Lead/Staff Data Platform Engineer (Contract - 3-6 months)
Lead/Staff Data Platform Engineer (Contract - 3-6 months)

Lead/Staff Data Platform Engineer (Contract - 3-6 months)

London Temporary 60000 - 84000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead and enhance our data platform for energy companies on their net-zero journey.
  • Company: Gorilla is revolutionising energy data infrastructure for a sustainable future.
  • Benefits: Enjoy flexible working options and the chance to make a real impact.
  • Why this job: Join us to drive innovation in a collaborative, tech-savvy environment.
  • Qualifications: Strong Python skills and experience with AWS and Terraform are essential.
  • Other info: This is a contract role for 3-6 months with hands-on leadership opportunities.

The predicted salary is between 60000 - 84000 £ per year.

At Gorilla , we’re building the data infrastructure that powers energy companies on their journey to net-zero. We’re looking for a Lead/Staff Data Platform Engineer to join us during a critical phase of platform scaling and architectural evolution. This is a contract role for 3–6 months , where you’ll apply your deep technical expertise to deliver immediate impact on our internal data platform. You’ll improve developer experience, observability, and reliability while driving key engineering initiatives. Your Role As a Lead/Staff Data Platform Engineer, you’ll play a hands-on leadership role focused on strengthening our internal data platform and enabling product and engineering teams to move faster and safer. You will: Lead short-term, high-priority engineering initiatives to scale and improve our internal data platform. Design, implement, and evolve platform services that support secure, efficient handling of large-scale energy data using modern tooling (e.g., Terraform, Docker, AWS-native tools). Collaborate with backend, data engineering, and DevOps stakeholders to identify bottlenecks and drive platform improvements that enable product innovation. Support reliability and operational excellence by implementing observability, automation, and incident response best practices. Contribute to CI/CD pipelines, workflow orchestration improvements, and infrastructure-as-code optimization. Provide architectural guidance and hands-on mentoring to engineers across teams. Document changes, create transition plans, and support a smooth handover of context and ownership to the permanent team at the end of your engagement. What You’ll Need Ability to ramp up quickly and deliver high-impact results in a short time. Strong Python skills and a solid grasp of software engineering principles. Deep experience designing and building data platforms or internal platform infrastructure at scale in production environments. Expertise in AWS (especially Lambda, ECS/EC2, S3, and RDS). Strong hands-on experience with Terraform and infrastructure-as-code practices. Familiarity with tools like Airflow , DBT , and cloud data platforms such as Snowflake or Databricks . Understanding of CI/CD , observability, and platform reliability practices in cloud-native environments. Experience with container orchestration (Kubernetes) in production environments. Good understanding of distributed systems , data governance, and security in regulated or high-compliance contexts. A collaborative mindset, excellent communication skills, and the ability to align stakeholders around technical goals. Willingness to lead by doing: you model best practices, coach others, and drive clarity in complex systems. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Lead/Staff Data Platform Engineer (Contract - 3-6 months) employer: Gorilla - Energy data applications

At Gorilla, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, especially for those passionate about driving the energy sector towards net-zero. Our collaborative work culture fosters innovation and growth, providing employees with unique opportunities to lead impactful engineering initiatives while working with cutting-edge technologies in a supportive environment. With a focus on professional development and a commitment to operational excellence, joining our team means contributing to meaningful change in the energy landscape.
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Contact Detail:

Gorilla - Energy data applications Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Lead/Staff Data Platform Engineer (Contract - 3-6 months)

✨Tip Number 1

Familiarise yourself with the specific technologies mentioned in the job description, such as AWS services and Terraform. Being able to discuss your hands-on experience with these tools during networking or interviews will demonstrate your readiness for the role.

✨Tip Number 2

Connect with current or former employees of Gorilla on LinkedIn. Engaging with them can provide insights into the company culture and the specific challenges they face, which you can address in your conversations.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare to showcase your leadership skills by discussing past experiences where you've led engineering initiatives or mentored others. Highlighting these experiences can set you apart as a candidate who can hit the ground running.

✨Tip Number 4

Stay updated on industry trends related to data platforms and cloud-native environments. Being knowledgeable about the latest advancements can help you engage in meaningful discussions during interviews and show your passion for the field.

We think you need these skills to ace Lead/Staff Data Platform Engineer (Contract - 3-6 months)

Python Programming
Software Engineering Principles
Data Platform Design
Production Environment Experience
AWS Expertise (Lambda, ECS/EC2, S3, RDS)
Terraform Proficiency
Infrastructure-as-Code Practices
Familiarity with Airflow and DBT
Experience with Snowflake or Databricks
CI/CD Knowledge
Observability Practices
Platform Reliability in Cloud-Native Environments
Container Orchestration (Kubernetes)
Understanding of Distributed Systems
Data Governance and Security
Collaborative Mindset
Excellent Communication Skills
Stakeholder Alignment
Hands-on Leadership

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights your experience with data platforms, AWS, and Python. Use specific examples that demonstrate your ability to deliver high-impact results quickly, as this is crucial for the role.

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your enthusiasm for the role and the company's mission towards net-zero energy. Discuss how your skills in Terraform, Docker, and CI/CD practices align with their needs.

Showcase Relevant Projects: Include details of past projects where you designed or improved data platforms. Highlight your hands-on leadership experience and any collaborative efforts with engineering teams to drive platform improvements.

Prepare for Technical Questions: Anticipate technical questions related to AWS services, infrastructure-as-code, and distributed systems. Be ready to discuss your problem-solving approach and how you've implemented observability and automation in previous roles.

How to prepare for a job interview at Gorilla - Energy data applications

✨Showcase Your Technical Expertise

Be prepared to discuss your experience with Python, AWS, and Terraform in detail. Highlight specific projects where you've designed and built data platforms or internal infrastructure, focusing on the impact of your contributions.

✨Demonstrate Leadership Skills

Since this role involves hands-on leadership, share examples of how you've led engineering initiatives in the past. Discuss how you mentored team members and drove improvements in platform reliability and observability.

✨Prepare for Collaborative Scenarios

Expect questions about collaboration with backend, data engineering, and DevOps teams. Be ready to explain how you've identified bottlenecks and implemented solutions that enabled product innovation in previous roles.

✨Understand the Company’s Mission

Research Gorilla's mission to support energy companies on their journey to net-zero. Be prepared to discuss how your skills and experiences align with their goals, particularly in improving developer experience and operational excellence.

Lead/Staff Data Platform Engineer (Contract - 3-6 months)
Gorilla - Energy data applications
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