Data Operations Manager

Location: Midlands (Droitwich)

Job Type: Full-Time (40 hours per week) (Hybrid)

Salary: Up to £65,000 per annum

Job Summary: As the Data Operations Manager your role reports to the Head of Platforms & Data, leading our data engineering and integration requirements and ensuring seamless data services for the business from data modelling, data analysis, provisioning data for consumption and supporting business reporting and intelligence aligned to business strategy. This role is responsible for managing data engineers, overseeing the development of automated pipelines in Databricks, and driving efficient data operations that support business needs.

Responsibilities

• Data Operations & Integration
  • Oversee the design, development, and maintenance of automated data pipelines in Databricks, ensuring efficiency and scalability.
  • Manage data integrations across various platforms, ensuring seamless data flow between systems.
  • Ensure data quality, governance, and compliance with industry standards and business requirements.
  • Optimize ETL/ELT processes to improve performance and reliability.
• Team Leadership & Collaboration
  • Lead and mentor a team of data engineers, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
  • Collaborate with business stakeholders to understand data needs and deliver solutions that drive insights and decision-making.
  • Work closely with data analysts, scientists, and IT teams to ensure alignment on data strategy and execution.
• Automation & Performance Optimization
  • Drive the automation of data workflows, reducing manual intervention and improving efficiency.
  • Monitor and optimize data pipeline performance, ensuring minimal downtime and maximum reliability.
  • Implement best practices for data engineering, including version control, testing, and documentation.
• Data Services & Business Enablement
  • Provide data services that empower business teams with reliable, timely, and actionable insights.
  • Ensure data accessibility and usability for reporting, analytics, and AI/ML initiatives.
  • Develop self-service data solutions, enabling business users to leverage data effectively.

Person Specification

• A role model, able to always demonstrate and uphold Airband’s values.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills, resilient with the ability to successfully manage conflicting priorities.
• Self-starter, able to take the lead and bring projects and tasks to completion.
• An eye for detail, focused on implementing robust controls and processes.
• Has tenacity with repeated and enduring efforts to overcome obstacles and/or to complete tasks.
• Pursues excellence in line with the organisation’s norms and values.

Essential

• Proven experience in managing data operations, integrations, and engineering teams.
• Strong expertise in Databricks, including Delta Lake, Spark, and automated pipeline development.
• Hands-on experience with ETL/ELT processes, data governance, and cloud-based data platforms.
• Proficiency in SQL, Python, or Scala for data processing and automation.
• Familiarity with data architecture, warehousing, and business intelligence tools.

Desirable

• Experience with Azure Data Services, AWS, or GCP.
• Knowledge of CI/CD for data pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Understanding of data security, compliance, and regulatory requirements.

Airband Benefits

• 25 days of paid leave a year rising to 30 plus bank holidays with service.
• 5% Airband pension plus a minimum 3% employee contribution.
• Customer referral bonus - a thank you for every customer you send our way.
• We offer hybrid working – a mix of working from home and in the office.
• Free Broadband - If you are in our coverage, you can benefit from free broadband with us!
• Cycle to work, Tech scheme, Healthcare and medical insurance.
• Dental care, and Health cash fund (dependent on the length of service).
• Airshare (employee discount platform) - discounts on everyday shopping, weekly groceries, holidays, the list is endless - save up to £1,000 a year!
• Refer a friend reward scheme.

Pre-employment checks

Please note that you are required to have the right to work in the UK and we request satisfactory references as part of our recruitment process. A DBS check may be required for a number of our roles, particularly those that are customer-facing. Also, a driving licence may be required for positions that require you to be out in the field as part of the role. Recruitment agency support is not required at this time.