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Lead Data Engineer

AMWINS UK
City of London
1 week ago
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Lead Data Engineer
Amwins Global Risks | London | Permanent
The Opportunity

Amwins Global Risks is building their first dedicated Data Engineering team as part of an ambitious new Data Strategy. This is a rare chance to join a top 10 Lloyd's contributor at the ground floor of their data transformation journey.


This role is perfect for a hands-on technical leader who thrives in entrepreneurial environments - someone who wants to own and build a data platform from the ground up rather than inherit established systems.


The Role in Context

  • New team creation: Leading 4-5 Data Engineers in a greenfield environment
  • Low data maturity starting point: All the challenges and opportunities that come with building from scratch
  • High autonomy: You'll own the data platform and have the freedom to establish technical frameworks
  • Reporting to: Ben Sutton, Head of Reporting & Analytics (DataIQ Future Leaders 2025 recipient)
  • Technology stack: Azure (Data Factory, Data Lake, DevOps) + Databricks

Key Selling Points

Own the entire data platform - not just maintaining someone else's work


Define technical standards from the ground up


Small but mighty team - high impact, collaborative environment


Hands-on leadership - split between coding and team management


Established, stable company with global reach (800+ employees, 150+ countries)


Investment in growth - flat structure that values expertise and relationships


Ideal Candidate Profile
Must-haves:

  • Hands-on coding appetite - this isn't a pure management role
  • Team leadership experience - comfortable managing and mentoring engineers
  • Advanced skills: SQL, Python, PySpark, Databricks, Azure stack
  • Enjoys building from scratch - thrives in low-maturity, high-potential environments

Deal-breakers:

  • ❌ Candidates who've "moved away" from hands-on engineering
  • ❌ Those uncomfortable with people management responsibilities
  • ❌ Anyone seeking established, mature data environments

Target Markets & Approach
Sectors to explore:

  • Financial Services (beyond insurance)
  • Don't limit to Lloyd's/London Market - we're open to strong engineers from any industry
  • Technology companies with strong data engineering practices
  • Scale-ups where candidates have built teams/platforms from scratch

Ideal background:

  • Principal/Lead Data Engineers looking for more ownership
  • Senior Data Engineers ready to step into leadership
  • Technical leaders who've built data platforms in challenging environments

Logistics

  • Hybrid working: 2-3 days in London office (potentially more initially)
  • Start date: Flexible - new role allows for proper onboarding

Key Interview Themes

  1. Hands-on technical skills - expect coding discussions/challenges
  2. Leadership philosophy - how they'd build and mentor a new team
  3. Problem-solving in low-maturity environments - comfort with ambiguity
  4. Ownership mindset - examples of building systems from scratch


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