Manager - Data Engineering

Every minute of every day, Smiths Detection’s threat detection and security screening technology helps to protect people and infrastructure, making the world a safer place. 

Smiths Detection is a global leader in the development, manufacture and management of security and detection solutions designed to make the world a safer place. Our technology provides threat detection and screening solutions for customers in our key markets: aviation, ports and borders, defence, and urban security.

Our expertise spans 21 global offices, seven manufacturing sites and five R&D centres, with a global network of 3,000 dedicated colleagues contributing towards over 40 years at the frontline of advances in safety and security.  

This results in careers built on variety and the opportunity to work on a range of state-of-the-art solutions, where you can develop your knowledge and experience every day.

Duties / Key Responsibilities:

• Supervise and manage a team of Data Engineers, providing technical guidance and, mentorship
• Take ownership of the Data Lake and architecture setup and maintenance
• Lead and supervise the design and implementation of data ingestion, transformation, and integration pipelines
• Oversee ETL/ELT workflows across multiple enterprise systems such as SAP, Salesforce etc.
• Ensure compliance with data governance, privacy, and security standards in alignment with Smiths Detection policies.
• Collaborate with Data Architects, Data Analysts / Analytics Lead, and IT to deliver efficient, analytics-ready data models.
• Define and implement data engineering best practices, including version control, CI/CD, performance tuning, and automation and ensure consistent adherence across day-to-day delivery.
• Partner with business and IT stakeholders to translate requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Monitor data platform resource usage and support cost-optimization efforts across cloud infrastructure while ensuring system performance and reliability.
• Oversee data quality frameworks, validation rules, and monitoring processes to ensure accuracy and consistency.
• Supervise and coordinate migration and modernization initiatives for data lake.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of AI- and ML-ready data architecture, enabling predictive and advanced analytics.
• Collaborate with the Head of Data & Analytics to support the development of the data strategy, architecture roadmap, and future-state platform vision.

Stay current with emerging data engineering, and cloud technologies to recommend Practical/innovative solutions.

Technical Knowledge and Skills:

Knowledge & Skills:

Must Have

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 7-12 years of experience in Data Engineering, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership or managerial role.
•  
• Expertise in at least one major cloud platform:
  • Azure (Data Lake, Databricks, Synapse, Data Factory, Logic Apps)
  • AWS (S3, Glue, EMR, Redshift, Lambda, Step Functions)

GCP (Big Query, Dataflow, DataProc, Cloud Composer)

• Strong proficiency in SQL, Python, and PySpark for ETL, data transformation, and automation.
• Experience with Big Data technologies (Hadoop, Spark) and modern data lake house architectures.
• Strong understanding of dimensional and relational data modelling (Star, Snowflake) and metadata management.
• Experience integrating data from on-premise systems, REST APIs, and third-party sources
• Working knowledge of Power BI and how backend data structures impact report performance.
• Familiarity with data security frameworks, governance, and compliance best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead distributed teams (onshore/offshore) and manage project deliverables.
• Experience in budget planning and cost optimization for cloud infrastructure and data storage.
• Exposure to AI and Machine Learning frameworks and their integration into enterprise data platforms.
• Exposure to GenAI or cloud‑native AI services (Azure OpenAI, Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex AI).
• Experience working with ERP systems such as SAP etc

Language: Proficiency in English (spoken and written).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in global, multi-system, or large-scale data environments.
• Certification in  Azure DP‑203 / AWS Data Analytics Specialty / GCP Professional Data Engineer
• Experience supporting data science, AI/ML, or predictive analytics initiatives.
• Exposure to real-time or streaming data tools (Kafka, Event Hubs, Stream Analytics).
• Prior experience in a manufacturing or engineering organization preferred.
• Awareness of Power BI data models and DAX fundamentals to support downstream analytics performance.

Competencies and Abilities:

• Strong leadership, team-building, and mentoring capabilities.
• Excellent attention to detail, analytical thinking, and problem-solving ability.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on approach to execution.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across business and technical teams.
• Organized, systematic, and capable of managing multiple priorities.
• Self-motivated, reliable, and decisive, with the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Passionate about innovation, continuous improvement, and leveraging technology for business value.

Join us and we’ll help build your career, with excellent training and opportunities for career growth across the business, both locally and globally. You’ll experience an inclusive environment, with strong leadership and a focus on safety and wellbeing. You’ll also have the flexibility to choose from a wide range of benefits to suit your lifestyle, offering you and your family support from a health and wellbeing, financial and lifestyle perspective.

Join us and work for a world-leader, with the benefits and training to reward your dedication and skills. Be part of a team where we are making the world a safer place.

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)