Director, Tech & Innovations (Data Engineering)

What you will do Partner with Growth, Client Services, Strategy, and Marketing Science teams during pre-sales and discovery phases Translate complex client data ecosystems (CRM, CDPs, data warehouses) into clear technical integration plans Design approaches to unify CRM data, platform data (GA4, Google Ads, Meta), and offline conversion datasets Define data requirements, architecture diagrams, dashboard wireframes, and effort estimates for new engagements Own the end-to-end architecture across ingestion (Funnel.io), warehousing (BigQuery), and transformation (Dataform dbt) Collaborate with existing data partners to continue building and evolving the current foundation Define scalable frameworks for integrating media, CRM, and first-party customer datasets Establish industry best practices for data modelling, pipeline orchestration, and warehouse design. Ensure the proprietary platform (Salient) remains reliable, scalable, and AI-ready Oversee and contribute to the building of robust pipelines using Python for ETL and automation. Manage client CRM and warehouse connections via APIs, SFTP, and reverse ETL where required Guide the team on implementing scalable ingestion patterns for all future data sources Lead the design of Dataform dbt models that successfully unify marketing performance and customer data Ensure KPI frameworks align across media performance (ROAS, CPA) and customer metrics (LTV, CAC, cohort performance Define modular and reusable transformation layers to ensure multi-client scalability Implement rigorous testing, validation, and lineage practices across all transformation layers Own the governance frameworks for naming conventions, schema design, and access controls Establish automated QA processes and documentation standards across all pipelines and models Mentor Data and Analytics Engineers, setting the standard for coding and modelling excellence Lead the feedback loop between Data Engineering and Marketing Science to ensure data needs are met Identify opportunities to improve pipeline performance, cost efficiency, and AI activation Requirements Advanced experience in data engineering and architecture design in a performance marketing environment is essential Strong hands-on experience with BigQuery, Dataform dbt, and Funnel.io (or similar ingestion platforms) Proven experience integrating CRM and 1st-party systems like Salesforce, HubSpot, SAP, or custom warehouses Experience designing multi-source data models that combine marketing and customer data Proven experience working in client-facing or consulting environments Ability to translate abstract business problems into concrete technical data solutions Skilled in project scoping, including requirements gathering and effort estimation Practical experience with AI LLMs, ideally Claude and Gemini Familiarity with Reverse ETL tools like Hightouch or Census Knowledge of identity resolution and customer data modelling Experience with BI tools such as Looker or Power BI and exposure to ML/predictive workflows Comfortable owning ambiguity within complex client data environments Passionate about unlocking the value of first-party data to drive customer intelligence Diversity & Inclusion Journey Further takes pride in creating an environment where everyone can be themselves. This starts with recruitment. We pledge to make our roles as open as possible and to provide equal opportunities to everyone that is kind enough to give us their time. All recruitment decisions we take will be based solely on the positive skills and behaviours that applicants display and absolutely nothing else. We do not discriminate based on any personal characteristic, we are a people first agency and we care about and celebrate individuals. If something is important to you, it's important to us. If you have a particular need during the application process or during your time at Journey Further, please let us know.