Lead Databricks Engineer

EPAM Systems Inc; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESPP

Private medical insurance

Dental care

Group pension plan

CycleScheme / Techscheme

On-site perks and social events

Learning and development opportunities

Job summary

EPAM Systems Inc. is seeking a Lead Databricks Engineer in London, hybrid, to design and lead enterprise Azure Databricks data platforms enabling advanced analytics and real-time processing. You will own platform architecture, governance, and cost optimization while guiding delivery and production support.

You will mentor engineers, implement streaming workloads, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure scalable, secure, and observable data solutions across the organization.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in data engineering with 3+ years in a tech lead role.
• Strong Databricks experience for enterprise-scale workloads.
• Proficiency in PySpark, Spark Structured Streaming and Delta Lake.
• Programming in Python and SQL performance optimization.
• Deep knowledge of Azure Data Platform services and cloud-native patterns.
• Experience with data governance and observability frameworks.
• Experience with CI/CD for data engineering (GitHub or Azure DevOps).
• Infrastructure-as-code for Azure environments.
• Familiarity with data mesh or lakehouse concepts.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture design and implementation of Azure Databricks solutions.
• Define and enforce platform standards with governance and security policies.
• Build and optimize Databricks streaming workloads.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Drive performance, cost optimization and observability strategies for cloud workloads.
• Provide leadership across the engineering life cycle from delivery to production support.
• Mentor developers and establish best practices for data engineering on Azure and Databricks.
• Engage with stakeholders to align on platform initiatives.
• Participate in technical reviews for scalability and maintainability.
• Ensure observability and QA standards for critical pipelines.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Architectural design

Data governance

Tools

Databricks

PySpark

Delta Lake

Structured Streaming

Python

SQL

Azure Data Platform

GitHub

Azure DevOps

IaC

Job description

We're looking for a Lead Databricks Engineer to join our team in London, UK in a hybrid working mode. This role involves designing and leading enterprise-scale Azure and Databricks data platforms to enable advanced analytics and Real Time processing capabilities. You will be responsible for platform architecture, governance, cost optimization and ensuring delivery of high-quality solutions that meet critical business needs in a complex, data-driven environment.,

• Lead architecture design and implementation of scalable solutions on Azure Databricks
• Define and enforce platform standards, ensuring compliance with data governance and security policies
• Build and optimize Databricks streaming workloads, including Structured Streaming and Delta Live Tables
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate requirements into robust technical solutions
• Drive platform performance tuning, cost optimization and monitoring strategies for cloud workloads
• Provide leadership across the full engineering life cycle, including solution delivery and production support
• Mentor and guide developers, establishing best practices for data engineering on Azure and Databricks
• Participate in technical decision-making and review designs for scalability and maintainability
• Implement observability for critical pipelines and maintain quality assurance standards
• Engage directly with stakeholders to ensure alignment on strategic platform initiatives
• Minimum 8+ years of experience in data engineering, including 3+ years in a tech lead capacity
• Strong hands‑on expertise in Databricks for enterprise‑scale workloads
• Proficiency in PySpark, Spark Structured Streaming, and Delta Lake
• Solid programming skills in Python and demonstrated SQL performance optimization experience
• Deep understanding of Azure Data Platform services and cloud‑native engineering patterns
• Proven experience implementing data governance, quality management and observability frameworks
• Ability to manage complex data pipelines for batch and streaming use cases in mission‑critical environments
• Strong communication and leadership skills to work with distributed teams and senior stakeholders
• Nice to have
• Knowledge of Delta Live Tables (DLT) and advanced workflows in Databricks
• Familiarity with CI/CD for data engineering using GitHub or Azure DevOps
• Experience designing infrastructure‑as‑code solutions for Azure environments
• Understanding of data mesh or lakehouse principles for large‑scale architectures
• Background in financial trading or capital markets data domains
• EPAM Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Protection benefits including life assurance, income protection and critical illness cover
• Private medical insurance and dental care
• Employee Assistance Program
• Competitive group pension plan
• Cyclescheme, Techscheme and season ticket loans
• Various perks such as free Wednesday lunch in-office, on-site massages and regular social events
• Learning and development opportunities including in‑house training and coaching, professional certifications, and courses
• If otherwise eligible, participation in the discretionary annual bonus program
• If otherwise eligible and hired into a qualifying level, participation in the discretionary Long‑Term Incentive (LTI) Program