At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of data infrastructure and pipelines for a fast-growing tech company.
- Company: Join an innovative startup with a focus on real-time data solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, generous holiday, and private medical insurance.
- Other info: Dynamic work culture with opportunities for travel and team-building activities.
- Why this job: Shape the future of data at Attio and make a real impact across teams.
- Qualifications: Experience in data engineering, cloud-native environments, and modern data tools.
The predicted salary is between 115000 - 145000 £ per year.
About the role
Our Engineering team tackles the toughest challenges, so our users never have to. Real-time infrastructure, AI-native architecture, and a frontend that feels effortless — all powered by a team that moves fast, thinks rigorously, and holds an exceptionally high bar for quality.
We’re hiring Attio’s first dedicated Data Engineering Lead to build the infrastructure, pipelines and standards that enable the company to operate on reliable, trusted data at scale. As our inaugural Lead Data Engineer, you’ll own and evolve our internal data platform end-to-end — improving reliability, enabling better decision‑making, and shaping the long‑term foundations of data across the business. Your work will directly support teams across Product, Engineering, Marketing, Finance and Go‑To‑Market.
We see this as far more than a traditional Data Engineering role. It’s an opportunity to define and shape Attio’s future data capability from the ground up — operating as a highly hands‑on senior IC initially, whilst helping establish the foundations, standards and strategic roadmap for how the broader data function evolves over time.
The role is ideally suited to someone who enjoys bringing structure to ambiguity, solving complex infrastructure challenges, and working closely with the business in a fast‑moving, product‑led environment. We’re looking for someone who is equally comfortable being hands‑on and building, whilst also thinking strategically about how scalable data systems, processes and teams should evolve over time.
What you’ll do
- Build and stabilise core data infrastructure: Design, build and maintain reliable, scalable pipelines and systems that ensure data flows correctly across the business and support critical operational and reporting workflows.
- Improve data reliability and observability: Own and improve the quality, resilience and maintainability of Attio’s broader data infrastructure — helping reduce operational risk and improve trust in the data underpinning the business.
- Shape Attio’s future data architecture: Partner closely with Product, Engineering and business stakeholders to define how our data platform should evolve over time, balancing immediate business needs with long‑term scalability.
- Enable better business decision‑making: Help create the foundational datasets, transformations and infrastructure required to support experimentation, analytics and operational reporting across the company.
- Operate as a senior technical leader: Bring clarity and direction within ambiguity — taking loosely defined problems, creating clear plans of execution, and driving outcomes with a high degree of ownership and autonomy.
- Help build the future data function: Contribute toward defining best practices, technical standards and longer‑term hiring plans as Attio’s data capability matures and scales over time.
What you’ll bring
- Strong Data Engineering foundations: Deep hands‑on experience designing and maintaining modern data infrastructure, pipelines and transformation layers within cloud‑native environments.
- Technical depth across modern data tooling: Strong hands‑on Data Engineering capability across modern tooling such as BigQuery, DBT, SQL and Python (or equivalent ecosystems e.g. Snowflake).
- Startup or scale‑up experience: You’ve operated within fast‑moving product or engineering‑led environments and understand how to balance speed, ambiguity and long‑term technical quality.
- Translation across abstraction levels: Able to move fluently between ambiguous business problems and precise technical implementation by translating effectively in both directions.
- Quantitative reasoning: Able to translate ambiguous business concepts (e.g. "activated workspace" or "qualified lead") into clear, measurable and defensible definitions, with strong judgement around whether resulting outputs represent meaningful signal or simply noise.
- High ownership and autonomy: Comfortable operating as a senior IC with minimal direction. You have experience being responsible for problems end‑to‑end and driving them through to resolution.
- Pragmatic technical leadership: You’re able to bring structure and prioritisation to unclear problem spaces, communicate effectively with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders, and influence decisions across the business.
- Commercial and operational awareness: You understand that data infrastructure is not just an engineering problem: it directly impacts product velocity, reporting accuracy, experimentation capability and commercial performance.
- Bias for action: You move with urgency, enjoy solving difficult problems, and are equally comfortable operating strategically as you are rolling up your sleeves and building directly.
What we offer
- Competitive salary of £115,000 - £145,000
- Equity in an early‑stage tech company on an incredible trajectory
- 25 days holiday plus local public holidays
- Apple hardware
- Private medical insurance through AXA
- Pension contribution through Hargreaves Lansdown
- Enhanced family leave
- Team off‑site in fun places! (We've been to Barcelona, Lisbon, Malta, and Split so far)
Data Engineering Lead employer: Attio
At Attio, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration. As a Remote Growth Marketing Manager, you'll enjoy the flexibility of working from anywhere while being part of a dynamic team that values creativity and experimentation. With competitive benefits including equity in a rapidly growing tech company, generous holiday allowances, and opportunities for professional growth, you'll be empowered to make a meaningful impact in your role and contribute to our exciting journey in the AI era.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Data Engineering Lead
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at meetups. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repo showcasing your projects and achievements. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do beyond your CV.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to data engineering. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms to boost your confidence.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team.
We think you need these skills to ace Data Engineering Lead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Data Engineering:When writing your application, let us see your enthusiasm for data engineering! Share specific examples of projects you've worked on that showcase your skills in building reliable data infrastructure and pipelines. We love seeing candidates who are genuinely excited about shaping the future of data.
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your experience aligns with our needs. Mention your hands-on experience with tools like BigQuery, DBT, SQL, and Python, and how you've tackled challenges in fast-paced environments. This helps us see you as a perfect fit for our team!
Be Clear and Concise:We appreciate clarity in applications! Keep your writing straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where necessary to make it easy for us to digest your key achievements and skills. Remember, we want to understand your journey without sifting through too much fluff.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows us you’re keen on joining our team at StudySmarter. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Attio
✨Know Your Data Tools
Make sure you’re well-versed in the modern data tooling mentioned in the job description, like BigQuery, DBT, SQL, and Python. Be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with these tools and how you've used them to build scalable data infrastructure.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare examples of how you've tackled complex infrastructure challenges in previous roles. Highlight your ability to bring structure to ambiguity and how you’ve driven outcomes with minimal direction. This will demonstrate your fit for a senior technical leader role.
✨Understand the Business Impact
Be ready to discuss how data infrastructure impacts product velocity, reporting accuracy, and overall business performance. Show that you understand the commercial side of data engineering and can translate business needs into technical solutions.
✨Prepare for Strategic Conversations
Think about how you would shape Attio’s future data architecture. Be prepared to discuss your vision for evolving data capabilities while balancing immediate business needs with long-term scalability. This shows you’re not just a builder but also a strategic thinker.
