Lead Data & AI Engineer

Lead Data & AI Engineer | Lancashire | Up to £85,000

We’re partnering with an established international engineering and manufacturing business to recruit its first senior data hire.

You’ll take ownership of building a group-wide Microsoft Fabric platform, bringing together data from core business systems and giving teams reliable information to support their decisions.

This is a hands-on opportunity with real influence over architecture, delivery and the future direction of the data function. You’ll work directly with senior stakeholders, establish the foundations for trusted reporting and help introduce conversational AI tools that allow colleagues to ask questions of governed business data.

The role

You’ll own the platform from requirements through to delivery and ongoing operation. With no dedicated data team currently in place, you’ll need to be comfortable setting priorities, making technical decisions and getting stuck into the build.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Designing, building and running a Microsoft Fabric platform, including data pipelines, performance, reliability and running costs.
• Integrating ERP, CRM, HR and other operational systems across international business entities.
• Working with senior leaders and business teams to agree requirements and maintain a realistic, prioritised delivery backlog.
• Developing shared Power BI semantic models, agreed KPI definitions and executive and operational reporting.
• Establishing practical standards for data quality, ownership, security and access.
• Putting source control, CI/CD, automated testing, monitoring and documentation in place.
• Preparing governed datasets and semantic models for use with conversational AI, working alongside an AI and automation partner.
• Supporting self-service analytics and helping shape the future data team.

What we’re looking for

• Experience designing and building a data platform from scratch, with ownership of both architecture and hands-on delivery.
• Strong SQL and Python or PySpark skills, alongside experience with ELT pipelines, dimensional modelling and modern engineering practices.
• Hands-on Microsoft Fabric experience is essential, with additional Databricks experience advantageous.
• Strong Power BI semantic modelling and DAX skills.
• Confidence working as the sole senior data specialist in a business developing its data capability.
• The ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions, challenge conflicting priorities and explain decisions clearly.

Useful additional experience

Experience with Business Central or a comparable ERP, manufacturing or distribution data, and multi-entity or multi-currency reporting would be valuable.

Exposure to Copilot, conversational analytics or AI agents accessing governed business data would also be useful, but previous AI delivery experience is not essential.

Why join?

This is an opportunity to take a platform from its earliest stages into everyday business use. You’ll have direct access to senior stakeholders, ownership of the technical foundations and the chance to influence how the data function develops as the business’s needs grow.