Senior Data Engineer/Architect

Maxwell Bond; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 68,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

25 days holiday

Bonus up to 20%

Job summary

Maxwell Bond is seeking a Senior Data Engineer / AI Data Architect in Central Manchester. This hybrid role focuses on shaping data systems, architecture, governance and foundations to support AI, retrieval and knowledge-driven platforms.

You will design scalable data solutions, align pipelines with business needs, and lead the data engineering strategy for a high-growth SaaS marketplace.

Qualifications

• Senior Data Engineer or Data Architect with experience in scalable data platforms.
• Strong data modelling and ontology design experience is essential.
• Experience with AI data systems, hybrid retrieval, and vector/graph search.
• Ability to map pipelines, platforms and knowledge systems into a cohesive architecture.

Responsibilities

• Design architecture, standards and foundations for scalable data systems.
• Provide technical direction across knowledge graphs, agentic AI and context engineering.
• Ensure data quality, resilience and security across the data platform.

Skills

Senior Data Engineer

Data Architect

Data modelling

AI data systems

Knowledge graphs

Context engineering

RAG

Vector search

Tools

AWS

S3

Job description

Senior Data Engineer / AI Data Architect

(Knowledge & AI Systems)

Central Manchester (Hybrid – 3 days onsite)

Up to £75,000 DOE + Bonus

Are you a Senior Data Engineer or Data Architect who enjoys looking at the bigger picture and shaping how data systems should work across an organisation? We’re working with a high-growth SaaS marketplace transforming the Sport & Events industry through a large-scale e-commerce platform.

As the business scales, they’re investing in the core data and knowledge layer that underpins AI, search, and intelligent automation across the organisation. This is a senior, hands‑on role focused on designing the architecture, standards and foundations that allow these systems to scale safely and reliably.

You’ll take a big‑picture view of Data Engineering, making sure the organisation has the right architecture, modelling, governance and engineering practices in place. You’ll act as a safety net for the data platform — identifying risks, designing for resilience and making sure the foundations are strong enough to support future AI and product development.

What They're Looking For

• Strong experience as a Senior Data Engineer, Data Architect or similar, designing scalable data platforms and AWS-based data solutions
• Strong data modelling experience, including domain modelling and ontology design
• Experience with AI data systems, including hybrid retrieval, vector/graph search, RAG and search/recommendation
• Ability to take a big‑picture view of data architecture, connecting pipelines, platforms, knowledge systems and applications
• Strong architectural judgement, with a focus on scalability, resilience, data quality, security and reliability
• Comfortable providing technical direction across emerging areas such as knowledge graphs, agentic AI and context engineering

What’s In It For You?

• Up to £75,000 salary (DOE) + Up to 20% bonus
• Hybrid working 3 days in Central Manchester
• 25 days holiday + Bank Holidays
• Opportunity to shape the architecture and foundations behind brand new AI systems
• Significant ownership over the wider data engineering strategy and technical direction
• Exposure to cutting‑edge AI, retrieval, knowledge and agentic systems

If you’re a Senior Data Engineer or Data Architect who wants to step back from simply building pipelines and take ownership of the bigger picture surrounding architecture, resilience, data quality and the foundations behind modern AI systems, this is a great opportunity to make a real impact.