Tech Lead - Data Engineer in Penarth

We are seeking a highly skilled and hands-on Tech Lead – Data Engineer to drive the design, delivery, and operational excellence of a next-generation Air Traffic Management (ATM) platform. This cloud-native platform supports advanced data and analytics workloads. The Tech Lead will act as a critical bridge between solution architecture, project delivery, and engineering execution. In addition to leading a team of engineers, the role requires strong hands-on contribution in designing, coding, reviewing, and troubleshooting complex data solutions on AWS and Databricks, ensuring alignment with architectural standards, timelines, and business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership & Delivery: Lead a team of data engineers and developers in designing and delivering end-to-end data pipelines (batch, streaming, and event-driven). Actively write, review, and optimize code using Python/Scala, Apache Spark, and SQL on Databricks and AWS platforms. Translate solution architecture and design blueprints into actionable engineering tasks and contribute directly to implementation. Troubleshoot and resolve complex production issues, ensuring system reliability, performance, and uptime. Ensure solutions meet stringent performance, security, governance, and compliance requirements within regulated aviation environments. Oversee code quality, CI/CD pipelines, observability, and DevOps best practices across the data platform.
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management: Partner closely with the Solution Architect to validate and refine designs, including building hands-on POCs and prototypes when required. Work with the Project Manager to align delivery milestones, manage dependencies, and proactively escalate risks. Collaborate with domain experts, data scientists, and external vendors to integrate analytics and AI / GenAI use cases into production systems. Effectively communicate and coordinate with offshore development teams (China) to ensure smooth delivery.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Introduce modern practices in data engineering, MLOps, automation, and cloud-native design to improve platform maturity. Proactively identify and address bottlenecks across pipelines, infrastructure, and delivery processes. Mentor and guide team members while leading by example through hands-on technical contributions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Data Science, Information Systems, or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in data engineering, cloud-native platforms, or complex technical delivery roles.
• 3+ years in a technical leadership or team lead role, balancing people leadership with hands-on engineering.
• Strong hands-on experience with AWS cloud services (data engineering-focused) and Databricks (Delta Lake, Spark, Unity Catalog).
• Proven experience delivering solutions in regulated domains such as aviation, finance, or public sector.
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and cross-functional collaboration.
• Experience with AWS Databricks, Delta Lake, live/real-time data streaming, and medallion architecture.
• Exposure to AI / GenAI concepts or intelligent agent-based architectures.
• Familiarity with aviation data standards (e.g., ADS-B, ARINC 424, flight schedules), or strong willingness to learn.
• AWS certifications in Data Analytics, Big Data, or Machine Learning.
• Experience working with high-volume, real-time data processing systems.