Lead Data Engineer (Ref: 197038)

Our client supplies crop inputs and produces value-added food products for regional and national markets, combining agronomy and manufacturing operations across multiple sites. The organisation develops seed, fertilizer and processed food components and supports large-scale growers and food processors with logistics and technical services. The business focuses on scalable production systems and consistent product quality to meet commercial supply commitments.

The Lead Data Engineer will set the technical direction for data systems that enable production, quality and supply decisions across farming and food manufacturing operations. The role requires designing resilient ingestion, transformation and analytics layers for sensor feeds, machine logs and transactional systems. Success will be defined by improved operational visibility, faster root-cause resolution and quantifiable gains in yield or throughput metrics. The position reports to senior operations leaders and collaborates with production, engineering and IT teams to operationalise insights.

• Design and deploy robust data pipelines for sensor, equipment and transactional datasets to support real-time and batch analytics.
• Create and maintain automated dashboards and operational reports for plant and field leadership to drive daily decisions.
• Define and enforce data governance, quality checks and metadata standards to ensure reliable operational metrics.
• Partner with production and supply chain teams to translate business problems into measurable data solutions and analytics artefacts.
• Implement monitoring and anomaly detection for critical production and quality indicators to enable rapid intervention.
• Optimize storage and data models to support time-series access patterns and historical analysis at scale.
• Lead and mentor a small data engineering team, setting priorities and ensuring delivery of high-impact projects.
• Establish KPIs, conduct post-deployment reviews and present results to senior stakeholders to drive continuous improvement.

• At least 5 years of hands-on experience building data solutions in operational, manufacturing or field settings, including work with time-series or sensor data.
• Demonstrated expertise in building ETL/ELT pipelines and deploying production workflows using modern frameworks and orchestration tools.
• Advanced SQL proficiency and experience in data modelling for analytics and operational reporting.
• Experience with time-series databases, stream processing or industrial data platforms preferred.
• Strong communication skills with proven ability to translate operational needs into technical requirements and deliver outcomes to non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven leadership of small technical teams or cross-functional projects with measurable business impact.
• Relevant experience in agriculture, food manufacturing or industrial IoT is advantageous.
• Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative or engineering discipline required; advanced degree preferred.

• Competitive base salary with performance-related incentives tied to role outcomes.
• Comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance options tailored to employee needs.
• Paid time off, company holidays and flexible scheduling to support onsite operational demands.
• Annual professional development allowance for courses, conferences and certifications.
• Retirement savings plan with employer contribution or matching where available.
• Enhanced onsite exposure to production and supply chain functions with cross-disciplinary collaboration opportunities.
• Employee wellbeing resources and support programs designed for a manufacturing and agricultural workforce.

The role is located onsite in Springdale, Arkansas and will work closely with production, engineering and supply chain teams to embed data-driven decision-making into daily operations. Candidates with proven experience in operational analytics, time-series processing or food/agriculture sectors will be prioritized, though applicants from adjacent industrial domains are encouraged. The successful candidate must be comfortable working in a fast-paced operational environment and presenting impact to senior leadership.