Data Engineer-Best UK Data Jobs 2025
Lead Data Engineer – London (Hybrid, 3 Days Onsite) – Banking & Financial Technology
About the Company
At Twelve, we are transforming the future of finance. One of the UK’s fastest-growing financial technology firms, we are rewriting the rules on how companies access, comprehend, and control capital. Our purpose is to equip organizations with smart, data-led lending and financial solutions that push the boundaries of conventional banking.
Our platform leverages advanced data engineering, machine learning, and automation to offer real-time insights and more intelligent decision-making to companies of all sizes. We think that financial innovation must be accessible, transparent, and sustainable — and we’re developing the technology that enables this.
At Twelve, you will be part of a community where data scientists, engineers, and business professionals collaborate to tackle intricate issues. We believe in a culture that reflects curiosity, creativity, and improvement. All ideas matter, and every engineer has a direct contribution to make towards the future of financial services.
The Opportunity
We are seeking a senior Lead Data Engineer to be part of our expanding Data and Analytics team based in London. This is an opportunity for a data expert who excels as a leader, loves designing state-of-the-art data architecture, and has the passion to develop scalable, secure, and high-performance data platforms.
As our Lead Data Engineer, you will establish the technical vision, set best practices, and lead a high-performing team of data engineers. You will build the foundation of our data infrastructure — from designing effective data pipelines to powering sophisticated analytics and machine learning models.
You will collaborate extensively with product, analytics, and machine learning teams to ensure there is the proper data infrastructure in place to facilitate high-speed innovation and dependable decision-making. This is a hands-on leadership position that balances strategy, architecture, and execution equally.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership and Strategy
Establish the long-term vision and roadmap for data engineering, setting it against Twelve’s business strategy and expansion objectives.
Establish engineering standards, coding habits, and architectural guidelines that are scalable, reliable, and secure.
Serve as the data infrastructure subject-matter expert, influencing data modeling, ETL, data lake, and real-time processing architectural decisions.
Assess and implement new technologies and tools that strengthen our data stack and enhance developer productivity.
Team Leadership and Mentoring
Manage a team of 4–6 experienced data engineers, offering mentorship, technical leadership, and career guidance.
Develop a collaborative team environment where innovation, accountability, and ongoing learning are valued.
Run frequent code reviews, encourage pair programming, and maintain high engineering standards on all deliverables.
Collaborate with the Head of Data and other tech leaders to expand the data engineering capability as the company scales.
Data Platform Development
Design, develop, and optimize resilient, automated data pipelines that enable analytics, reporting, and machine learning workloads.
Guide the migration and modernization of our data infrastructure with current data stack tools like DBT, Airflow, Terraform, and BigQuery (or similar cloud data warehouses).
Enforce best-in-class data governance practices to ensure data quality, consistency, and alignment with internal and external regulations.
Design highly scalable data models and schemas that facilitate self-service analytics and minimize time-to-insight for stakeholders.
Cloud and Infrastructure Management
Establish and operate our data infrastructure in the cloud (GCP or AWS) based on infrastructure-as-code principles.
Make all data services secure, fault-tolerant, and cost-effective, with proper monitoring and alerting mechanisms established.
Establish a “You build it, you run it” DevOps culture, where full-stack ownership of data services lifecycle — design, deployment, maintenance, and optimization — is adopted.
Collaboration and Stakeholder Management
Work closely with data scientists, analysts, product managers, and business leaders to comprehend data requirements and provide pragmatic, scalable solutions.
Interpret difficult technical ideas into transparent business insights so non-technical stakeholders can grasp the benefits of data-driven decision making.
Help lead data democratization efforts, enabling teams throughout the organization to access and leverage high-quality data.
Skills and Experience
To succeed in this position, you must have both technical sophistication and leadership background. You will be at ease building data architectures from scratch, guiding teams, and operating within a high-paced fintech environment.
Critical Qualifications:
7+ years of professional experience in data engineering or comparable fields.
2+ years in a technical leadership or management role, managing data or software engineering teams.
Hands-on experience with next-generation data stacks involving:
Data transformation: DBT (Data Build Tool) or equivalent frameworks.
Data warehousing: Google BigQuery, Snowflake, or Amazon Redshift.
Workflow orchestration: Apache Airflow, Dagster, or Prefect.
Infrastructure as Code: Terraform or CloudFormation.
Cloud platforms: Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Advanced Python and SQL programming skills.
Sound knowledge of data modeling, ETL/ELT design, and performance optimization.
Demonstrated experience in applying DevOps best practices for data engineering — CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker), and monitoring.
Strong grasp of data security, compliance, and privacy fundamentals in regulated sectors like banking or finance.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with streaming data platforms like Kafka, Pub/Sub, or Kinesis.
Familiarity with machine learning pipelines or MLOps platforms.
Data cataloguing and lineage tool knowledge (e.g., DataHub, Collibra, Alation).
Background in the banking, financial services, or fintech industry.
Computer Science, Data Engineering, or related field Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.
Why Join Twelve?
Here at Twelve, we’re not simply creating technology — we’re creating the ground for the future of business finance. Working for us means being part of a purpose-led company that believes in impact, integrity, and innovation.
Here’s what you can look forward to when you join us:
- Competitive Rewards
A competitive salary based on your experience and expertise.
Equity options, so you benefit from the success of the company.
Performance-based bonuses and reward programs.
- Comprehensive Benefits
Generous holiday allowance and flexible working arrangements.
Improved family leave policies and well-being support.
Private healthcare, pension contributions, and life insurance cover.
Flexibility to work from home and in a hybrid model with three days a week in our London office.
- Professional Growth
Committed learning and development budget for training, certifications, and conferences.
Mentorship programs and career development paths within the organization.
Autonomy to try new technologies and turn innovative concepts into reality.
- Collaborative Culture
A diverse, inclusive team that respects open communication and mutual respect.
Weekly team events, knowledge sessions, and hackathons.
A culture based on transparency, curiosity, and data-driven decision making.
Our Values
Twelve’s values guide our actions every day:
Integrity – We are honest, open, and responsible.
Innovation – We try boldly and learn rapidly.
Collaboration – We get more done together.
Empowerment – We empower our people to make decisions that create impact.
Customer Focus – We construct with compassion and place our clients at the center of each decision.
How to Apply-Best UK Data Jobs 2025
If you’re a seasoned data engineer seeking your next step into a strategic leadership position, we’d be keen to hear from you.
Please apply through LinkedIn or directly via our careers portal with:
Your CV or resume detailing relevant experience.
A concise cover letter describing why you’re enthusiastic about this position and how you can help advance Twelve’s purpose.
We consider applications on a rolling basis and will respond to all candidates in due course.
Join Us
This is your chance to leave a lasting mark on the future of finance — to build a team that creates world-class data infrastructure fueling smarter, faster, and fairer financial products.
If you’re ready to lead, innovate, and grow with a forward-thinking fintech, apply today and be part of the journey to redefine what’s possible in financial technology.
