Senior Analytics Engineer

Forward Role Recruitment; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Holiday allowance

Pension

Private healthcare

Retail discounts

Job summary

Forward Role Recruitment is partnering with an industry-leading client in Manchester undergoing a major data transformation. They are building a Databricks Lakehouse and seek a Senior Analytics Engineer to define analytics-ready data models, governance, and delivery for years to come.

You will bridge Data Engineering and Analytics, owning business-focused data models, collaborating with Data Architects, Engineers and Analysts, and shaping the future Analytics Engineering function.

Qualifications

• Strong experience as Analytics Engineer or similar role
• Expert SQL skills and PySpark experience
• Background in dimensional modelling and semantic layer design
• Experience with Databricks and Lakehouse architectures
• Ability to translate business requirements into scalable data models
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills
• Experience mentoring engineers or tech teams

Responsibilities

• Design analytics-ready dimensional and semantic data models
• Build robust SQL and PySpark transformation pipelines within Databricks
• Define KPI logic, business definitions and semantic consistency
• Drive data quality, governance, testing and performance optimisation
• Collaborate with Data Architects, Engineers, Analysts and stakeholders
• Lead modelling discussions and influence architectural decisions
• Mentor colleagues and help establish Analytics Engineering best practices
• Support the development of a growing Analytics Engineering capability

Skills

SQL

PySpark

Stakeholder engagement

Mentoring

Tools

Databricks

Lakehouse architectures

Job description

Manchester (other offices available across UK)

Hybrid + Flexible (1/2 days per month in office)

Are you an Analytics Engineer who wants to do more than just build pipelines?

Looking for real ownership in the next role?

Want a fully flexible work environment that’s won awards for its culture?

We're partnering with an industry leader that is undergoing a major data transformation programme. Having migrated from a legacy on-premises environment into Azure, they're now building a modern Databricks Lakehouse platform from the ground up and are looking for a Senior Analytics Engineer to help define how analytics-ready data is modelled, governed and delivered for years to come.

The role has been created to bridge the gap between Data Engineering and Analytics, bringing ownership of business-focused data models and analytics-ready datasets into a dedicated capability.

This isn't a role where you'll simply pick up tickets and write code. You'll be the first dedicated Analytics Engineering hire in a growing capability, helping establish standards, processes, modelling approaches and best practice across the business. The successful person will have the opportunity to influence the direction of the platform, work closely with Data Architects, Data Engineers and Analysts, and play a key role in shaping the future Analytics Engineering function.

What’s in it for you?

• Salary up to £80K DOE
• Fully flexible working, once / twice a month in office
• 25 days holiday + BH + option to buy more
• Pension (flexible schemes available)
• Private healthcare and wellbeing support
• Retail discounts and much more

What you'll be doing

• Designing and delivering curated, analytics-ready dimensional and semantic data models
• Building robust SQL and PySpark transformation pipelines within Databricks
• Defining KPI logic, business definitions and semantic consistency across domains
• Driving data quality, governance, testing and performance optimisation
• Collaborating with Data Architects, Engineers, Analysts and senior stakeholders
• Leading modelling discussions and influencing architectural decisions
• Mentoring colleagues and helping establish Analytics Engineering best practices
• Supporting the development of a growing Analytics Engineering capability

What we're looking for

• Strong experience working as an Analytics Engineer or in a closely related role
• Expert SQL skills and strong PySpark experience
• Strong background in dimensional modelling and semantic layer design
• Experience working with Databricks and modern Lakehouse architectures
• Ability to translate business requirements into scalable data models
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills
• Passion for creating trusted, business-ready data products
• Previous experience mentoring engineers or technical team members

Why apply?

This is a rare opportunity to join a business at a pivotal stage of its data journey. With a multi-year transformation programme already underway, you'll have genuine influence over how analytics capability is built rather than inheriting established processes. The hiring manager is specifically looking for someone who wants to shape, define and grow a capability, with future team-building opportunities likely as the function evolves.

If you're passionate about data modelling, analytics engineering and building scalable foundations for data-driven decision making,