Hands On Data Lead - Snowflake/Azure/dbt

Project overview

Hands-On Data Lead - Snowflake/Azure/dbt

Contract | Outside IR35 | Fully Remote (UK-Wide)

Initial Contract: Until 31st December 2026

Project details

Fully Remote - UK-Wide

IR35 Status: Outside IR35

The Opportunity

We are seeking a hands-on Data Lead to join a data team on an initial contract through to the end of December 2026, with responsibility for delivering a key data integration programme.

The primary objective of the role is to design, develop and implement 20 new data integrations into Snowflake, ensuring data is integrated efficiently, reliably and in line with the organisation's wider data strategy.

This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced data professional who combines strong technical engineering capabilities with the ability to lead delivery, manage contract engineers and collaborate closely with permanent members of the data team.

The successful candidate will remain hands-on technically while taking ownership of delivery, providing technical direction and ensuring the integration programme progresses at pace.

Key Responsibilities

Required Experience & Skills

Contract Details

• Data Integration Delivery: Lead the design, development and implementation of 20 new data integrations into Snowflake.
• Hands-On Engineering: Build, develop and optimise data pipelines using Snowflake, dbt, Azure, Azure Synapse, SQL and Python.
• Technical Leadership: Provide hands-on technical guidance, establish best practices and ensure data solutions are scalable, robust and maintainable.
• Contractor Management: Coordinate and manage contract data engineers, overseeing workloads, delivery timelines and technical output.
• Team Collaboration: Work closely with permanent members of the data team, providing technical support, knowledge sharing and guidance where required.
• Data Transformation: Develop and maintain transformation workflows using dbt, ensuring data quality, consistency and reliability.
• Performance Optimisation: Identify opportunities to improve data pipeline performance, efficiency and overall platform architecture.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Work with relevant technical and business stakeholders to understand integration requirements and translate them into effective technical solutions.
• Delivery Ownership: Take responsibility for prioritisation, progress tracking, issue resolution and the successful delivery of the integration programme within the contract period.
• Proven experience in a hands-on Data Lead, Data Engineering Lead, Lead Data Engineer or similar senior data engineering role.
• Strong practical experience with Snowflake, including data integration and pipeline development.
• Experience using dbt for data transformation, modelling and development workflows.
• Strong experience across the Microsoft Azure data ecosystem, including Azure Synapse Analytics.
• Advanced SQL skills and strong Python development capabilities.
• Experience building, maintaining and optimising complex data pipelines and integrations.
• Previous experience managing or coordinating contract engineers or leading technical delivery within a data team.
• The ability to balance hands-on engineering responsibilities with technical leadership and delivery management.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with permanent employees, contractors and stakeholders.
• Initial contract through to 31st December 2026.
• Outside IR35.
• Fully remote working
• candidates based anywhere in the UK.
• Hands-on role with a clear delivery focus and ownership of a significant data integration programme.
• Start: flexible
• Location: England, UK, GB