About the Role
Hippo is a rapidly growing digital consultancy passionate about building and delivering transformative digital solutions for a diverse range of Public and Private sector clients. We are recruiting for a Lead Data Engineer to join our Hippo Herd. As a Lead Data Engineer you will act as a technical SME within our engineering community, leading the delivery of secure, scalable, and well‑engineered systems while maintaining high‑level client relationships.
Your Role
- Serve as a technical SME to ensure user‑centred software is developed based on business requirements and best practice.
- Collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders to explore, design and deliver solutions to complex client problems.
- Design and manage software development and deployment pipelines, resolving issues and potential bottlenecks before they occur.
- Continuously review and prioritise the delivery team’s workload and anticipate realignment with evolving priorities.
- Be a strong communicator and presenter, communicating solutions and progress to internal and external stakeholders in a clear, concise manner.
- Build great relationships with your team and stakeholders, identifying and ensuring that challenges are overcome.
- Lead in the recruitment and on‑boarding of other engineers, and support consultants in their professional development.
- Lead on new business opportunities, writing technical bids and proposals.
- Promote Hippo’s Data Herd externally through writing blogs, workshops, or speaking at conferences.
About the Candidate
- Excellent experience delivering in Python and experience with at least one other core language.
- Excellent experience with SQL and relational databases.
- Solid experience with Cloud providers such as AWS, Azure or GCP.
- Solid experience with Snowflake and dbt.
- Strong experience with different data formats (CSV, JSON, XML).
- Expertise in building reliable data pipelines.
- Experience operating as a technical leader on complex projects and managing stakeholder expectations.
- Expertise in coaching and guiding others to achieve an optimal solution.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to articulate in both technical and non‑technical terms.
- Mastery of working in an Agile environment and CI/CD practices.
- Ability to define working procedures and methodologies for the team.
Desirable Experience
- Knowledge of NoSQL databases.
- Experience in data modelling.
- Broader knowledge of IT (e.g., security and networking).
Benefits
- Contributory pension scheme (Hippo 6% & employee 2%).
- 25 days holiday plus UK public holidays.
- Perkbox access for a wide range of discounts.
- Critical illness cover.
- Life assurance and death in service cover.
- Volunteer days.
- Cycle‑to‑work scheme.
- Salary‑sacrifice electric vehicle scheme.
- Season ticket loans.
- Financial and general wellbeing sessions.
- Private health cover.
- Private dental cover.
- Additional company pension contributions.
- Additional holidays (up to an extra 2 days).
- Wellbeing contribution.
- Charity contributions.
- Tree planting.
Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Hippo
At Hippo, we’re dedicated to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that works for everyone. We actively encourage applications from under‑represented groups, including women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, neuro‑divergent individuals and people with disabilities. We are a registered Disability Confident Employer, Mindful Employer, Endometriosis Friendly Employer and a member of the Armed Forces Covenant. Hippo continually strives to remove barriers, provide accommodations and offer reasonable adjustments to ensure equity throughout our practices.
Locations
- Leeds (headquarters)
- Glasgow
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- London
- Bristol
