Lead Data Engineer

A place to drive change 

Location:  Bradford or Peterborough, Hybrid with occasional travel for meetings.

Salary: £64,905 per annum

Permanent, 35 hours per week, Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm.

We’re on a journey of transformation. We’re finding new ways to achieve our purpose of providing families with affordable, sustainable and safe homes. We’re innovating for our customers and to create a thriving workspace that supports everyone.  

We’re a team of passionate, dedicated people, working to drive change for the better. We’re building something special here and we want driven, creative people to join us.  

If you’re looking for a career where you can be part of change, share your ideas and help us transform, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us and shape our future.  

About the role 

We’re building a modern data capability with real purpose to drive better decisions, understand our communities, and ultimately improve lives. If you want your expertise to have genuine impact, you’ll find huge opportunity here.

As our Lead Data Engineer, you'll:

• Design, deliver, and continually evolve our new organisational data platform
• Build reliable, scalable, well‑engineered data systems that make information easy to move, integrate, and analyse
• Shape the architecture, standards, and engineering practices that define our future
• Lead and develop a team of data engineers, coaching, upskilling, and inspiring them as they grow
• Stay hands‑on with complex builds, reviews, and production‑grade data solutions
• Help us move toward advanced analytics and, in time, AI‑driven workloads

You’ll be at the forefront of:

• A brand‑new modern data stack with full leadership support
• A clear organisational commitment to growing data maturity
• A mission‑driven environment where doing your best work also means doing good for communities
• The excitement of a new role where you can shape strategy, culture, ways of working, and technical direction

We’re looking for someone who’s energised by the challenge of building capability, who understands the real‑world context behind data (not just the pipelines) and who loves creating systems that empower people.

If you're passionate about innovation, inclusive leadership, and using technology to make a social difference, this role offers the space, support, and opportunity to truly shine.

Salary

The spot salary for this post is £64,905 per annum for applicants who fully meet the requirements of the post. If you’re still developing some of the skills or experience, you can start at a salary 5% or 10% below the spot rate, with clear support and progression opportunities to reach the full amount.

About you 

The essentials

• Experience providing technical leadership through design guidance, architecture reviews, and mentoring engineers. 
• Advanced SQL skills and strong understanding of analytical data modelling approaches (e.g. dimensional modelling, lakehouse modelling patterns).
• Strong hands-on expertise with Microsoft Azure data technologies such as Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Synapse Analytics, and Azure Data Lake Storage.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across engineering, analytics, and business teams.

The desirables

• Experience implementing lakehouse architectures using Microsoft Fabric or Databricks.
• Microsoft certifications in Azure Data Engineering or Solution Architecture.
• Experience working in Agile delivery environments (Scrum, SAFe, Jira, Azure DevOps).
• Expereience in meta data management
• Experience implementing data quality frameworks

The successful applicant will be subject to pre‑employment checks, such as DBS and social media screening, before an offer is confirmed.

Interviews

We want your candidate experience to reflect who we are - a place to grow, a place to thrive, a place to be you.

Stage 1: A Place to Connect
A call with the hiring manager. You’ll learn more about the role and team, and we’ll get to know you – your experience, goals, and what you bring.

Stage 2: A Place to Show Your Strengths
You'll deliver a presentation to the panel, complete a technical assessment and have a final behavioural and scenario-based interview focused on how you apply your knowledge to real-life situations. You'll be asked to complete a Congruity Questionnaire in advance.

We aim to make the process clear, supportive, and genuinely valuable – a place where you feel informed and confident at every step.

A place to build a future

We’ve got big ambitions and we’re looking for people who want to grow with us. Here, you’ll have the chance to learn new skills, shape your career, and thrive in a collaborative environment where your ideas matter.

And because we believe great work deserves great rewards, here’s what you can look forward to:
Generous time off – 28 days holiday plus bank holidays, an extra day for your birthday, and the option to buy more.
Health & wellbeing support – Cash health plan, Health MOTs, online GP access, gym discounts, and a dedicated volunteering day for a cause you care about.
Financial perks – Car leasing options, salary sacrifice schemes, and exclusive discounts through our benefits platform to help your money go further.
Future-focused benefits – Access to both Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit pension schemes through salary sacrifice, plus life assurance at three times your salary for peace of mind.
Family-friendly policies – Enhanced parental leave, flexible working options, and support for work-life balance.
Career development – From Stepping into Management and Management Essentials training to our Leadership Academy, apprenticeships, and more – we’ll help you grow and succeed.

This is more than a job – it’s a place where you can make an impact, feel valued, and be rewarded for what you do.

We’re Committed to Inclusion

We believe diversity makes us stronger and we’re committed to creating a place where everyone feels valued, respected, and able to thrive.

Our recruitment process is designed to be accessible and inclusive, and if you need any reasonable adjustments at any stage, just let us know – we’ll make it happen.

Because this isn’t just a workplace – it’s a place to belong.

Please don’t delay in submitting your application. Where roles are urgent or we receive a high volume of applications, we may interview and conclude the process prior to any closing date indicated.

If you have any queries about the role, please email: PeopleServices@accentgroup.org 

Please note candidates must have current eligibility to live and work in the UK, Accent do not currently hold a sponsorship license.

If you’re looking for a place you can make a positive difference to society, to our organisation and to your future, apply now.  

Recruitment Agencies: We work exclusively with partners on our preferred supplier list (PSL) and do not accept unsolicited CVs or speculative approaches from agencies for this role.