Data Engineer

Who are we? Smarkets runs one of the world’s most sophisticated prediction markets, handling over £29 billion in volume since 2010 and engaging 200,000+ traders globally. We’re a technology company that revolutionises betting - from sports to political markets, delivering the sharpest prices and the fairest odds. Our stack is designed for scale, reliability, and speed: Linux, Kafka, Postgres, Kubernetes, with Python 3, C++, Rust and React powering our platform. We build infrastructure that institutions trust while keeping trading accessible to everyone.

The Data Team is responsible for taking the wealth of data that Smarkets generates and using it to drive insights which improve the business. Since Smarkets produces a huge amount of data - including sports event data, payments information, order flow and user analytics - there are many opportunities for the team to add real business value. The team’s responsibilities currently span across three different areas:

• Data Engineering: development and maintenance of ETL pipelines, services and APIs, and data-related infrastructure like Redshift or BigQuery;
• Data Science and Machine Learning: data exploration, ML models training and ML Ops to extract new insights from data;
• Analytics and Reporting: creation of data models and dashboards as well as automation of reporting pipelines for different teams, stakeholders and third-parties.

In a typical week, a data engineer in the Data team would:

• Add a new python ETL pipeline that segments users interested in specific sports through analysing behaviour which streamlines and tailors marketing communications to those users;
• Develop a new endpoint to a Flask API, add unit tests, and deploy the new version of the API into our production Kubernetes cluster;
• Train and evaluate an ML model to identify certain user patterns and provide it as service to other engineering teams in a Flask API;

Our current technology stack primarily includes Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, Kafka, Python, Flask/FastAPI, Postgres, AWS Redshift, dbt, Google Bigquery, Prometheus, Grafana, Elastic Search, Kibana, Lightdash.

About the Role: You will work very closely with the Data team lead and the other team members who will be assisting you whenever needed, making your integration in the company as smooth as possible. The Data team works in an organised way using Agile methodologies and tools such as Jira and regular standups. You will find an environment where you have a clear engineering direction, can focus on your work and hone your skills as a data engineer through exciting projects. You will always be able to count on the support of many engineers across the company.

What you will do: As a member of the data team, your responsibilities will include contributions to:

• Developing and maintaining our Data ETL pipelines, some of which are real-time. The pipelines are fundamental to helping teams and stakeholders understand and drive business direction. Data components can also be user facing e.g. sending notifications to users;
• Ensuring our data lake is kept in a healthy state, particularly our data warehouses: Redshift and Bigquery;
• Developing and maintaining Flask services and Postgres databases within the Data team to provide access to data or manage certain business entities relevant to Data;
• Assisting the different teams in the company with reporting, especially when it comes to automated reporting pipelines;
• Doing data exploration and training & deploying ML models used to perform different kinds of user segmentation, detect operational anomalies or estimate important business quantities. In particular maintain and improve our existing recommender service that provides users with suggestions on new sport competitions.

Role Requirements: What we are looking for in you:

• 3+ years of experience
• You have an understanding of developing ETL pipelines using Python frameworks such as luigi or airflow;
• You have experience with the development of Python-based REST APIs / services and their integration with databases (e.g. Postgres);
• You are familiar with the key tools of the Python data science stack, e.g. Pandas, Numpy and scikit-learn;
• Some experience with training and deploying ML models;
• You enjoy writing elegant, well-tested and maintainable code;
• You are a team player that enjoys contributing to the success of the team in a proactive and friendly environment;
• You have a bachelor’s in Computer Science, Math or equivalent field, or possess relevant experience.

Our Values: Our values are at the heart of everything we do - guiding how we work, collaborate, and innovate. They reflect what we expect of ourselves and each other to deliver the best results, while fostering a positive, high-performing environment:

• Push to Win: We set ambitious goals and relentlessly pursue them, always striving for excellence.
• Make Others Better: We lift each other up, share knowledge, and celebrate team success over individual achievement.
• Give a Shit: We care deeply about our work, our users, and the impact we make.
• Be a Pro: We take ownership, act with integrity, and consistently deliver to a high standard.
• Bring the Energy: We bring positivity, curiosity, and enthusiasm to everything we do, inspiring those around us.

Culture Fit: These values define how we succeed as a team. If this isn’t you, this may not be the right place. We hire people who thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, and ambitious environment.

Perks & Benefits: We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, alongside a dynamic, collaborative environment where your work truly makes an impact and your voice is heard. Our team is diverse, driven, and ambitious - united by a strong work ethic and a hunger to innovate and win. Our benefits are designed around Health, Wealth, and Development, supporting you both professionally and personally. These include:

• Stock Options: Vest over 4 years - your success is our success.
• Pension Scheme: Competitive plan via Aviva, with up to 6% matched contributions if you opt in.
• Health Insurance: Comprehensive coverage to keep you and your family healthy.
• Enhanced Parental Leave: Enhanced maternity and paternity leave to support you through life’s most important moments.
• Stay Fuelled: Enjoy fresh, chef‑made breakfast and lunch every day, plus a constant supply of fruit, snacks, tea, coffee and soft drinks — because great work starts with great food.
• Cycle-to-Work Scheme: Support for sustainable commuting and staying active.
• Learning & Development: £1,000 annual education budget for courses, conferences, books, or training.
• Holiday: 25 days paid leave + bank holidays, with the option to carry over 5 days.
• Flexible Working: Choose to work 1 day from home (20 WFA days/year) or 2 days from home (5 WFA days/year) based on your needs and preferences.
• Team Energy: Regular socials, hackathons, and events — because collaboration and fun go hand-in-hand.

What happens next: We aim to have a simple and speedy hiring process and we want to make sure that we are right for you as much as the other way around.

• CV application review - We will review it as quickly as possible
• Let’s chat - Quick chat with our team about your experience and the role
• Technical Interview - Live Technical Interview + Experience and Mindset Chat
• In-Office Interview - Lunch with other colleagues in the team + COO Chat

Diversity & Inclusion: We’re an equal opportunities employer and celebrate diversity in all its forms. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know — we’re happy to accommodate your needs.