Location: Hybrid - minimum of 1 day pw in London
Salary: From £70,000 + 10% discretionary bonus
Level: Lead-level, with ownership of data engineering standards, platform architecture, and a small team
We are looking for a Lead Data Engineer to join our SMG Platform team. In this role, you will lead the design, delivery and evolution of scalable, secure, and high-performing data platforms, combining hands-on engineering with architectural oversight. You’ll shape how data is integrated, governed and activated across the business, enabling analytics, AI and commercial decision-making at scale.
If you love variety, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and embrace change with energy, this could be your right role.
At SMG, we hire for the future, which is fast-moving and changing shape Do you have the potential to help shape our business? We’re looking for brilliant, diverse talent who want to grow with us—people who are curious, ambitious, and eager to learn, whether as specialists or across teams.
Our culture is everything. If you’re someone who stays honest, stays hungry, stays foolish, and has fun, you’ll feel right at home here.
We value those who take ownership of their growth and bring fresh perspectives. That’s why we’re committed to equity, inclusion, and building a place where everyone feels empowered to grow At SMG, it’s not just about filling a role but building the future together.
10% discretionary bonus
£1,800 yearly wellbeing fund (on top of your salary!)
Free Headspace subscription
£500 yearly “Learning Fund” for learning
4 extra Wellbeing Days off per year
4pm finishes every Friday
Flexible and hybrid working
We move fast, adapt quickly, and like to challenge each other. We're looking for people who enjoy the buzz of change, the satisfaction of building something better, and the joy of working with a close-knit, values-driven team
This isn’t for everyone, but if you thrive in this environment, we’d love to meet you!
You’ll bring:
Strong experience in data engineering or data platform roles with hands-on expertise in SQL, Python and distributed processing frameworks (e.g. Spark)
Proven track record designing and operating modern cloud data platforms (e.g. Snowflake, Databricks)
Deep understanding of cloud environments (Azure/AWS) and associated data services
Experience implementing secure data practices including access control, encryption, and audit logging
Knowledge of CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code (e.g. Terraform), and Git-based workflows
Experience building high-quality, well-documented data products for analytics and BI use cases
Strong stakeholder communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts into business value
Experience mentoring or leading engineers while remaining hands-on with development
Some additional nice to haves:
Experience with orchestration tools (Airflow, Azure Data Factory) and dbt
Familiarity with BI tooling such as Power BI
Exposure to MLOps, feature stores, or AI/ML data platforms
Knowledge of GDPR and secure data sharing practices
Experience within retail, commerce media or AdTech environments
Don’t meet every single requirement? We still want to hear from you. If you believe you’d thrive in this role, your unique perspective might be just what we’re looking for.
Your days will be dynamic. You might find yourself:
Designing and building scalable data pipelines across ingestion, transformation and delivery layers
Defining and implementing reusable data engineering patterns and best practices
Optimising performance and cost across cloud-based data platforms
Establishing CI/CD, testing frameworks, and data quality standards
Leading and mentoring a team of Data Engineers while contributing hands-on to complex builds
Collaborating with BI, Analytics, Product and AI teams to deliver reliable data products
Driving data platform observability, monitoring, lineage and SLA reporting
Leading incident response and improving platform reliability through post-incident reviews
Supporting secure data sharing, governance, and compliance with internal and client requirements
Enabling analytics and AI teams with clean, well-structured and governed datasets
Stay honest. Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Have fun.
Explore what that means to us here
Still Curious?
We always send a confirmation email - check your spam if you don’t see it. Problems? Email: careers@smg.team
Our full data retention policy can be found here
We’re the original pioneers in connected commerce marketing. For more than 16 years, we’ve been partnering with major retailers, powering global brands, and building meaningful connections with shoppers.
We simplify the mind-boggling complexity of today’s retail media landscape. We deliver impactful campaigns that connect with people where it matters. We create seamless and personalised shopping experiences. Above all, we deliver amazing results for our partners, driven by our unshakeable desire for growth.
Time after time, we change the game. SMG is home to a world-class suite of commerce advertising capabilities powered by data and cutting-edge technology. We constantly push ourselves, our tech and our industry to discover innovative new ways to connect, sell and grow.
Our brilliant people are the ones who make change happen. Straight-talking, fiercely driven, and with a thirst for challenging the status quo, we’re united in spirit and culture. Positively disrupting retail and creating campaigns with impact, we’re taking everyone with us on extraordinary adventures in connected commerce.
