Lead Analytics Engineer

A little bit about us…

Pion produces award-winning technology for the biggest retailers on the planet, connecting them with the youth market. We’re constantly innovating to offer new solutions that satisfy our consumers, drive ROI for our clients, and create an empowering workplace for our employees.

Life at Pion Where People Thrive

At Pion, we’re driven by big ideas and bold thinkers.

Our purpose is clear We make it possible to reward those who shape our world, from Students to Healthcare workers and more. That mission demands diverse perspectives and a culture where everyone belongs.

Our people power everything we do from innovation to collaboration. We’re here to break down barriers and build a space where everyone can grow, learn, and thrive—because affordability starts with empowered people.

Check out our SHARP values to find out more about our culture.

Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet 60% of the requirements, women and those in underrepresented groups tend to only apply when they tick every box. We don’t think you should have to tick every box. We value your uniqueness, and it goes without saying that all applications are welcome, even if you don’t think you fit the criteria.

Need any adjustments to support you with your application? Just drop us an email at talent@wearepion.com.

About the role.

As a result of our incredible success and growth, we are looking for a Lead Analytics Engineer to join us.

Responsibilities include

• Analytics Engineering Ownership: Take full ownership of the Analytics Engineering function and the dbt environment. You will design scalable data models from the staging layer all the way up to the "Golden Layer," ensuring performance and reliability on AWS Redshift.
• Internal Data Consulting: Act as a strategic technical consultant for Product, Operations, Commercial, and other business functions. You will provide expert data support, translate complex business requirements into robust data models, and ensure cross-functional teams have the reliable data foundations they need.
• Cross-Functional Leadership & Management: Work hand-in-hand with the Lead Data Engineer (upstream infrastructure) and the Analytics Lead (downstream insights) to shape the overall data strategy, reporting directly to the Head of Data. Line manage, mentor, and upskill an initial team of two Analytics Engineers. You will conduct 1:1s, guide their career progression, establish engineering standards, and oversee code reviews.
• BI Infrastructure & Semantic Layer: Own the code-based backend of our BI environment (Lightdash & Count). While the Analytics Lead drives the overarching BI strategy, you will be responsible for the underlying infrastructure, architecting our Semantic Layer, and pioneering the integration of AI capabilities (e.g., text-to-SQL) to maximise self-serve analytics.
• Engineering Best Practices & Automation: Champion software engineering best practices within the data team, including Gitlab/GitHub workflows, CI/CD pipelines, robust testing frameworks, and comprehensive documentation-as-code. Own the development of automations and AI capabilities within the Analytics Engineering function.

Requirements

A little bit about you.

We’d really like to hear from you, if you have

• Advanced dbt & SQL Mastery: 4+ years of highly technical experience with dbt and SQL. You write DRY, optimized code, build macros, manage dbt packages, and can troubleshoot performance bottlenecks.
• Cloud Data Warehousing & Orchestration: Deep, hands-on experience with AWS Redshift (or a similar cloud warehouse like Snowflake/BigQuery), including a strong understanding of query optimization and warehouse architecture. You understand DAG structures and how to interface your transformation layer with DE's orchestration tools like Apache Airflow or similar.
• Leadership & Management Experience: Experience mentoring or line managing more junior data team members. You know how to elevate a team's technical baseline, conduct meaningful 1:1s, and foster a collaborative, psychologically safe engineering culture.
• Consultative Approach & Strategic Thinking: You excel at partnering with non-technical stakeholders across Product, Commercial, and Ops to solve complex data challenges. You proactively identify architectural improvements that align with overarching business goals.
• BI Infrastructure Ownership: Advanced experience managing the code-first backend of modern BI tools (Lightdash & Count). You have a strong vision for implementing a Semantic Layer.
• Automation & AI Mindset: A strong passion for engineering efficiency. You have experience (or a strong desire to build experience) using AI and automation tools, scripting, and automation to eliminate repetitive manual work within a data function.

Benefits

Life at Pion.

Let’s take a look at a few things that make Pion an amazing place to work…

💰 Competitive salary.

🌴 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays.

🏆 Accredited 'Great Place To Work’ company in three categories.

🧠 Commitment to personal development and career growth, coaching workshops and progression plans.

👩🏽‍💻Remote-first working environment. This means you’re not obligated to come into the office, you can choose the environment you think you excel best in.

📅Flexible working hours (start between 8-10am and finish between 4:30-6:30pm).

❤️ Focus on welfare. We offer a monthly wellness allowance, gym memberships, access to mental health first aiders, a health cash plan and more.

🛍️ Access to incredible partnership discounts for the biggest brands in the world. Think Google, Apple, GymShark, Domino's, Uber and loads more!

💻 £200 work from home set up allowance to put towards your at-home working space.

Want to know more?

Check out our career site for everything you need to know about starting a career with Pion.

Due to the high volume of applicants, we can only respond to shortlisted applicants. By submitting your application, you agree that Pion may collect your personal data for recruiting, global organisation planning, and related purposes. Our Applicant Privacy Notice explains what personal information and where we may process, our purposes for processing, and the rights you can exercise over Pion’s' use of your personal information.