Head of Data Engineering Practice

Hybrid – Attached to our Solihull, London or Hook office

Full Time, Permanent

Band 1.4 / Up to £110,000 (dependent on experience)

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 & 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.

As part of this you’ll:

• 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

What you’ll need to do the role:

• 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, and 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 / 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.

Why Serco: Meaningful and vital work: In this position, your work is vital to the business, in terms of decisions and growth. You will gain a world of opportunity working for a globally operating business delivering essential services across 5 vital sectors, personal growth, achievement and development won’t be hard to find. You'll also work with great people. You’ll find yourself working in a highly motivated, supportive environment where no two days are the same, with experienced colleagues who strive for excellence.

What we offer:

• Company car / £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 which include cinema, merlin entertainment and online shopping discounts, and discounts on mobile phone plans and leisure centre memberships.
• A wealth of career development training to suit your future aspirations.
• A safe and supportive culture.

About Serco: At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services. We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Apply: Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.

For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.