Data Engineer (FTC to March 2028)

Barnet is a borough with much to be proud of. Our excellent schools, vibrant town centres, vast green spaces and diverse communities all help make it a great place to live and work. As a council we want to build on these strengths as we move into the future. We are growing and developing as an organisation to meet the challenges facing our borough and we are committed to working with partner organisations and residents to make Barnet even better. As an organisation, our staff are committed to Our Values: Learning to Improve, Caring, Inclusive, Collaborative - which drive everything we do.

Important Information for Current Barnet Council Employees Where possible, employees who have access to Oracle are encouraged to apply via the Opportunity Marketplace (Internal Career Site). This helps to ensure applications are correctly identified as internal and avoids potential delays during the recruitment process.

About the role This is an opportunity to play a leading role in developing Barnet’s modern data capability and helping the council gain greater value from its information. As a Data Engineer in our Insight & Intelligence Hub, you will build, connect and improve the data pipelines, platforms and products that support better decisions, more efficient services and improved outcomes for residents. You will help maintain our Microsoft Azure Data Platform and support its transition to Microsoft Fabric, integrating data from operational, supplier-hosted and cloud-based systems. You will design robust ETL processes, APIs and reusable data workflows; improve data quality, reliability and accessibility; and prepare trusted datasets for analytics, AI and machine learning. Working across the council, you will translate user needs into secure and scalable technical solutions while ensuring compliance with UK GDPR, information governance and security requirements. You will also lead complex data engineering projects, manage relationships with suppliers and stakeholders, and help establish strong standards and practices for data engineering across Barnet. Pleaseclick here to download the Job description for this role. (Right-click and select “Open in new tab” so you can keep the job description open while completing your application)

You will be an experienced Data Engineer with strong applied knowledge of modern data engineering technologies, cloud platforms and production data services. You will be educated to degree level, have an equivalent qualification, or demonstrate relevant professional experience. You should be able to demonstrate:

• Strong experience of cloud data engineering platforms and tools, such as Microsoft Azure, Data Factory, Synapse, Spark, Snowflake or Databricks.
• Experience of designing and maintaining secure data pipelines, ETL processes and lakehouse architectures.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL, together with experience of relational and NoSQL databases.
• Experience of integrating, cleaning, modelling and scaling complex datasets from operational systems.
• Knowledge of version control, automated testing, metadata management and production support.
• Experience of leading data projects and delivering reliable data products or services.
• A sound understanding of UK GDPR, privacy by design, information security and the responsible handling of sensitive data.
• The ability to explain complex technical issues clearly to non-technical colleagues and influence stakeholders at different levels.
• Strong problem-solving, prioritisation and relationship-building skills, with a commitment to continuous improvement and collaborative working.

Experience of Microsoft Fabric, event streaming, machine-learning datasets, Power BI or other visualisation tools would be an advantage. You will bring curiosity, personal drive and an outcomes-focused approach, alongside a commitment to inclusion, professional development and sharing knowledge with others.

31 days annual leave, plus public and bank holidays

• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, which provides a valuable guaranteed income in your retirement together with security for your dependents
• A comprehensive Flexible Working Policy which supports work-life balance by empowering staff and management to make decisions around when, where, and how work is done
• A vast range of lifestyle discounts from major retailers, supermarkets, energy suppliers and more
• Broad range of payroll benefits including cycle to work, eye care vouchers, travel and gym membership
• Excellent training and development opportunities
• Employee well- being training programs including confidential employee assistance, Barnet Council embraces all forms of flexible working (including part-time, compressed hours, and hybrid working) and is committed to offering employees a healthy work-life balance. Candidates are encouraged to talk about relevant requirements and preferences at interview. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.