At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead data engineering projects, solve business problems, and optimise data platforms.
- Company: Join a US$5bn+ alternative asset manager with a global presence.
- Benefits: Competitive daily rate, hybrid work model, and dynamic team environment.
- Other info: Work autonomously in a small, agile team with excellent growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on data solutions in a fast-paced, innovative setting.
- Qualifications: Experience in data engineering, strong Python and SQL skills, AWS familiarity.
My client is a US$5bn+ alternative asset manager operating across seven global offices: New York, BVI, London, Switzerland, Dubai, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The firm serves institutional investors and high-net-worth clients through a range of alternative investment strategies.
My client's technology strategy is built around a proprietary, cloud-native platform. The firm's technology function is structured as a lean, high-output engineering team comprising three developers led by the firm's COO. This structure means every engineer has significant ownership, direct impact on the platform, and close visibility to senior leadership and business stakeholders.
The Role
They are looking for a Data Engineer to join their small engineering team and help evolve their data platform alongside two other engineers. My client is particularly interested in candidates who can come in quickly, operate with a high degree of autonomy, and take ownership of the data engineering function. This is not a narrowly defined "build what you're told" role. They need someone who can identify business problems, map data architecture, and help drive solutions end-to-end. You'll work directly with operations, research, and investment teams to understand what data they need, where bottlenecks exist, why data is delayed or missing, and how to improve the flow of data across the business.
This role is fundamentally data-engineering focused. They are looking for someone with strong data engineering fundamentals who is comfortable owning production systems, improving reliability and freshness, and working across team boundaries when needed. The role spans both operating existing production pipelines and building new capabilities, with priorities shifting based on business needs.
You should be comfortable working in a small team with high autonomy, wearing multiple hats, and moving between technical investigation, stakeholder conversations, and hands-on delivery.
What You'll Do
- Solve business problems with data — work with ops, research, and investment teams to identify pain points and deliver practical solutions, not just tickets
- Improve the data platform end-to-end — ingestion, transformation, storage, serving, observability, and reliability
- Optimise data freshness and reliability — reduce latency, eliminate stale data, and improve alerting so failures are not silent
- Map and improve data architecture — identify inefficiencies, reduce unnecessary handoffs, and streamline how data flows from vendors to consumers
- Operate and maintain production data pipelines ingesting from financial data vendors
- Build and extend new vendor integrations, data products, and pipeline features
- Manage infrastructure on AWS using Terraform
- Build AI capabilities including RAG pipelines and OCR-based document extraction to unlock unstructured data sources
- Collaborate with the wider engineering team, including on systems that interact with our client-facing NextJS application
- Plan and prioritise work in collaboration with technical and non-technical stakeholders
Tools & Technologies
- Python — primary language for ETL, API clients, data validation, and pipeline development
- SQL — analytical and transactional queries, transformations, and data investigation
- AWS — cloud infrastructure and managed services
- Terraform — infrastructure-as-code
- MongoDB — document storage
- Monitoring / observability tools — for alerting, debugging, and production support
- GitHub Actions — CI/CD pipelines
- Linear — project planning and task management
- Claude Code, Cursor, Codex — AI engineering tools used in daily workflow
- NextJS / TypeScript — exposure helpful, but this is not a full-stack role
What they are Looking For:
Required:
- Experience as a Data Engineer or in a similar role
- Proven ability to identify business problems and deliver end-to-end data solutions, not just implement specifications
- Strong Python and SQL skills
- Experience with AWS services
- Infrastructure-as-code experience
- Comfort with production operations — monitoring, incident response, and debugging distributed systems
- Strong stakeholder communication skills — you'll work directly with non-technical teams across the business
- Comfortable using modern AI engineering tools in day-to-day work
Preferred:
- Experience in financial services, asset management, or hedge funds
- MongoDB experience
- Experience with modern data tooling
- Familiarity with vendor API integrations and handling messy real-world data
- Experience with data lake patterns
- Exposure to or interest in learning NextJS / TypeScript
- Exposure to RAG architectures, OCR, or LLM-based document extraction
- Comfortable working in a lightweight agile workflow focused on delivery
You'll thrive with my client if you:
- Proactively identify problems and propose solutions rather than waiting for requirements
- Are comfortable owning systems and projects end-to-end in a small team
- Can context-switch between building new features and keeping production stable
- Prefer simple, pragmatic solutions over over-engineered abstractions
- Are comfortable wearing multiple hats
- Communicate clearly with non-technical stakeholders
- Enjoy working with a high degree of autonomy
If you are interested in this role, please send your CV for immediate consideration.
Lead Data Engineer - Python/ SQL/ AWS/ AI. Asset Management. £800-900/ Day Inside IR35. 6 month rolling contract. Hybrid 2 Days a week in Central London office. employer: CommuniTech Recruitment Group
As a leading alternative asset manager with a global presence, our company offers an exceptional work environment that fosters innovation and autonomy. Employees enjoy a collaborative culture where they can take ownership of their projects, directly impacting the data platform and business outcomes. With a focus on professional growth and the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology in a vibrant Central London location, we are committed to providing meaningful and rewarding employment for our team members.
Contact Details:
CommuniTech Recruitment Group Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Data Engineer - Python/ SQL/ AWS/ AI. Asset Management. £800-900/ Day Inside IR35. 6 month rolling contract. Hybrid 2 Days a week in Central London office.
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, especially those who work in asset management or data engineering. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings that aren't even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you’ve got a portfolio of projects or GitHub repositories, make sure to highlight them during interviews. This is your chance to demonstrate your Python and SQL prowess, and how you tackle real-world data problems.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your AWS and Terraform knowledge. Be ready to discuss how you've used these tools in past roles, and think of examples where you've improved data architecture or solved complex issues.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive and take the initiative to connect with us directly.
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Data Engineer - Python/ SQL/ AWS/ AI. Asset Management. £800-900/ Day Inside IR35. 6 month rolling contract. Hybrid 2 Days a week in Central London office.
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV highlights your experience with Python, SQL, and AWS. We want to see how you've tackled data engineering challenges in the past, so don’t hold back on those details!
Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills:In your application, give examples of how you've identified business problems and delivered end-to-end data solutions. We love candidates who can think critically and take ownership of their work.
Keep It Clear and Concise:When writing your application, be straightforward. Use clear language to describe your skills and experiences. We appreciate a well-structured application that gets straight to the point!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity!
How to prepare for a job interview at CommuniTech Recruitment Group
✨Know Your Tech Stack Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in Python, SQL, and AWS. Brush up on your knowledge of Terraform and MongoDB too. Be ready to discuss how you've used these technologies in past projects, especially in data engineering contexts.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare examples of how you've identified business problems and delivered end-to-end data solutions. Think about specific instances where you improved data flow or reduced latency, and be ready to explain your thought process.
✨Communicate Like a Pro
Since you'll be working with non-technical teams, practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. Highlight your experience in stakeholder communication and how you’ve collaborated with different teams to achieve common goals.
✨Demonstrate Your Autonomy
This role requires a high degree of independence, so be prepared to discuss times when you took ownership of a project. Share how you managed your time and priorities, especially in a small team setting, and how you adapted to shifting business needs.
