28.08.25

Success Story: Placing a niche Senior Data Engineer with a leading eCommerce and Retail business

Success Story: Placing a Senior Data Engineer with a Leading E-commerce & Retail Brand

At dcoded, we specialise in delivering speed, accuracy, and cultural alignment in every hire we make. This Success Story highlights how we helped one of the UK’s leading e-commerce and retail businesses overcome a hiring bottleneck and secure a Senior Data Engineer – fast.

The Challenge

Our client, a major retail and e-commerce brand, faced a significant challenge. After advertising directly, they were overwhelmed with over 700 applicants, of which 95% were not suitable. They had even extended an offer, only for the candidate to accept and then reject at the last moment – leaving them without a critical hire at a crucial time. The business needed a fast, effective, and quality-driven solution to avoid further disruption to their data transformation programme. They were looking for a Senior Data Engineer who could:
•    Deliver across cloud-based data pipelines at enterprise scale.
•    Bring strong expertise in modern data engineering tools and frameworks (Python, Spark & Databricks).
•    Collaborate closely with analysts and data scientists to drive data quality and accessibility.
•    Fit into a fast-paced retail environment, aligning with a culture focused on collaboration and innovation.

The Process

1. Rapid Discovery Session
We connected immediately with the Talent Lead & the Head of Data Engineering to understand the technical requirements, team dynamics, and cultural priorities. We didn’t just take the job description at face value – we refined it into a clear, non-negotiable skill and culture profile.
2. Tapping Our Specialist Network
With a deep network of data professionals, we immediately engaged pre-qualified candidates who matched the brief. Within hours, we had interest from several top-tier engineers who were all technically capable and culturally aligned.
3. Shortlist Delivered
In less than 48 hours, we delivered a curated shortlist of 5 candidates – all of whom had been thoroughly vetted for technical capability and availability. The client progressed 4 candidates to interview.
4. Securing the Hire
Within days, an offer was extended and accepted on the same day. The candidate was ready to start without the lengthy delays that had hampered the process before.

The Outcome

•    5 CVs submitted
•    4 interviews conducted
•    1 offer made and accepted
•    Critical niche Data role filled, within 1 week of brief.

The successful candidate is now embedded in the business, optimising data pipelines and ensuring the availability of accurate, real-time data to support strategic decision-making.

Post-Placement Support

We stayed close to both client and candidate through:
•    Onboarding coordination to ensure a seamless transition.
•    Regular check-ins during the first 30 days to guarantee alignment and delivery.

Conclusion

This project demonstrates the power of a specialist recruitment partner who can deliver speed and quality without compromise. By leveraging our network and expertise Data, we turned a broken process into a success story – helping our client secure a critical Senior Data Engineer within 1 week of brief.
If you’re scaling your data or engineering teams and need immediate impact hires who deliver, get in touch with dcoded today. Let’s build something game-changing together.