Data Engineering Lead

Join Barclays as a Data Engineering Lead and be part of a major data transformation within our Consumer Credit Risk (CCR) function. We're building a brand-new team in Prague to create next-generation data platforms that will replace legacy systems like Teradata, Hadoop, and SAS. You'll lead a team of engineers while remaining hands-on to guide technical decisions and resolve complex challenges. Your focus will be on migrating legacy systems to modern, cloud-native solutions using AWS, dbt, Airflow, and Databricks. You'll collaborate closely with risk officers, business stakeholders, and technical experts to deliver impactful, regulatory-compliant solutions. We're looking for someone with strong technical expertise, a track record of leading large-scale data transformations, and the ability to mentor and grow high-performing teams.

This is a unique opportunity to shape a Centre of Excellence for Engineering in Prague. Barclays is heavily investing in cloud and automation, and you'll be part of a tech-driven environment with an active engineering community that values innovation, knowledge sharing, and modern ways of working.

To be successful in this role, you will need the following:

• Proven experience building and leading data engineering teams, ideally in fast-evolving and high-stakes environments.
• Ability to operate hands-on when needed, guiding architectural decisions and resolving complex technical challenges.
• Strong leadership in ambiguous and complex organizational environments; capable of navigating contingencies, aligning stakeholders, and driving outcomes.
• Track record of delivering large-scale data platform modernization or migration programs.
• Solid understanding of modern cloud-based data architectures (AWS preferred), ETL frameworks (dbt, Glue, Airflow), orchestration patterns, and DevOps processes.
• Ability to build strong partnerships with business, risk and quant teams; translating business needs into scalable data solutions.

Other highly valued skills include:

• Experience modernizing legacy data stacks (Teradata, Hadoop, SAS) into cloud-native solutions.
• Exposure to Databricks for analytics and machine learning workloads.
• Exposure to credit risk, banking risk, or broader financial services domain.
• Familiarity with data governance, controls, lineage, and regulatory compliance in financial services.
• Strong mentoring skills with ability to grow both junior and senior engineers.

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in the role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen, strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

The successful candidate will be based in Prague (Gemini Building).

Purpose of the role

To  lead and manage engineering teams, providing technical guidance, mentorship, and support to ensure the delivery of high-quality software solutions, driving technical excellence, fostering a culture of innovation, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to align technical decisions with business objectives. 

Accountabilities

• Lead engineering teams effectively, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture to achieve project goals and meet organizational objectives.
• Oversee timelines, team allocation, risk management and task prioritization to ensure the successful delivery of solutions within scope, time, and budget.
• Mentor and support team members' professional growth, conduct performance reviews, provide actionable feedback, and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Evaluation and enhancement of engineering processes, tools, and methodologies to increase efficiency, streamline workflows, and optimize team productivity.
• Collaboration with business partners, product managers, designers, and other stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions and ensure a cohesive approach to product development.
• Enforcement of technology standards, facilitate peer reviews, and implement robust testing practices to ensure the delivery of high-quality solutions.

Vice President Expectations

• Contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures.
• Define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. May also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements.
• People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.
• Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
• Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
• Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
• Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.