Lead Data Engineer

The Lead Data Engineer will help the BBC make practical use of AI tools and systems to solve business problems and help our internal teams work effectively and efficiently. The role is in the BBC’s Generative AI Programme and will collaborate closely with project managers, data scientists, analysts, domain experts, and the BBC’s technical teams. Working with Programme Leadership, the postholder will design and help build the data pipelines and solutions that enable AI projects to move effectively through piloting to successful handover to the business for scaling. WHY JOIN THE TEAM The Generative AI Programme, part of the Strategy & Transformation team, helps the BBC realise value from rapidly evolving AI capabilities in a way that is practical, responsible and aligned to the BBC’s public service mission. The team’s activities include enabling adoption of AI tools across the organisation; fostering innovation; finding opportunities to use AI to work more efficiently as an organisation, and leading the BBC’s engagement on the wider AI issues that shape our operating environment. YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

• Develop secure, reliable and well-designed solutions that support high-quality AI piloting and transition to successful handover to the business for scaling.
• Design and build robust data pipelines, models and supporting data structures that enable AI projects to move effectively from piloting to successful handover into the business for scaling.
• Work closely with data scientists, analysts, project managers, business partners, researchers and designers to understand requirements and translate them into valuable solutions.
• Establish and promote strong engineering practices for data quality, resilience, maintainability and operational performance across the team’s work.
• Help shape data approaches to architecture, integration and pilot design, ensuring solutions are appropriate for AI experimentation and future scaling.
• Provide technical leadership to others, mentoring, code review and setting standards, contributing to a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
• Ensure data used within AI projects is managed in line with the BBC’s organisational values, security requirements and responsible approach to AI.

• Significant experience of designing, delivering and operating data engineering solutions, including pipelines, models and platform components, with the engineering discipline to build secure, resilient and maintainable systems in complex organisational environments.
• Experience of working collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams, translating a range of user, product and research needs into practical engineering solutions.
• Demonstrable experience of providing technical leadership to other engineers, mentoring, reviewing code, setting standards and improving engineering practices.
• Sound understanding of data governance, security and quality considerations, with the judgement to apply these appropriately in innovative or experimental contexts.
• Strong engineering practices including security by design, proficiency in Python, experience with Cloud platforms (AWS preferred) and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform preferred), CI/CD pipelines, and demonstrable use of AI-assisted development tools to improve code quality and delivery pace., * Experience working in broadcast, media, start-up or research environments.
• Contributions to published technical documents or thought leadership in your area of expertise.
• Familiarity with API development frameworks (FastAPI or equivalent).
• Experience building with Generative AI frameworks (e.g. LangChain, LangGraph, PydanticAI) and managed AI services (e.g. Bedrock, Azure).

Disclaimer This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved. Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory. Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Recruitment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer. For any general queries, please contact: Redeployment The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk. Information at a Glance This is your BBC At the BBC you can create and innovate in an inclusive environment while contributing to some of the world’s best loved content, and the BBC’s mission to inform, educate and entertain. Life at BBC Here you will benefit from:

• Fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.
• Excellent career and professional development.
• Support in your working life, including flexible working which you can discuss with us at any point during the application, selection or offer.
• A values-based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.

Benefits may vary if you are joining on an FTC basis or on an orchestra conditions contract. Learn more about life at the BBC and our values in our candidate pack. You belong We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual’s unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential. We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity. We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below. Disability confident

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