Principal Data Engineer

Via is partnering with a major UK consumer business looking for a Principal Data Engineer to provide technical and people leadership across its data engineering capability.

This is a senior role combining data architecture, engineering leadership, people development and hands-on technical problem solving.

You’ll act as a key technical authority for a modern cloud-first data platform, helping shape its architecture while ensuring the business can deliver trusted, scalable and cost-effective data products.

The environment includes Snowflake, AWS and dbt, and you’ll work closely with Data Engineering, Product, Enterprise Architecture and Technology leadership. What you’ll be doing

• Provide technical leadership across the data engineering function
• Shape the architecture and evolution of a modern cloud-first enterprise data platform
• Design scalable, reliable and cost-effective data solutions
• Lead technical solution design across complex data initiatives
• Work extensively with Snowflake, AWS and dbt
• Guide the development of data pipelines and enterprise data products
• Establish strong data modelling and engineering standards
• Work across conceptual, logical and physical data modelling
• Ensure technical solutions align with wider data and technology strategy
• Identify and address technical debt across core data platforms
• Monitor cloud and platform consumption and identify opportunities to optimise costs
• Own technical risks and issues across projects and programmes
• Support the resolution of service and production issues across the data ecosystem
• Provide estimates and technical input into engineering and product planning
• Mentor and develop Lead Data Engineers
• Support the development of the wider Data Engineering team
• Contribute to recruitment, onboarding, performance and career development
• Work closely with Product, Architecture and Technology teams
• Evaluate emerging technologies and introduce relevant engineering practices

• Significant experience in senior or principal-level data engineering
• Strong technical leadership experience
• Extensive experience designing and developing modern cloud data platforms
• Strong Snowflake experience, or significant experience with comparable modern cloud data platforms
• Strong AWS experience
• Experience with services such as S3, Lambda, SQS, Kinesis or Firehose
• Strong dbt experience
• Excellent SQL skills
• Programming experience with Python, Node or another relevant language
• Extensive data modelling experience
• Strong understanding of dimensional modelling
• Experience designing scalable data pipelines and data products
• Infrastructure-as-code experience, ideally Terraform
• Good understanding of CI/CD and modern engineering practices
• Experience with GitHub, GitLab or similar development tooling
• Strong understanding of cloud architecture and platform design
• Experience managing technical risk and making complex engineering decisions
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
• Experience coaching and mentoring technical colleagues
• Experience developing senior engineers and engineering capability

Useful additional experience

• Power BI or ThoughtSpot
• Automated testing and data quality practices
• Cloud consumption and cost optimisation
• Vendor management
• Enterprise-scale data environments
• Technical recruitment and talent development

You don’t need experience with every individual technology listed. We’re particularly interested in experienced Data Engineering leaders who combine strong cloud architecture and modern data stack knowledge with the ability to develop engineers and influence technical strategy.

• Salary up to £125,000
• £6,000 annual car allowance
• Up to 25% discretionary bonus
• ShareSave scheme
• Hybrid working with 2 days per week in London or Leicester
• Private healthcare
• Pension
• Annual leave
• Principal-level technical ownership and influence
• Work with Snowflake, AWS and dbt at enterprise scale
• Shape the future architecture of a major cloud data platform
• Significant technical leadership responsibility
• Opportunity to develop and mentor experienced Data Engineers
• Strong learning and development opportunities

With the £6,000 car allowance and maximum discretionary bonus, the total potential annual cash package can exceed £160,000, alongside the ShareSave scheme and wider benefits. Reference: 57399689