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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal Data Engineer (14 Month FTC) - **Company:** British Airways - **Location:** Harmondsworth, UK - **Contract:** Temporary contract - **Skills:** Agile Methodology, Amazon Web Services, Automation of Tests, Software as a Service, Cloud Database, Cloud Engineering, Software Quality, Cyber Security, Continuous Integration, Information Engineering, Data Infrastructure, Database Development, Operational Databases, Platform as a Service (PAAS), Data Streaming, Enterprise Data Management, Data Processing, Data Ingestion, Snowflake, Information Technology, Data Management, Software Version Control, Data Pipelines - **Published:** July 22, 2026 - **Apply:** https://find.jobs/jobs-near-me/apply/ats-redirect/?id=2887498727-2 ## About the Role * Strong hands-on technical leadership in data engineering * Deep understanding of cloud-based data ingestion, processing and storage techniques * Expert knowledge of data processing, testing and monitoring practices * Strong understanding of enterprise data management, optimisation and security at scale * Confidence influencing technical direction and engineering standards * Strong stakeholder engagement skills across business and technical teams * Ability to break down complex problems and work effectively in ambiguous environments * Delivery-focused, accountable and pragmatic mindset * Collaborative approach with a focus on capability building and knowledge sharing Your experience: * Excellent SQL development experience. * Highly experienced in data ingestion, processing and storage techniques on cloud native tooling. * Experience cloud data management i.e. Snowflake, AWS, DBT, or similar Paas and SaaS offerings. * Experience of enterprise data management and security at scale. * Knowledge of data modelling and optimisation. * Expert in data processing, testing, and monitoring practices and frameworks. * Experience supporting production data systems and resolving operational issues in CI/CD processes and agile development workflows. * Expert in information security principles and access control within data environments. * Degree or equivalent training in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline is desirable. ## Description Principal Data Engineer (14 Month FTC) You'll be part of the Operations Delivery Intelligence (ODI) directorate, acting as a technical leader for data engineering across the organisation. This area plays a critical role in enabling secure, scalable and high-performing data platforms that underpin data products and decision-making across British Airways. What you'll do: * Act as a technical leader for data engineering best practice across delivery teams * Lead the design, build, test and deployment of secure and scalable data pipelines * Maintain and operate data products, ensuring availability, performance and resilience through monitoring and incident management * Provide assurance on code quality and automation used to manage data flows * Lead service reviews, health checks and root cause analysis to improve reliability and reduce operational overhead * Set and embed standards for data processing documentation and version control * Support and coach engineers on engineering patterns, coding standards and automated testing * Lead agile ceremonies, delivery planning and retrospectives to support continuous improvement * Define and improve developer experience by working with data product teams to resolve data processing issues * Line manage Senior Data Engineers and support their development * Participate in an on-call rota to support live data products ## Related Videos - [From Messy Queries to Scalable Systems - How Data Engineering actually works](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100203-from-messy-queries-to-scalable-systems-how-data-engineering-actually-works) - [When React Meets Reality: Building a Real-Time Control Room for Autonomous Vehicles](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2091-when-react-meets-reality-building-a-real-time-control-room-for-autonomous-vehicles) - [Why and when should we consider Stream Processing frameworks in our solutions](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1085-why-and-when-should-we-consider-stream-processing-frameworks-in-our-solutions) - [How Cisco embraced a DevOps culture within its network engineering team](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/99-how-cisco-embraced-a-devops-culture-within-its-network-engineering-team) - [Enjoying SQL data pipelines with dbt](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/823-enjoying-sql-data-pipelines-with-dbt) - [Modern Data Architectures need Software Engineering](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1030-modern-data-architectures-need-software-engineering) ## Related Articles - [Data Engineer Salary UK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/253-data-engineer-salary-uk) - [Data Analyst Salary in the UK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/278-data-analyst-salary-in-the-uk) - [Best Companies to work for in London: Top 25 Companies in 2023](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/187-best-companies-to-work-for-in-london-top-25-companies-in-2023) - [Software Engineer Salary London](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/252-software-engineer-salary-london) - [Software Engineer Salary in The UK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/231-software-engineer-salary-in-the-uk) - [Fullstack Developer Salary UK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/251-fullstack-developer-salary-uk)