Engineering Lead

About this opportunity… We are seeking an experienced Head of Data Engineering to lead the data engineering strategy for our Consumer Data Lab. You will drive the transformation of our data platforms and pipelines to power next-generation customer experiences, and support data-led innovation across savings, lending, cards, mortgages, and digital banking. This is a high-impact leadership role, responsible for building and scaling a modern, secure, and high-performing data ecosystem aligned to both regulatory standards and our bold digital growth ambitions. Key Responsibilities: • Define and own the data engineering strategy for the Consumer BU, ensuring alignment with group-wide technology, data, and digital strategies. • Partner with business and product leaders to translate commercial goals into scalable data solutions. • Lead the design, build, and evolution of cloud-native, real-time, and batch data platforms. • Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing team of data engineers, platform engineers, and architects. • Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement. • Champion data quality, lineage, and compliance practices, aligned with UK regulatory and ethical standards (e.g., GDPR, FCA guidelines). • Ensure robust data governance in collaboration with data stewards and governance leads. • Own the end-to-end delivery of data engineering projects across multiple squads using Agile/DevOps methodologies. • Drive operational reliability, cost efficiency, and SLA adherence across platforms and pipelines. • Act as a trusted advisor to business and technology stakeholders, influencing roadmaps and investment priorities. • Engage actively with cross-functional teams including Data Science, Digital Product, Risk, Compliance, and Enterprise Architecture. We are on an exciting journey to transform our Group and the way we are shaping finance for good. We are focusing on the future, investing in our technologies, workplaces, and colleagues to make our Group a wonderful place for everyone. Including you. We understand no one can be an expert in every aspect of Data Engineering. However, if you have coding or scripting knowledge / experience with a data engineering background, we would like to hear from you. Classification: Public Specifically, we are looking for people who have…. • At least 10 years of proven experience in software engineering, with at least 5 years in a leadership • Proven experience in leading large-scale data engineering teams in highly regulated industries, preferably retail banking or fintech. • Expertise in modern data architecture, including data lakes, lakehouses, streaming, event-driven design, and data mesh principles. • Deep hands-on knowledge of cloud platforms (preferably GCP), Big Data tools (Spark, Kafka, Databricks), and orchestration (Airflow, dbt, etc.). • Strong understanding of data privacy, ethics, and regulatory requirements in UK financial services. • Demonstrated experience managing multi-million-pound budgets and delivering large transformation initiatives. • Inspirational people leader with a track record of building diverse, inclusive, and high-performing teams. • Comfortable engaging at the C-suite level and translating technical vision into commercial outcomes. • Bachelor’s degree or higher in computer science, software engineering, or a related field. • Advanced knowledge of containers (Docker, Kubernetes) • Experience of hiring and recognising and developing talents Our focus is to ensure we are inclusive every day, building an organisation that reflects modern society and celebrates diversity in all its forms. We want our people to feel that they belong and can be their best, regardless of background, identity, or culture. We were one of the first major organisations to set goals on diversity in senior roles, create a menopause health package, and a dedicated Working with Cancer initiative. And it is why we especially welcome applications from under-represented groups