Lead Data Engineer

About the Role

We're looking for a Lead Data Engineer to own the design, development, and evolution of our data architecture. In this role you'll set the technical direction for how data flows through the organization — making sure it's accurate, reliable, and accessible to everyone who depends on it.

You'll work hand-in-hand with software engineers, data analysts, and business stakeholders, and you'll lead a small team of data engineers, setting standards, mentoring, and raising the bar on quality. This is a hands-on leadership role: you'll still be close to the code and the pipelines, while also shaping strategy and guiding the people around you.

What You'll Do

• Lead the design and implementation of data models, schemas, and pipelines that support our analytics, product, and operational needs
• Build and maintain our core data infrastructure — data warehousing, ETL/ELT processes, and data APIs
• Collect, clean, and preprocess large and complex datasets from a wide range of internal and external sources
• Define and enforce data quality controls and validation processes to ensure accuracy and integrity across the platform
• Partner with cross-functional teams to translate business requirements into well-architected, scalable data solutions
• Build and maintain dashboards and visualizations that help stakeholders understand and act on our data
• Continuously evaluate and improve our infrastructure for scalability, reliability, and performance
• Apply statistical methods and machine learning techniques to analyze and interpret datasets where they add value
• Leverage AI tools and assistants to accelerate delivery — writing, reviewing, and debugging pipelines faster while maintaining accuracy and high standards
• Champion a quality-first mindset across the team, treating data accuracy, reliability, and integrity as non-negotiable
• Mentor and guide the data engineering team, establishing best practices in code quality, testing, documentation, and data governance
• Set the technical roadmap for the data function and champion a data-driven culture across the organization

What We're Looking For

• 6+ years of experience in data engineering, with at least 1–2 years in a lead or senior position
• Strong proficiency in SQL and at least one programming language (Python, Scala, or Java)
• Deep, hands-on experience designing and operating data warehouses (e.g., BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift) and building ETL/ELT pipelines
• Experience with modern data tooling — orchestration (Airflow, Dagster, or similar), transformation (dbt), and streaming/batch processing
• Solid understanding of data modeling, schema design, and data quality frameworks
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, or Azure)
• A track record of working closely with analysts and business stakeholders to deliver usable, trustworthy data
• Strong fluency with AI tools (e.g., coding assistants, LLMs) and a proven ability to leverage them to deliver faster without compromising on accuracy or quality
• A genuine quality-first mindset — meticulous about correctness, validation, testing, and documentation
• Well-versed in data governance and security — access controls, data privacy, compliance, and secure handling of sensitive data
• Strong communication skills and the ability to lead and mentor a team

Nice to Have

• Experience with BI and visualization tools (Looker, Tableau, Power BI, Metabase)
• Exposure to machine learning workflows and MLOps
• Experience in a high-growth marketplace, e-commerce, or consumer-tech environment