Data Platform Lead in Cardiff

Data Platform Lead in Cardiff

Cardiff Full-Time 70000 - 85000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
Admiral

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the creation of a cutting-edge data platform that powers Veygo's future.
  • Company: Join Veygo, a dynamic company transforming insurance for young drivers.
  • Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, generous holiday, and flexible hybrid working.
  • Other info: Be part of a people-first culture with excellent career growth opportunities.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of data and AI in a supportive, innovative environment.
  • Qualifications: Strong experience in data platforms, SQL skills, and team leadership.

The predicted salary is between 70000 - 85000 £ per year.

Build the data platform that powers Veygo's future.

You'll lead the engineering capability that sits at the heart of Veygo's data ecosystem, ensuring trusted, secure and scalable data is available to power analytics, reporting, product development and the next generation of AI-enabled experiences.

As the technical lead for Veygo's data platform, you'll shape the foundations that enable better decision-making across the business.

From building resilient data pipelines and reusable data models to improving platform reliability, governance and observability, you'll create the capabilities that allow teams to move faster with confidence.

You'll combine hands-on technical leadership with people management, building a modern data platform that supports today's business while preparing Veygo for tomorrow.

Why this role matters

As Data Platform Lead, you'll own the roadmap for one of Veygo's most important technology capabilities, ensuring our data platform is reliable, scalable and ready to support future growth.

This is a true player-coach role.

Around 70% of your time will be spent designing, building and improving the platform yourself, while the remaining 30% will focus on coaching engineers, setting technical standards and partnering with stakeholders to ensure the platform evolves in line with business priorities.

Success in this role means Veygo has trusted, well-governed and AI-ready data foundations that enable analytics, reporting, experimentation and future data products to thrive.

  • What you'll be doing
  • Own and deliver the roadmap for Veygo's data platform, balancing new capabilities with resilience, technical debt and long-term platform evolution.
  • Lead the design, development and operation of robust, scalable and secure data pipelines, reusable data models and platform services.
  • Establish engineering standards across code quality, testing, deployment, documentation, monitoring and operational support.
  • Build trusted data foundations that enable analytics, reporting, experimentation, operational data products and future AI capabilities.
  • Partner with Analytics, Product, Engineering and Architecture teams to ensure the platform supports current and future business needs.
  • Improve platform reliability, observability, data quality and operational resilience.
  • Ensure datasets are well-modelled, documented, discoverable and governed to support self-service analytics and AI readiness.
  • Translate business and analytical requirements into scalable technical solutions.
  • Act as the technical escalation point for complex engineering challenges and production issues.
  • Coach and line manage a team of Data Engineers, raising engineering capability, technical quality and delivery standards across the team.
  • We're looking for someone who has…
  • Strong hands-on experience designing, building and operating modern data platforms.
  • Excellent SQL skills and strong software engineering fundamentals.
  • Experience building production-grade data pipelines and reusable data models.
  • Experience with modern cloud data platforms and engineering best practices, including orchestration, CI/CD and infrastructure automation.
  • A strong understanding of data quality, governance, lineage, observability, monitoring and operational support.
  • Experience enabling analytics through trusted, reusable and well-documented datasets.
  • An understanding of the technical foundations required for AI-ready data platforms.
  • Experience coaching, mentoring or leading Data Engineers.
  • Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical audiences.
  • Sound judgement when balancing speed, scalability, reliability, governance and cost.

It would be great if you also have

  • Experience with cloud platforms such as Databricks, Snowflake, Azure, AWS, Big Query or similar technologies.
  • Experience with modern orchestration and transformation tools.
  • Experience working within regulated or highly governed environments.
  • Experience supporting analytics, machine learning or operational data products.
  • Knowledge of data governance, access management and security best practices.

Why Veygo?

At Veygo, we're here to unlock independence.

For young drivers, getting on the road is a massive life moment - freedom, confidence, responsibility, and finally not needing a lift everywhere.

For parents, it's a big moment too: letting go, while knowing their child is protected and supported.

We make insurance the easy bit.

Since launching in 2016, we've helped more than one million customers and sold over eight million policies by making car insurance simpler, more flexible and built around real life.

Now, we're evolving from short-term cover into a brand that supports young drivers through their first years on the road - helping them build safer habits, manage costs and move forward with confidence.

Backed by Admiral Group, we combine scale-up energy with the strength, trust and expertise of one of the UK’s leading insurers.

Our teams get the freedom to experiment, the ownership to make things happen and the platform to build products that reach millions.

If you want to solve real customer problems, work with smart cross-functional teams and help shape the future of insurance for young drivers, you'll fit right in.

What you'll get in return

We believe exceptional people do their best work when they're trusted, supported and rewarded.

