Portugal, Amsterdam, and Spain.