We're looking for an experienced Head of Data Engineering to lead and develop a growing data engineering function within a major retail business. This is a senior leadership position, responsible for shaping the data engineering strategy, overseeing delivery and establishing best-practice engineering standards across an enterprise-scale Azure Databricks environment. You'll lead internal engineering teams and third-party partners, driving improvements across data architecture, DataOps, governance, quality and cost efficiency. Key Responsibilities: Lead and develop the data engineering function, including internal teams and external delivery partners. Own the design, development and delivery of enterprise-scale data products. Establish and embed engineering standards, best practices and a robust DataOps operating model. Drive improvements across data quality, governance, monitoring and platform performance. Oversee data engineering costs, optimisation and delivery efficiency. Work closely with senior stakeholders, data science and technology teams. Help shape the future direction of data applications, machine learning and AI engineering. Extensive experience leading enterprise-scale data engineering teams. Strong hands-on experience with Azure Databricks and the wider Azure ecosystem. Strong knowledge of Unity Catalog, Delta Lake, Lakeflow / Delta Live Tables and Databricks Workflows. Experience implementing CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code and automated testing. Proven experience establishing DataOps practices, engineering standards and data governance. Strong understanding of data architecture, performance optimisation and cost management. Experience managing third-party delivery partners and engaging with senior stakeholders. Experience building data applications on the Databricks Lakehouse. Exposure to MLflow, Mosaic AI, RAG and agentic AI solutions. Experience taking machine learning and AI workloads into production. Background in retail, grocery, supply chain or another high-volume transactional environment. This is a fantastic opportunity for an established data engineering leader to take ownership of a significant enterprise data environment and help shape its future direction, including its growing AI capabilities.
Head of Data Engineering employer: TechYard
Join a dynamic consultancy that champions innovation in Data & AI transformation, where your expertise as a Senior Cloud Engineer will be valued and nurtured. With a strong emphasis on collaboration and professional growth, you'll have access to cutting-edge tools and technologies while working alongside industry leaders in a supportive environment. Located in a vibrant tech hub, this role offers unique opportunities to engage with enterprise clients and make a tangible impact on their AI initiatives.