Alongside a competitive salary, you'll receive a benefits package designed to help you grow your career, share in our success and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Highlights include

  • A generous share scheme, giving you the opportunity to become a shareholder and share in Admiral's success.
  • 33 days' holiday (including bank holidays), increasing with service, plus the option to buy or sell up to five additional days.
  • Ongoing learning and development, leadership programmes and opportunities to grow your career across Admiral Group.
  • Flexible hybrid working, with most colleagues spending one or two days a week in our Central Cardiff office.
  • A people-first culture recognised as a Great Place to Work for more than 25 years, including awards for Wellbeing and Women.

To explore our full range of benefits, including wellbeing support, healthcare, family-friendly policies and financial benefits, visit our Benefits Page.

Disability Confident Leader

As a Disability Confident Leader, for candidates with a disability or long-term health condition, that opt into the Disability Confident scheme, we'll invite a fair and proportionate number of applicants that meet the essential requirements of the role to the first stage of our selection process.

If you need any adjustments or support with your application or during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Please do email Daniel.

Cavill@admiralgroup. co. uk or contact us on 07502 959750.

This number is dedicated to supporting candidates that require reasonable adjustments or support during the application process.

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Data Platform Lead in Cardiff employer: Admiral

Admiral is an excellent employer, offering a vibrant work culture that prioritises employee well-being and development. With competitive benefits such as up to 38 days of holiday and opportunities for professional growth, this role as a Senior Looker & BI Platform Engineer allows you to thrive in an agile environment while collaborating with diverse teams to drive impactful improvements.

Admiral

Contact Details:

Admiral Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Data Platform Lead in Cardiff

Get Involved in Data Science Meetups

Tap into local data science meetups or workshops to connect with fellow enthusiasts and professionals. These events are goldmines for networking, and sometimes even lead directly to job openings at companies like Admiral!

Show Off Your Projects

Start building a public portfolio showcasing your data science projects on platforms like GitHub or personal websites. Highlight unique analyses or models you've developed. This not only demonstrates your skills but also gets your name out there for roles like Data Platform Lead at Admiral.

Leverage Professional Networks

Join professional bodies related to data science, like the Data Science Society or similar organisations. Getting involved can lead to mentorship opportunities and insider knowledge about full-time positions at companies like Admiral.

Apply Directly through Our Website

When you find a suitable opening like Data Platform Lead at Admiral, make sure to apply directly through our website. It gives you an edge and shows you're keen to join our team. Plus, who doesn’t love a direct application? It’s easier than navigating through job boards!

We think you need these skills to ace Data Platform Lead in Cardiff

SQL
Python
Data Pipeline Development
Problem-Solving Skills
Communication Skills
API Integration
Data Governance

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Off Your Projects:In the world of data science, your projects can speak volumes about your skills. Make sure to showcase a few key projects in your CV or portfolio, especially those that highlight your ability to work with data sets, build models, or use relevant tools like Python, R, or SQL. Don’t forget to include links to any GitHub repositories if applicable!

Quantify Your Achievements:Employers love numbers! When drafting your CV, highlight your achievements with quantifiable results. For instance, mention how your data analysis led to a certain percentage increase in efficiency or revenue at a previous job or project. These details can really make your application pop!

Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at Admiral, your cover letter should reflect your passion for data science and your excitement about the specific projects or values of the company. Dive into why you’re a good fit, how your skills align with their needs, and any unique perspectives you can bring to the team.

Stand Out with Relevant Courses and Certifications:Although experience talks, relevant courses or certifications can be your ticket to impressing hiring managers at Admiral. Mention any standout courses you've completed that equipped you with essential skills, such as machine learning certifications or data visualisation courses. This shows your commitment to continuously developing your skills in the field!

How to prepare for a job interview at Admiral

Brush Up on Your Statistics

For a data science role, we need to seriously sharpen our statistics skills. Get ready to tackle technical questions on probability distributions, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. These are often the bread and butter of data science interviews, so don't just skim over them!

Showcase Your Projects

Prepare a killer portfolio showcasing your data science projects. We should include details about the datasets used, the tools and techniques applied, and the impact of your findings. If we can walk them through a particularly challenging project or a cool visualisation that had real-world implications, it’ll really make us stand out!

Get Comfortable with Python and R

Most data science positions require us to be proficient in programming languages like Python and R. We should practice common libraries like pandas, NumPy, and scikit-learn, and be ready for live coding exercises or algorithm questions. Showing off our coding chops can really impress the interviewers at Admiral!

Prepare for Case Studies

Expect to encounter real-world case studies during the interview. We might be asked how we’d approach a data problem or analyse a dataset to extract insights. It's essential to think out loud and demonstrate our problem-solving process so that the interviewer can see our logical thinking in action.