Head of Data Engineering Practice

Here at Serco, we’re seeking a highly experienced Head of Data Engineering Practice to define and lead the strategic direction, standards, and delivery approach for data engineering across our UK and Europe digital and data platforms. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for shaping how our enterprise data platforms evolve, driving modern engineering capability, scaling high‑performing teams, and enabling the next generation of AI, machine learning, and agentic AI‑driven capabilities. A deep, hands‑on understanding of Databricks is essential. This role will set the direction for our Lakehouse architecture, data product approach, and scalable AI‑ready data foundations. You will operate at senior leadership level, partnering across Digital, Architecture, Delivery, and Business domains to ensure our data platforms are resilient, governed, cost‑effective, and built for continuous innovation. A core focus of the role is to evolve the platform toward AI‑ready, event‑driven, and agentic AI‑enabled architectures, leveraging Databricks as the foundational technology layer.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the Data Engineering Practice strategy, operating model, and roadmap, aligned to enterprise digital and data ambitions.
• Act as senior technical authority for data engineering and Databricks Lakehouse architecture, including Delta Lake, Spark, and modern data platform patterns.
• Build and scale a high‑performing team of AI Engineers, Lead Data Engineers, and platform specialists within a complex matrix environment.
• Establish enterprise‑wide engineering standards, DataOps practices, CI/CD, testing, and governance frameworks.
• Drive adoption of modern architecture approaches including data mesh, data products, event‑driven and scalable pipeline design.
• Ensure platforms are AI‑ready by enabling AI/ML and agentic AI use cases, underpinned by strong Responsible AI and data governance principles.
• Oversee design of scalable, resilient data pipelines across batch, streaming, and API‑based integration patterns.
• Define and enforce data contracts, schema management, data quality, and lineage standards.
• Shape the Digital Data Platform roadmap in partnership with Architecture, Operations, and Delivery leadership.
• Drive engineering maturity, cost optimisation, reuse, and automation across the platform ecosystem.
• Embed DevOps/DataOps ways of working including observability, incident management, and continuous improvement.
• Influence senior stakeholders to align priorities, resolve dependencies, and ensure consistent delivery across portfolios.

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience in data engineering, data platforms, or large‑scale data transformation programmes.
• Strong, hands‑on Databricks experience is essential (Lakehouse, Spark, Delta, Unity Catalog preferred).
• Proven experience building and leading data engineering teams in large, complex, matrix organisations.
• Strong cloud data platform experience (Azure, AWS or GCP).
• Deep understanding of modern data engineering practices: ETL/ELT, DataOps, orchestration, data modelling.
• Experience defining engineering standards, architecture patterns, and delivery governance.
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to influence at senior leadership level.
• Data mesh and data product operating models – desirable.
• MLOps and operationalisation of machine learning workflows – desirable.
• SAP or enterprise data integration experience – desirable.
• Familiarity with DAMA, TOGAF, or cloud architecture frameworks – desirable.

This role requires SC clearance or the ability to achieve it, Disability Confident.

Benefits

• Company car or £5860 cash alternative.
• Bonus scheme of 15% on target.
• Private healthcare (couple).
• Exec health screening (individual).
• Flexible working considered.
• Pension – 10%.
• Life assurance.
• Chance to contribute to innovation in the public services.
• A company passionate about diversity and inclusion.
• Serco discounts – cinema, entertainment, online shopping, mobile phone plans, leisure centre memberships.
• Career development training to suit your future aspirations (role specific training, leadership coaching, formal study, and more).
• A safe and supportive culture.