At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of a modern data platform and guide a team of Data Engineers.
- Company: Seasalt, a dynamic omnichannel retailer blending heritage with innovation.
- Benefits: 34 days annual leave, 50% employee discount, flexible working, and private medical scheme.
- Other info: Inclusive culture with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Join a growing team and make a real impact on data-driven decision making.
- Qualifications: Experience in data engineering and strong leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 45000 - 60000 £ per year.
Our first shop opened in 1981 in Penzance, selling durable clothing to artists and mariners. Today, we’re a modern, data-enabled omnichannel retailer with a growing international presence. We blend heritage with innovation, designing timeless clothing made from responsibly sourced fabrics, and using technology to improve how we operate, grow and serve customers.
As we scale in the UK and Europe (primarily through third-party partnerships), we’re investing in data, systems and digital capability to support our people and our growth. It’s an exciting time to join us!
Our Data Engineering Lead plays an important role in shaping how data supports the business. You’ll lead the development of a modern, scalable data platform, making sure data is reliable, well organised and ready for reporting, analysis and day-to-day decision making. By setting clear standards and guiding how data solutions are built, you’ll help create a consistent and dependable data environment that can grow with the business.
Working closely with teams across data, technology and the wider organisation, you’ll take a collaborative approach to improving how data is delivered and used. You’ll also lead and support a team of Data Engineers, helping them grow while staying hands-on with technical decisions and problem solving, ensuring the team delivers high-quality work in a fast-moving environment.
Please note this is a full-time, permanent role which is based remotely within the UK, with occasional travel to our Cornwall head offices.
You’ll help us by:
- Providing technical leadership across the design, development and optimisation of Seasalt’s Modern Data Platform, ensuring pipelines, models and data products are robust, scalable and maintainable.
- Defining and owning data engineering standards, including coding conventions, documentation, version control, testing and CI/CD practices.
- Leading the architecture and design of ingestion, transformation and modelling patterns, guiding the transition toward a Lakehouse architecture to ensure consistency.
- Overseeing the build and maintenance of ingestion pipelines, curated datasets (bronze/silver/gold), semantic models and reusable data assets.
- Working in close partnership with Data Support and Analytics roles to ensure platform reliability, effective incident resolution, reduced technical debt and analytics-ready datasets with consistent metrics.
- Driving continuous improvement by identifying opportunities for automation, performance optimisation, cost reduction and improved engineering efficiency.
- Maintaining clear architectural documentation including data flows diagrams, lineage, standard and technical patterns to support transparency and long-term platform sustainability.
- Planning and coordinating engineering resource across delivery initiatives, balancing BAU stability with strategic change and transformation programmes.
- Line manage and developing Data Engineers, providing coaching, technical direction, performance feedback and clear development pathways.
- Ensuring all engineering activity aligns with data governance, including metadata standards, data quality, security and privacy requirements.
- Acting as a subject-matter expert on data engineering, advising the wider business on platform capabilities, constraints, best practices and emerging technologies.
- Supporting vendor technical reviews, ensuring external engineering adheres to Seasalt’s architecture, coding and quality requirements.
- Contributing to the long-term data platform strategy.
The skills you’ll be sharing with the team:
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant technical discipline (e.g., Computer Science, Data Engineering, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Mathematics/Statistics) or equivalent professional experience, with strong grounding in programming, data, and cloud technologies.
- Proven leadership of data engineering workstreams delivering enterprise-grade pipelines and analytics-ready data models at scale.
- End-to-end Azure data platform build experience (e.g., ADF, Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, Synapse/SQL), with demonstrated reliability, performance tuning, and cost optimisation.
- Strong pattern-driven engineering capability, including the design and adoption of reusable standards across coding, CI/CD, testing, and observability.
- Advanced data modelling expertise across lakehouse/medallion layers and dimensional (star/snowflake) approaches, producing trusted, high-quality datasets.
- Clear ownership of production data services, accountable for stability, timely refreshes and root cause resolution in alongside service and operations teams.
- Excellent stakeholder, vendor, and cross-functional collaboration skills (both internally and externally), translating business needs into well-sequenced engineering delivery and holding partners to agreed technical standards and SLAs.
