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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal Data Engineer - **Company:** LMA Recruitment - **Location:** London, UK - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** £156,000.0 - £169,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Agile Methodology, Airflow, Amazon Web Services, Amazon S3, Cloud Computing, Continuous Integration, Data Architecture, Information Engineering, Data Governance, Data Infrastructure, Extract Transform Load (ETL), Data Systems, Data Vault Modeling, Data Warehousing, DevOps, Dimensional Modeling, Apache Hadoop, Identity and Access Management, Meta-Data Management, Oracle (Applications), Cloud Services, SAS (Software), Teradata SQL, Enterprise Data Management, Apache Spark, AWS Lambda, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Data Lakes, Pyspark, AWS Glue, Data Management, Cloud Migration, Data Pipelines, Legacy Systems, Databricks - **Published:** August 19, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/principal-data-engineer/57257211 ## About the Role This is an excellent opportunity for a senior data engineering professional who combines deep technical expertise with strong stakeholder engagement skills. You will play a key role in shaping data solutions, providing technical leadership, and remaining hands-on in the delivery of business-critical data initiatives., * Proven experience as a Principal Data Engineer, Lead Data Engineer, or Senior Data Engineer within large-scale enterprise environments. * Experience delivering complex cloud transformation and data modernisation programmes. * Strong stakeholder management and communication skills. * Ability to influence technical direction while remaining hands-on with delivery. * Experience working across Architecture, Engineering, Product, and Business teams. Data Engineering & Platforms Strong hands-on experience with: * Databricks * Delta Lake * Unity Catalog * dbt * Spark / PySpark * Data pipeline development and optimisation * Lakehouse architectures * ETL/ELT frameworks * Enterprise data platform implementation Cloud Technologies (AWS) Experience with: * Amazon S3 * AWS Glue * Apache Airflow * IAM * AWS Lambda (desirable) Data Architecture & Modelling Knowledge and practical experience of: * Data Vault * Kimball methodology * Dimensional modelling * Data warehousing principles * Enterprise data architecture concepts Modernisation & Migration Experience Experience delivering migrations from legacy platforms such as: * Teradata * Hadoop * Oracle * SAS Preferred Experience * Financial Services or Banking sector experience. * Experience working within regulated environments. * Large-scale cloud transformation programmes. * Agile delivery methodologies. * Working alongside Data Product Owners and Data Architects. * Data governance and metadata management frameworks. * CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and DevOps practices within data environments. Skills & Attributes * Strong hands-on engineering capability. * Excellent consultative and stakeholder management skills. * Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences. * Comfortable operating across strategic and technical discussions. * Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. * Delivery-focused with a commitment to quality and best practice. * Passion for mentoring and developing engineering talent. * Able to thrive in fast-paced transformation programmes., If you are an experienced Principal Data Engineer with expertise in Databricks, dbt, Spark, PySpark, and AWS, and are looking for a role that combines technical leadership with hands-on engineering delivery, we would love to hear from you. ## Description Working closely with Data Architects, Product Owners, business stakeholders, and engineering teams, you will help design and implement scalable data platforms, establish engineering best practices, and support the migration of legacy data assets to a modern cloud architecture. Key Responsibilities * Lead the design and delivery of scalable, cloud-native data solutions. * Translate business requirements into practical and effective data engineering solutions. * Provide technical leadership and mentoring to Data Engineers and delivery teams. * Remain hands-on with the design, development, testing, and deployment of data pipelines and data products. * Design and implement modern Lakehouse architectures leveraging Databricks and AWS services. * Establish engineering standards, development frameworks, and data quality controls. * Collaborate with Data Architects to define and implement target-state platform architectures. * Drive legacy-to-cloud migration initiatives and modernisation programmes. * Optimise platform performance, reliability, and operational efficiency. * Participate in architecture reviews, governance forums, and technical design workshops. * Champion engineering excellence and continuous improvement across teams. * Act as a trusted advisor to both technical and business stakeholders. ## 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) - [PySpark - Combining Machine Learning & Big Data](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/44-pyspark-combining-machine-learning-big-data) - [Data Science in Retail](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/586-data-science-in-retail) - [From DevOps to Scaled DevOps: How We’re Rebuilding Continuous Delivery as a Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100018-from-devops-to-scaled-devops-how-we-re-rebuilding-continuous-delivery-as-a-platform) - [Empowering Retail Through Applied Machine Learning](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/976-empowering-retail-through-applied-machine-learning) - [Enjoying SQL data pipelines with dbt](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/823-enjoying-sql-data-pipelines-with-dbt) ## 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) - [Software Engineer Salary London](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/252-software-engineer-salary-london) - [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) - [Where To Find Software Engineering Jobs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/396-where-to-find-software-engineering-jobs) - [Software Engineer Salary in The UK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/231-software-engineer-salary-in-the-uk)