Principal Data Engineer

We are seeking a Principal Data Engineer to join our SDP Data and Integration team. You will be accountable for the design, implementation, governance and continuous improvement of enterprise data platforms, pipelines and architectures. This is a technical leadership role ensuring data solutions are secure, scalable, reliable and aligned with business objectives.

You will lead the development of modern cloud-based data platforms, promote engineering best practices, and establish standards for data integration, data quality, data governance and DevOps/DataOps. Working closely with business stakeholders, architects, analysts and software 1engineering teams, you will enable data-driven decision-making and advanced analytics capabilities across the organisation., * Design and maintain scalable, secure and resilient data architectures and platforms

• Lead the development of enterprise data pipelines, data integration frameworks and data products
• Establish and enforce data engineering standards, patterns and best practices
• Implement DataOps and DevOps methodologies to improve deployment efficiency, automation and operational reliability
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand data requirements and deliver effective solutions
• Ensure data quality, integrity, lineage, security and compliance across all data assets
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring and coaching to data engineering teams
• Support cloud migration and modernisation initiatives involving data platforms and services
• Identify opportunities to optimise performance, reduce costs and increase scalability
• Manage technical risks, dependencies and delivery challenges
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend innovative approaches
• Support the development of data governance frameworks and architecture roadmaps

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Engineering, Information Systems or related discipline
• 7+ years' experience in data engineering, software engineering or data platform development
• Significant experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale data solutions
• Strong understanding of cloud-based data platforms and modern data architectures
• Strong expertise in designing and implementing enterprise-scale data architectures
• Extensive experience with cloud data platforms (Microsoft Azure, AWS or Google Cloud)
• Strong proficiency in SQL, Python, Spark and modern data processing frameworks
• Experience building and managing ETL/ELT pipelines and streaming data solutions
• Practical experience with DataOps, DevOps, CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as Code
• Expertise in data modelling, data warehousing and master data management principles
• Strong understanding of data governance, metadata management and data quality frameworks
• Experience using tools such as Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, Airflow or similar
• Leadership skills with the ability to mentor engineers and influence technical direction
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills
• Strategic thinking and the ability to align technical solutions with business goals
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
• Experience working in Agile delivery environments and cross-functional teams
• Must hold or be eligible for SC clearance
• Sole British passport holder (dual nationality not accepted due to security requirements)