Senior analytics engineer

Placement of a Senior Analytics Engineer for a leading fintech client undergoing a major data platform transformation. The client required a specialist to lead the migration from legacy data infrastructure to a modern stack centered on DBT and Snowflake, with a focus on scalable, best-practice data engineering. The search targeted professionals with deep technical expertise, strong mentoring skills, and the flexibility to work across UK and African time zones. The successful candidate was ultimately selected for the role, following a competitive process involving several highly qualified candidates.

The Opportunity

The client, a scaling fintech with a global footprint, faced a critical need to modernize its data platform. The existing infrastructure, built on Spark, EMR, and Redshift, was robust but costly and difficult to adapt. The business was shifting towards a more agile, industry-standard stack, specifically DBT Cloud and Snowflake, to empower data analysts, improve scalability, and reduce technical debt.

Key requirements for the role

1. Deep Technical Expertise: Advanced hands-on experience with DBT and Snowflake, including data modeling, transformation, and optimization.

2. Migration Leadership: Proven ability to lead or significantly contribute to large-scale data platform migrations, ideally from legacy to modern cloud-based solutions.

3. Mentorship and Team Development: Experience mentoring junior engineers, reviewing code, and establishing best practices within a growing team.

4. Stakeholder Communication: Strong communication skills to bridge technical and non-technical teams, and the ability to work effectively across distributed locations (UK and Nairobi).

5. Compliance and Data Security: Demonstrated understanding of PII data handling, GDPR, and implementation of secure, compliant data solutions.

The client was open to candidates based in the UK or Nairobi, with a preference for those able to travel to Nairobi for team integration and mentorship.

The Solution

House of Impact Talent Solutions conducted a targeted search across the UK and international markets, focusing on analytics engineers and senior data engineers with a track record of DBT and Snowflake migrations.

The process:

• Market Mapping: Identified professionals with direct experience in analytics engineering, data platform migrations, and cloud data stack optimization.
• Candidate Assessment: Evaluated candidates against the five key criteria, emphasizing technical depth, migration experience, mentoring ability, and cross-cultural communication.