Junior Data Engineer

Junior Data EngineerLocation: UK-based, hybrid workingSecurity Clearance: BPSS or SC clearance RequiredWorking Style: Agile, product-led delivery We are looking for a Junior Data Engineer to support the design, build and operation of scalable data platforms for digital services. Working as part of a multidisciplinary agile team, you will support senior engineers in developing data pipelines, managing data stores, improving data quality and helping ensure data is secure, reliable and available in line with DDaT standards and best practice. Role ResponsibilitiesYou will support the development and maintenance of batch and streaming data pipelines, including exposure to Kafka and cloud-native data services.You will work with relational databases such as AWS Aurora PostgreSQL, writing and optimising SQL queries for reporting, analytics and operational use cases.The role will also involve supporting containerised data workloads using Docker and gaining exposure to deployments on Kubernetes platforms.You will assist with data modelling and data warehouse structures, including logical and physical data models and star/snowflake schema concepts.A key part of the role will be supporting data validation, reconciliation and monitoring to ensure data assets are accurate, reliable and fit for use.You will also help integrate data from internal and external systems via REST APIs, working with JSON payloads, authentication, pagination and basic error handling.

Essential SkillsStrong SQL fundamentals, including joins, aggregations and subqueriesUnderstanding of ETL / ELT concepts and data pipelinesExposure to Apache Kafka or similar streaming platformsBasic knowledge of AWS services, particularly managed databasesAwareness of Docker and Kubernetes conceptsUnderstanding of REST APIs, HTTP methods and JSON payloadsAbility to consume data from APIs as part of a data pipelineGood problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot basic data issues Desirable SkillsExperience with AWS Aurora PostgreSQLBasic understanding of data modelling techniquesFamiliarity with data warehousing conceptsExperience integrating third-party or internal APIsFamiliarity with Swagger / OpenAPIAwareness of API security, including tokens, API keys and OAuthExposure to GitUnderstanding of Agile delivery principles Experience Required3+ years’ experience in data engineering, analytics or software engineeringExposure to cloud data platforms in a delivery environmentComfortable working in an agile, multidisciplinary teamWillingness to learn under the guidance of senior engineers This is a strong opportunity for a developing Data Engineer to build hands-on experience across cloud data platforms, streaming, APIs, SQL, containers and modern digital delivery environments.