- Strong communicator and influencer, able to clearly explain complex technical concepts, guide decision-making and manage stakeholders at all levels.
- Demonstrated mentoring and coaching capability, providing hands-on technical leadership, code reviews, design guidance, and skills uplift within teams.
- Highly organised, resilient, and accountable, able to balance BAU stability with delivery deadlines, make sound trade-offs under pressure, and own outcomes end to end.
Why we hope you’ll love working with us:
The success of Seasalt is down to the skill and hard work of our team. We don't just want to attract the best and brightest people to come and work with us, we want you to stay and grow with us.
As well as doing everything we can to support your development professionally, we believe encouraging personal growth is just as important. So you can fulfil your passion and purpose, not just at work but in life, we offer a range of benefits that are designed to enhance your career and wellbeing:
- 34 days paid annual leave (including bank holidays), increasing with length of service
- Attractive 50% employee discount
- Flexible benefits allowance to personalise your benefits package
- Private Medical Scheme including 24/7 virtual GP
- Free access to our Employee Assistance Programme through Retail Trust with 24/7 support
- Pension plan with generous 7% employer contributions
- Life assurance programme
- Enhanced family leave policies
- Flexible working opportunities with our hybrid working approach
- Learning and Development opportunities
- Do Good Things with our two days per year paid volunteering opportunities
- Employee networks to develop and provide support to our people, including the Inclusion & Belonging Network
- 100s of savings on top retailers and gym memberships through our discount hub
At Seasalt we have a brilliant team of people – they're what make Seasalt a fantastic place to work. We love to celebrate uniqueness and are committed to making Seasalt a place where everyone feels they belong. As an inclusive employer, we want to invite a diverse range of candidates to apply for our roles.
We aim to work flexibly where possible and value a range of perspectives - diversity of thought helps us to grow – so please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come to work every day. We're happy to help with any adjustments to our recruitment process and beyond. Just drop us an email at careers@seasaltcornwall.co.uk
Closing date for applications is 17th June, however our roles can close earlier so we would recommend applying as soon as you are able.
Data Engineering Lead employer: SEASALT CORNWALL
Seasalt is an exceptional employer that prioritises the growth and wellbeing of its team members, offering a supportive work culture that values personal and professional development. With flexible working opportunities, generous benefits including 34 days of paid annual leave, and a commitment to inclusivity, Seasalt fosters an environment where employees can thrive while contributing to a modern, data-driven retail experience. Join us in our Cornwall-based team and be part of a company that celebrates uniqueness and encourages meaningful contributions.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Data Engineering Lead
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks 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
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your data engineering projects. This gives you a chance to demonstrate your expertise and makes you stand out from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on common data engineering questions and scenarios. Practice explaining your thought process and problem-solving approach, as this will help you shine during technical discussions.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team at Seasalt.
We think you need these skills to ace Data Engineering Lead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the Data Engineering Lead role. Highlight your relevant experience, especially in data platforms and leadership. We want to see how your skills align with what we’re looking for!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to tell us why you’re excited about this role and how you can contribute to our team. Be genuine and let your personality come through.
Showcase Your Technical Skills:Don’t forget to highlight your technical expertise, especially with Azure and data engineering standards. We’re keen to see examples of your work and how you’ve tackled challenges in the past.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us quickly and efficiently. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at SEASALT CORNWALL
✨Know Your Data Engineering Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your data engineering knowledge, especially around Azure data platforms like ADF and Databricks. Be ready to discuss your experience with building scalable data pipelines and how you've optimised performance in past projects.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Data Engineering Lead, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead a team effectively. Prepare examples of how you've mentored others, managed projects, and ensured high-quality deliverables in a fast-paced environment.
✨Understand the Business Context
Familiarise yourself with Seasalt's mission and values. Think about how your role can support their growth and innovation. Be prepared to discuss how data can drive decision-making and improve customer experiences in an omnichannel retail setting.
✨Prepare for Technical Questions
Expect technical questions that test your problem-solving skills and understanding of data architecture. Practice explaining complex concepts clearly, as you'll need to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
