Tech Lead - Data Platform - £85,000 - £95,000 plus benefits

Reach plc; London; Remote; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Reach plc is seeking a Technical Lead for their Data Platform Team. This fully remote role involves managing data architecture, leading a team of engineers, and ensuring data processes meet high standards. Candidates should have a strong background in Python, AWS, and technical leadership. The company values diversity and offers a competitive compensation package with numerous benefits, including retirement contributions and wellness programs.

Benefits

Pension scheme with 6% matching contributions

25 days holiday plus additional leave

Giving back day for community support

Enhanced family leave options

Private Healthcare Cash Plan

Wellbeing support with 24/7 assistance

Career development programs

Commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in leading data teams and projects.
• Proven expertise in developing data solutions for large-scale infrastructures.
• Familiarity with enterprise-level data lakes is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Guide and evolve the technical architecture of data platforms.
• Create data ingestion processes and ensure data integrity.
• Manage Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for data architecture.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Technical architecture

Delegation and coaching

Cloud/infrastructure cost management

Python for data ingestion and processing

AWS services knowledge

Unit testing for data processes

Passionate about data

Collaboration skills

Independent and team work

Tools

Pandas

AWS Wrangler

CI/CD tools

Infrastructure-as-Code (IAC)

Apache Iceberg

Job description

• Full-time
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Location: Remote - UK
• Salary Currency: GBP Sterling
• Department: Data & Analytics

Company Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a passionate Technical Lead to join the Data Platform Team where you will be responsible for all technical elements of Reach’s Data Lake and related Data Platforms including data processing, infrastructure and observability. The Tech Lead will ensure the functional fit, scalability and cost effectiveness of the Data Platform architecture as well as leading and mentoring other engineers in the Data Platform team.

The Tech Lead will report into the Head of Engineering, have 4 direct reports and work closely with the wider team in particular Data Engineers, Business Analysts, Product Managers and BI Analysts.

Role Location

The role is fully remote, and so we are therefore open to candidates across the UK.

So, who are we?

We are Reach Plc, you might not have heard of us but we have probably met without you even realising it. We are home to the UK and Ireland’s most iconic digital platforms, magazines and newspapers. From the Mirror, Daily Express and OK!, to our regional titles such as the Liverpool Echo, BirminghamLive and the Manchester Evening News (plus lots more), our brands and the stories we cover are as varied as our people. We help all kinds of people share experiences through our stories because we believe this is what makes us human.

Oh, and we should probably also mention that with a monthly readership of 47 million people, Reach is the largest commercial publisher in the UK. At Reach, not only will you feel better understood, you will also feel you understand other people better too.

Job Description

As a Tech Lead, your responsibilities will encompass guiding and evolving the technical architecture of Reach's Data Lake and related platforms. This role is pivotal in ensuring that our data infrastructure meets the highest standards and aligns with our business objectives.

This position requires close collaboration with business analysts, product managers, and other stakeholders. Your input will be crucial in ensuring that all required data is ingested correctly into our systems.

You will be tasked with creating data ingestion processes using Python and various data processing frameworks. This includes acquiring data from a variety of source systems such as APIs, S3 buckets, and SFTP servers.

It is essential for all code and infrastructure to adhere to Reach's standards and conventions. We follow best practices including Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) and the use of Infrastructure-as-Code (IAC).

Part of your role will involve creating documentation of processes and related design decisions. This will ensure that our operations are transparent, traceable, and easy to understand for all team members.

As a leader in the team, you will also manage the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of the Reach Data Lake and related architecture. This involves making cost-effective decisions that benefit both the company and our customers.

Finally, we at Reach are committed to diversity, inclusion, and non-discrimination in everything we publish. You will be expected to uphold these values in all aspects of your work.

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills: written, face-to-face, presentation, and cascading consistent messages
• Proficient in technical architecture
• Skilled in delegation and coaching
• Expertise in cloud/infrastructure cost management
• Experienced in Python for data ingestion and processing, including Pandas and AWS Wrangler
• In-depth knowledge of AWS services: Athena, S3, Glue, Lambda, ECS/EC2
• Strong understanding of unit testing for data processes
• Passionate about data and its potential opportunities
• Effective communicator who fosters collaboration within and between teams
• Capable of managing personal workload across multiple projects and deadlines
• Able to work independently and as part of a team

Experience:

• Leading a team of data engineers
• Designing and implementing data solutions
• Working with enterprise-level data lakes, ideally in media or technology companies
• Building data pipelines and orchestrating workflows in an enterprise environment
• Using CI/CD pipelines and IAC tools (e.g., CDK, Terraform) for AWS infrastructure and data processes deployment
• Familiarity with Apache Iceberg is a plus

Additional Information

We are offering a competitive salary and benefits including;

• Help saving for your retirement- join our pension scheme and we’ll match contributions up to 6%
• 25 days’ holiday per year when you join. After three, five and ten years’ service with Reach, you’ll accrue one additional day of annual leave. We also have a Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Giving back day- an additional day’s leave each year to support a cause close to your heart
• Enhanced family leave- including maternity, paternity and adoption - and you’ll be eligible after just six months’ employment
• Private Healthcare Cash Plan- free health cash plan so you can claim back cash for a range of medical expenses
• As one of theUK’s top 50 Inclusive Employerseveryone’s invited to join our events, programmes and networks to celebrate diversity and build an environment where all our people can thrive
• Wellbeing support- including a 24/7 employee assistance programme (EAP) for you and your nearest and dearest
• Awesome career opportunities- you’ll have support from your line manager and a range of learning & development programmes
• We are also a member of the 30% Club, a global campaign aimed at increasing gender diversity at board and senior management levels

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested please apply early to avoid disappointment.

Reach plc believes diversity brings benefits for our customers, our business and our people. This is why we are committed to being an inclusive employer and encourage applications from all suitable applicants irrespective of background, circumstances, age, disability, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief and sexual orientation.