At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead data engineering projects, solve business problems, and optimise data flow.
- Company: Join a US$5bn+ alternative asset manager with a global presence.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, discretionary bonus, and hybrid work model.
- Other info: Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and collaborate across teams.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a small, agile team with high autonomy.
- Qualifications: Experience in data engineering, strong Python and SQL skills required.
The predicted salary is between 120000 - 140000 £ per year.
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. 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/ AWS. Asset Management. £120,000 -£140,000+ Discretionary Bonus + Benefits. Hybrid 2 Days a week in Central London office. employer: CommuniTech Recruitment Group
Join a dynamic and innovative asset management firm that values autonomy and impact, where as a Lead Data Engineer, you'll play a crucial role in shaping the data platform within a small, high-output engineering team. With a competitive salary, discretionary bonuses, and a hybrid work model in the heart of Central London, you'll benefit from a collaborative culture that encourages professional growth and direct engagement with senior leadership. This is an exceptional opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology while solving real business challenges in a supportive environment.
Contact Details:
CommuniTech Recruitment Group Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Data Engineer - Python/ AWS. Asset Management. £120,000 -£140,000+ Discretionary Bonus + Benefits. Hybrid 2 Days a week in Central London office.
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend meetups, and engage on platforms like LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects, especially those involving Python, AWS, or data engineering. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do beyond just a CV.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common data engineering scenarios. Think about how you'd solve real-world problems, like optimising data flows or improving system reliability. Be ready to discuss your thought process!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining us. Tailor your application to highlight how your experience aligns with the role, and don’t forget to follow up after applying!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Data Engineer - Python/ AWS. Asset Management. £120,000 -£140,000+ Discretionary Bonus + Benefits. 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, AWS, and data engineering. We want to see how your skills align with the role, so don’t be shy about showcasing relevant projects or achievements!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you’re excited about this role and how you can solve business problems with data. We love seeing genuine enthusiasm and a clear understanding of our needs.
Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills:In your application, give examples of how you've identified and solved data-related issues in the past. We’re looking for someone who can think critically and deliver practical solutions, so make sure to highlight those experiences!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, it shows us you’re serious about joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at CommuniTech Recruitment Group
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in Python, SQL, and AWS. Brush up on your experience with Terraform and MongoDB too. Be ready to discuss how you've used these technologies to solve real business problems.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare examples of how you've identified data-related issues and delivered end-to-end solutions. Think about specific instances where you improved data flow or reduced latency, and be ready to share those stories.
✨Communicate Like a Pro
Since you'll be working with non-technical teams, practice explaining complex concepts in simple terms. Highlight your experience in stakeholder communication and how you’ve collaborated across different teams.
✨Demonstrate Your Autonomy
This role requires a high degree of ownership. Be prepared to discuss times when you took initiative, managed projects independently, and balanced multiple responsibilities. Show them you thrive in a small team environment!
