Lead Data Engineer

Lead Data Engineer (GCP / BigQuery)

London (Hybrid) | £90k to £110k & Equity

We're partnering with a fast-scaling, London-based TechBio company building the data platform behind faster drug development.

They work with genuinely sensitive, population-scale health data on behalf of pharma and biotech clients - multi-terabyte datasets landing regularly from third parties and from Azure environments that need to be pulled safely into BigQuery.

They are already an international, partly remote team, they're a small, sharp group looking for someone who can take real ownership of the platform rather than simply maintain it.

The Role

You'll take ownership of the data platform end to end - designing ingestion patterns for large, irregular data drops, thinking carefully about cost and observability at scale, and working directly with internal teams to translate real client and clinical questions into production systems. You'll also help manage and mentor a mid-level engineer, with the team likely to grow further. This is a genuinely autonomous role in a fast-moving environment: priorities shift with client needs, and you'll be trusted to self-direct rather than wait for detailed instruction.

Requirements

• Hands-on, day-to-day experience running data platforms on GCP
• Uses Python daily in production systems, not just scripting
• Has operated BigQuery at real scale, and understands how it behaves under heavy query load
• Senior enough to work independently — this isn't a role for someone who needs close direction
• Comfortable reprioritising quickly in a fast-paced, client-facing startup
• Strong English communication skills; you'll interact directly with clients

Preferences

• Experience with Airflow, Terraform, or GKE
• Exposure to ISO27001 or SOC2, ideally ahead of a live audit
• Background in a startup or consultancy environment
• Life-sciences or healthtech experience (a plus, not required)

Process is fully remote: a short intro call, a technical interview with the CTO, a take-home coding exercise (roughly five days to complete, quick turnaround on feedback), then a conversation with the wider tech team - moving fast for the right candidate.

Benefits include unlimited holiday, medical insurance, education support, team socials, and the chance to spend time with the founding team in Dubai.