At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and implementation of scalable data systems while mentoring junior engineers.
- Company: Join a dynamic team at MaxContact, transforming customer engagement with AI technology.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days annual leave, enhanced maternity/paternity packages, and personal training allowances.
- Other info: Hybrid working model with a focus on collaboration and continuous learning.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a fast-paced tech environment while growing your career.
- Qualifications: Strong experience in data engineering, SQL, and cloud-native environments required.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
We're the team behind the AI-powered customer engagement platform that's transforming how businesses connect with their customers - turning every conversation into a revenue-driving moment. Our platform helps contact centre teams achieve their goals through intelligent automation, predictive insights, and seamless customer experiences. We build technology that empowers people, not replaces them. We are proud of our reputation for combining cutting-edge tech with down-to-earth people, we have big ambitions and a clear sense of who we are. Our culture is driven by our values: we take ownership, move fast, challenge the status quo, and learn constantly.
Working at MaxContact means being stretched, you’ll be trusted with responsibility early, expected to think commercially, and encouraged to act decisively. We don’t stand still, and neither will you. At the same time, we believe high performance only works in a safe, supportive environment. You’ll be surrounded by smart, driven people who want to see you succeed, who value openness and honesty, and who see mistakes as part of learning quickly and getting better. We’re builders, problem-solvers, and customer champions who believe in innovation with purpose, human-first technology, and delivering results that matter. You’ll work alongside passionate colleagues building technology that directly impacts how thousands of businesses connect with millions of customers every day.
If you’re ambitious, curious, and excited by the idea of building something meaningful in a fast-moving tech business, we are looking for an ambitious and technically excellent Senior Data Lead. The Senior Data Engineer is a technical leader within the data engineering team, responsible for delivering complex, high-impact data pipelines, models, and infrastructure within the technical vision set by the Head of Platform. You will own the design and implementation of reliable and scalable data systems, mentor other engineers, and provide expert input on challenging technical problems. This role is hands-on while also requiring you to coordinate work across multiple engineers, establish standards, and lead data initiatives. You will work closely with analytics, product, and platform teams to ensure that data solutions are trustworthy, performant, and aligned to business needs, enabling rapid, safe, and informed decision-making across the organisation.
Responsibilities
- Data Modelling lead root cause analysis for reliability incidents
- Infrastructure incidents resolved with systemic fixes, not patches
- Comprehensive data quality test coverage across key domains; no recurring issues without RCA and fix
- Measurable improvement in junior engineer capability through active mentoring and code review
- Complex data initiatives delivered on time and to agreed scope
- Positive stakeholder trust scores from analytics, product, and platform teams
- Pipeline and warehouse costs tracked, optimised, and within agreed targets
Values and Behaviours
- Ownership mindset and accountability
- Curiosity and willingness to learn, particularly around AI and emerging technology
- Collaboration over silos
- Adaptable and comfortable in a fast-moving, scaling business
- Resilience under pressure: calm leadership during incidents and data quality failures, with a focus on systemic improvement
Training and Enablement
- Structured onboarding covering our products, customers, systems, and data landscape
- Full systems and tooling training from day one
- Access to learning resources, conferences, and a professional development budget
- Regular 1:1s with a clear career development conversation about progression into Principal Engineer (IC track) or Engineering Manager (people leadership track)
Skills and Experience
- Strong hands-on experience delivering complex data engineering projects in cloud-native environments
- Expert SQL skills and deep knowledge of data modelling (dimensional/star schemas and semantic layers)
- Strong experience with dbt for transformation, testing, and metric definitions
- Proven ability to build and maintain ELT/ETL pipelines (Azure Data Factory, Airflow, Dagster, Prefect, or similar)
- Experience with at least one cloud data warehouse or lakehouse (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, Redshift, or similar)
- Strong PostgreSQL skills including management, tuning, indexing, replication, and performance optimisation
- Solid Python or Scala skills for pipeline development
- Strong knowledge of data testing frameworks, data contracts, and SLAs/SLOs
- Familiarity with streaming data technologies (Kafka, Kinesis, or Pub/Sub)
- Good understanding of storage formats (Parquet, Delta, Iceberg)
- Knowledge of privacy, security, and compliance principles (GDPR, ISO 27001, SOC 2)
- Experience acting as a senior or lead engineer on multi-person data projects
- Implementing observability and reliability improvements for data systems at scale
- Familiarity with data science workflows and ML feature pipelines
- Experience with FinOps or cost optimisation practices for data infrastructure
- Exposure to data cataloguing, metadata management, or lineage tooling
Benefits and Perks
- 25 days annual leave plus your birthday off
- Increased holiday entitlement with length of service
- Enhanced maternity and paternity packages
- Life insurance
- Enhanced pension options
- Company-paid sick leave
- Personal training allowance
- Buy and sell holiday options
- Social, charity and culture committee events
- Hybrid working (minimum two days in the office)
- Employee assistant programme
AI in Our Hiring Process
At MaxContact, we expect engineers to work effectively with AI tools every day. We welcome candidates who use AI to prepare their applications and encourage you to demonstrate your ability to collaborate with AI during any take-home assessments. During live interviews, we will assess your ability to think through problems and make engineering decisions — both with and without AI assistance. We are an equal opportunity employer; if you require any adjustments during the hiring process please contact hannah.holmes@maxcontact.com.
Senior Data Engineer employer: MaxContact
MaxContact is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, where employees are empowered to take ownership and drive meaningful change. With a strong focus on personal and professional growth, we offer extensive training resources, structured career development conversations, and generous benefits including enhanced leave options and a supportive work environment. Located in a dynamic tech landscape, our team thrives on tackling complex challenges while enjoying the flexibility of hybrid working arrangements.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Data Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend meetups, and connect with potential colleagues on 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
Prepare for those interviews! Research the company, understand their tech stack, and be ready to discuss how your skills align with their needs. Practise common interview questions and think about how you can showcase your problem-solving abilities.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your projects! Whether it's a GitHub repo or a personal website, having tangible examples of your work can really set you apart. Make sure to highlight any data engineering projects that demonstrate your expertise and creativity.
✨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 being part of our team at MaxContact, where we value ambition and innovation.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Data Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion:When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for data engineering shine through! We love seeing candidates who are genuinely excited about building technology that makes a difference. Share your experiences and what drives you in this field.
Tailor Your CV:Make sure to customise your CV to highlight the skills and experiences that align with our job description. Focus on your hands-on experience with data pipelines, SQL, and cloud environments. We want to see how you can contribute to our mission!
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language and avoid jargon where possible. We appreciate candidates who can communicate complex ideas simply, as it reflects your ability to work collaboratively with others.
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 the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team at MaxContact!
How to prepare for a job interview at MaxContact
✨Know Your Data Engineering Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your SQL skills and data modelling techniques. Be ready to discuss your experience with ELT/ETL pipelines and cloud data warehouses. The more specific examples you can provide about your past projects, the better!
✨Show Off Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to talk about how you've tackled complex data issues in the past. Think of a few scenarios where you led a project or resolved a significant incident. Highlight your ability to think critically and act decisively under pressure.
✨Emphasise Collaboration
Since this role involves working closely with various teams, be ready to discuss how you've collaborated with others in previous roles. Share examples of how you’ve built trust with stakeholders and mentored junior engineers to improve their capabilities.
✨Be Curious and Open to Learning
MaxContact values curiosity, especially around AI and emerging technologies. Prepare some questions about the company’s tech stack and express your eagerness to learn and grow within the role. This will show that you're not just looking for a job, but a place to develop your career.
