Data Engineering Manager

Who are we?

Howden is a collective – a group of talented and passionate people all around the world. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 18,000 employees spanning over 100 countries.

People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

Data Engineering Manager

Position
Data Engineering Manager to lead, mentor, and drive forward high-impact data initiatives while fostering a culture of excellence and collaboration.

Summary of the Role
Howden Group Services is growing itsdata engineering capabilityand is looking for an experiencedData Engineering Managerto lead a team ofhighly skilled engineersin designing and delivering scalable, metadata-driven data solutions. The ideal candidate will be astrategic leaderwith deep expertise inDatabricks and Azure data services, combined with a strong focus onpeople leadership, technical mentorship, and stakeholder management.

The role requiresan inspiring leaderwho can drive best practices, shape the data engineering roadmap, and align technical solutions with business objectives. The successful candidate will be responsible formanaging a team of engineers, ensuring high-quality delivery, and fostering a culture of innovation, learning, and collaboration.

Responsibilities
The successful candidate will:

Lead and managea team of data engineers, providing mentorship, career development, and performance management.

Define and drivethe data engineering strategy, aligning it with business goals and priorities.

Oversee the design and implementationof scalable, metadata-driven data pipelines usingDatabricks, Azure services, and orchestration frameworks.

Develop and enforce best practicesfordata engineering, DevOps, CI/CD, and data governanceacross the organisation.

Collaborate closelywith business stakeholders, data scientists, analysts, and IT teams totranslate business needs into scalable data solutions.

Champion innovationby evaluating and adopting new technologies, tools, and approaches to enhance data engineering capabilities.

Drive continuous improvement, ensuring high performance, reliability, and efficiency of data pipelines.

Ensure compliancewithdata security, governance, and regulatory requirements.

Manage team workload, prioritisation, and delivery, ensuring high-quality and timely execution of projects.

Foster a collaborative and high-performing culture, encouraging knowledge sharing and cross-functional engagement.

Requirements
Candidates should have:

7+ years of experienceindata engineering, with at least3+ years in a leadership or management role.

Strong leadership skills, with experience inmanaging, mentoring, and developing engineering teams.

Deep expertiseinDatabricks (SQL & PySpark)andAzure data services(ADF, Synapse, ADLS).

Proven abilityto drivedata engineering strategies, best practices, and architectural decisions.

Experience inbuilding and scaling metadata-driven data solutions.

Strong understanding ofCI/CD, DevOps practices, and infrastructure as code (Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates).

Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into business value.

Experience withdata governance, security, and compliance frameworks.

Passion for people development, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture.

Experience in budgeting, resource planning, and vendor management(preferred).

Industry experience in insurance data(not essential, but preferred).

This is aleadership opportunityfor an experiencedData Engineering Managerwho wants tobuild and scale a high-performing team,drive strategic impact, and shape the future ofdata engineering within a modern Azure-based data ecosystem.

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden type. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new

We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges

We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond

Reasonable adjustments

We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.

If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.

Permanent