Lead Data Engineer

My client is seeking an experienced Lead Data Engineer to drive the design, delivery, and evolution of a modern data platform built on Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, Azure Synapse, and Azure. This is a hands‑on technical leadership role where you’ll guide a team of Data Engineers, set engineering standards, and deliver scalable, secure, high‑performing data solutions.

What you’ll lead

• Lead and mentor a high‑performing Data Engineering team.

• Act as the technical SME across Databricks, Fabric, Synapse, and Azure.

• Own solution design, implementation strategy, and technical delivery.

• Build and optimise pipelines using PySpark, Spark SQL, ADF, Synapse Pipelines, or Fabric Pipelines.

• Define engineering best practice, conduct code reviews, and uplift quality.

• Develop secure, performant SQL solutions.

• Manage Azure DevOps Boards, Repos, and CI/CD Pipelines.

• Collaborate with architects, product owners, and stakeholders.

• Drive Agile delivery, sprint planning, and continuous improvement.

What you’ll bring

• Proven leadership of Data Engineering teams.

• Strong commercial experience with Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, or Azure Synapse.

• Deep expertise in PySpark, Spark SQL, and SQL optimisation.

• ETL/ELT pipeline development and orchestration.

• Experience building scalable cloud‑based data platforms.

• Hands‑on Azure DevOps experience—Boards, Repos, CI/CD.

Nice to Have

• Graph databases (Neo4j).

• Snowflake experience.

• AI‑assisted development tools (Claude, GitHub Copilot).

• Azure DevOps Pipelines.

• Broad experience across Databricks, Fabric, and Synapse.

Preferred Certifications

• Microsoft Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate.

• Microsoft Fabric Data Engineer Associate.

• Databricks Professional Certification.

• Snowflake Certification.