S2 E4 – Data Engineers Don’t Burn Out from Work, They Burn Out from Pointless Work
Most data teams aren’t drowning in complexity—they’re drowning in pointless work. In this episode, Nik Walker shares how Co-op is scaling its data infrastructure without sacrificing team wellbeing or burning money on unnecessary pipelines. What makes this conversation stand out is its honesty. It’s a no-fluff, real-world view of leadership, neurodiversity, and doing meaningful work in one of the UK’s largest legacy organisations.
Nik Walker is Head of Data Engineering at Co-op, overseeing the transformation of data systems across a complex, multi-sector enterprise with more than 55,000 employees. He leads with empathy, clarity, and a refreshingly human approach to delivery. Diagnosed with ADHD as a child, Nik brings an unfiltered perspective on what it means to lead neurodiverse teams at scale—without turning the job into performance theatre.
Nik shares a personal story about being told he’d never amount to anything because of his ADHD—and how he now leads one of the UK’s largest data teams. Aaron and Nik discuss the “dashboard hamster wheel” and why many teams spend their time delivering reports that no one reads. The pair explore why LLMs and AI outputs can’t be trusted without strong fundamentals—and what happens when CFOs spot inflated costs from over-engineered workflows.
✔️Slow down to speed up
Build space for proper discovery before building pipelines—batch jobs might be all you need.
→ Prevents over-engineering and protects team time.
✔️Not all data needs real-time syncing
Challenge the default. Nik recommends “right-time” pipelines instead of always-on syncs.
→ Reduces cloud costs and frees up engineering capacity.
✔️Lead neurodiverse teams with structure, not slogans
Safe, consistent conversations beat performative “care culture.”
→ Improves communication and productivity in diverse teams.
✔️Don’t chase AI if the trust isn’t there
AI adoption fails when leaders can’t believe the output. Build confidence in the data first.
→ Ensures reliable insights and stakeholder buy-in.
As AI adoption accelerates and data leaders face mounting cost pressures, this episode delivers timely guidance for navigating modern infrastructure challenges—without over-engineering or overworking the team. Nik’s philosophy aligns with a growing shift towards sustainable scaling, especially in regulated or legacy-heavy environments.
This episode is essential for Heads of Data, CTOs, and Engineering Leads who are scaling infrastructure but starting to question the cost—both technical and human. If you’re stuck in reactive delivery cycles or fighting dashboard fatigue, Nik’s approach will give you a smarter way forward.
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Links
🔗 Nick Walker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikolaswalker/
🔗 Co-op: https://www.coop.co.uk/
🌐 Listen to more episodes: https://pod.link/1763791020
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