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- Tasks: Lead data engineering and BI practices while mentoring tech leads and shaping architectural standards.
- Company: Join River Island, a beloved brand with a bright future and a diverse team.
- Benefits: Enjoy a 50% staff discount, flexible working, and generous holiday options.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on data-driven decision-making and AI integration across the business.
- Qualifications: Experience in data engineering or BI, with hands-on skills in SQL or Python.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with excellent career growth opportunities and a commitment to diversity.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Department: Architecture & Engineering
Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: Remote
Reporting To: Head of Software Development
Description
We’re looking for a Development Practice Lead who can move seamlessly between architecture discussions, hands‑on technical guidance, and coaching senior engineers. This isn’t a delivery or people‑management focused role. It’s a technical leadership position across three specialist areas: Data Engineering (specifically modelling), Business Intelligence, and Oracle E‑Business Suite / ODBMS, with an eye on emerging AI‑enabled Enterprise Architecture. You’ll line‑manage four Technical Leads and partner with Principal Engineers on architectural direction, solution design, and capability growth across RI Tech.
What you’ll do
- Lead the ‘Development Practice’ on matters of Data, BI, and Enterprise Systems; driving ambition and suggesting logic‑backed additions to roadmaps
- Coach and mentor four tech leads while staying hands‑on with architecture reviews and design decisions
- Define and enforce technical standards across our data stack: Snowflake, Airflow, AWS, Business Objects, and Oracle
- Collaborate with solution architects to evolve River Island’s enterprise data and integration strategy
- Review solution proposals and spot anti‑patterns in data flow, orchestration, and schema design
- Shape best practice around observability (OpenTelemetry), metadata management, and data mesh principles
Tech landscape
You’ll be dealing with:
- Databases: Snowflake (micro‑partitioning, clustering, schema design, cost optimisation), Oracle E‑Business Suite, ODBMS and SQL optimisation
- Visualisation tools: BusinessObjects and semantic‑layer modelling, PowerBI
- Airflow (DAG orchestration, retries/backfills, sensors vs operators)
- AWS (cross‑account IAM, VPC design, ECS/Lambda trade‑offs)
- Python, SQL, Terraform, and event‑driven microservices
- AI‑related integration (vector DBs, embeddings pipelines, OpenTelemetry)
What good looks like
- Led a data engineering or BI function and still enjoy getting your hands dirty in SQL or Python
- Successfully – or not – put PoCs together to promote an idea
- Designed or reviewed architecture diagrams for distributed data systems
- Coached technical leads or principal engineers in delivery and design quality
- Balanced pragmatic delivery with clean architecture and performance‑minded decisions
- You’re opinionated but curious, architecture‑literate, and allergic to buzz‑word managers
What we’re not looking for
- Project or delivery managers with no hands‑on technical depth
- Heads of BI who haven’t authored a query in 10 years
- People who can’t explain why clustering keys matter in Snowflake or how Airflow handles retries
Why join us
RI Tech is in the middle of modernising. We’ve built data vaults, now we’re simplifying, decoupling, and rebuilding around data‑driven decision‑making and composable architecture. You’ll help shape how we integrate data, analytics, and AI across the business – from Oracle to AWS to Snowflake.
About Us
We’re a much‑loved brand with an exciting future. Our Islanders are a diverse bunch of bright, talented people who love working together – and are proud of the work they do. Progression here can take you in all kinds of directions.
What we can offer you:
- Generous 50% staff discount so you can treat yourself to the latest products, and a bargain staff shop on site!
- Reducing Islanders everyday expenses through discounts, benefits, financial advice, wellbeing solutions and more through the Retail Trust.
- A free onsite gym, subsidised restaurant & café to fill your needs. Various social events to socialise throughout the year.
- Every family is unique, we support Islanders with all different family setups enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption & fertility treatment.
- Flexible working is a given, on top of payday and summer early finish Fridays.
- Support with upskilling through on the job training and qualifications.
- A generous bonus scheme & private pension plan.
- The choice to opt in for healthcare through our provider AXA.
- 25 days paid holiday, exclusive of Bank Holidays.
Keeping You Safe
At River Island we are committed to the safeguarding of all of our employees regardless of age or job role. We promote and encourage the belief in British Values – including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. Our Island is made up of a diverse community, where we all belong and feel part of something bigger. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio‑economic background, religion and/or belief.
Data Practice Lead employer: River Island Clothing Co., Ltd.
Contact Detail:
River Island Clothing Co., Ltd. Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Data Practice Lead
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, especially those who work at River Island or similar companies. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about the role and even a referral.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by brushing up on your technical skills. Make sure you can discuss data engineering concepts, SQL queries, and architecture design confidently. We want to see your hands-on experience shine!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your leadership skills during interviews. Talk about how you've coached others and led projects in the past. We love candidates who can inspire and guide their teams while staying technically savvy.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to 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 joining our team at River Island.
We think you need these skills to ace Data Practice Lead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Data Practice Lead role. Highlight your experience in data engineering, BI, and any hands-on technical work you've done. We want to see how your skills align with what we're looking for!
Show Off Your Technical Skills: Don’t hold back on showcasing your technical prowess! Mention specific tools and technologies you’ve worked with, like Snowflake, Airflow, or Python. We love seeing candidates who can get their hands dirty and have a solid understanding of the tech landscape.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. Use straightforward language and avoid jargon that might confuse us. We appreciate candidates who can communicate complex ideas simply and effectively.
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, you’ll find all the details about the role and our company culture there!
How to prepare for a job interview at River Island Clothing Co., Ltd.
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the specific technologies mentioned in the job description, like Snowflake, Airflow, and AWS. Brush up on your SQL and Python skills, as you'll likely be asked to demonstrate your hands-on technical knowledge during the interview.
✨Prepare for Architectural Discussions
Since this role involves architecture discussions, be ready to talk about your experience with designing and reviewing architecture diagrams. Think of examples where you've balanced clean architecture with performance, and be prepared to discuss how you approach solution design.
✨Showcase Your Coaching Skills
As a Data Practice Lead, mentoring is key. Prepare to share specific instances where you've coached or mentored technical leads. Highlight your approach to fostering growth and how you’ve helped others improve their technical skills.
✨Demonstrate Your Curiosity
The company values opinionated yet curious candidates. Be ready to discuss emerging trends in data engineering and AI, and how they might impact enterprise architecture. Show that you’re not just knowledgeable but also eager to learn and adapt.
