At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative data engineering solutions and drive cloud transformation projects.
- Company: Fast-growing Databricks practice delivering enterprise data and AI solutions across APAC.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a collaborative environment with a focus on innovation and hands-on leadership.
- Why this job: Shape the future of data engineering while mentoring a dynamic team.
- Qualifications: 12+ years in data engineering, deep Spark expertise, and strong presales skills.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ per year.
We are building a fast-growing Databricks practice delivering enterprise data and AI solutions across APAC.
As Lead Solution Architect – Data Engineering, you will be the technical anchor of the practice: leading solution design on client engagements, owning and defending enterprise architectures in presales, and driving large-scale migration and cloud transformation programs.
This is a hands-on leadership role for a builder who can equally command a whiteboard in front of a CTO and a Spark UI when a pipeline misbehaves.
You will also shape the practice itself — mentoring engineers, creating accelerators and reusable assets, and converting delivery success into case studies and go-to-market offerings.
- Architecture & Delivery
- Own end-to-end architecture and design decisions on Databricks engagements, ensuring solutions are secure, scalable, performant, and aligned with Lakehouse best practices.
- Lead delivery of production-grade data platforms — ingestion, transformation, orchestration, governance through Unity Catalog, and downstream BI/ML enablement.
- Lead large-scale migrations (legacy DW/ETL, Hadoop, on-prem estates) and cloud transformation projects to Databricks on Azure/AWS/GCP, including assessment, wave planning, and cutover.
- Stay hands-on: performance tuning, debugging, code and design reviews, and setting engineering standards for the team.
- Presales & Stakeholder Management
- Own and defend enterprise solution designs in front of architecture boards, CIOs, and CTOs — and enjoy it.
- Drive presales end-to-end: discovery, solutioning, estimation, Po Cs, RFPs, and proposals that convert.
- Translate hard technical trade-offs into decisions executives can act on — from engineer to boardroom without changing gears.
- Who Thrives Here
- A builder at heart — 12+ years in data engineering/architecture, 3+ on Databricks at enterprise scale, and still happiest when hands are on the keyboard.
- Deep Spark expertise — architecture, performance tuning, streaming, debugging, the advanced stuff that separates architects from diagram-drawers.
- Lakehouse fluency — Medallion architecture, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, governance, orchestration (Workflows, DLT/Lakeflow, Airflow, ADF); Microsoft Fabric exposure a bonus.
- Battle-tested in migrations — you've led large transformation programs and have the scars and success stories to show for it.
- Presales instinct — you don't just design solutions; you sell them, price them, and defend them under fire.
- Modern edge — strong Python/SQL/Scala, CI/CD for data platforms, and comfort integrating ML/AI (MLflow, LLM APIs like Open AI and Anthropic) into what you build.
- Certified credibility — Databricks Data Engineer Professional / SA accreditations strongly preferred.
- Founder energy — curiosity, adaptability, and the drive to build offerings, not just deliver projects
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
Chief Architect - Data Engineering (Databricks Practice) in London employer: Unison Group
Unison Group is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, perfect for those passionate about AI and data solutions. With a focus on employee growth, we offer opportunities for professional development and the chance to lead transformative projects in a dynamic environment. Located in Australia, our team enjoys a supportive atmosphere that values creativity and teamwork, making it an ideal place for meaningful and rewarding employment.
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We think you need these skills to ace Chief Architect - Data Engineering (Databricks Practice) in London
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Show Off Your Projects:In the world of data science, your projects can speak volumes about your skills. Make sure to showcase a few key projects in your CV or portfolio, especially those that highlight your ability to work with data sets, build models, or use relevant tools like Python, R, or SQL. Don’t forget to include links to any GitHub repositories if applicable!
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