Principal Data Engineer

• 28/05/25
• East Midlands, Greater Manchester
• £80k - 90k per year
• Permanent
• Analytics, Data, AI and ML
• Full time

Principal Data Engineer – Consultancy

Location: Hybrid in Derby
Clearance: SC required (Sole UK Nationals only)

Can you help organisations at the very beginning of their data journey?

We’re hiring a Principal Data Engineer to lead the design and delivery of data solutions across a variety of sectors. This role is ideal for someone who can blend technical expertise with a consultative mindset — guiding clients who may not yet have mature data capabilities, warehouses, or clear strategies in place.

What you’ll be doing:

• Act as a lead consultant, engaging directly with clients to shape and deliver data solutions

• Support pre-sales and business development by defining scopes, contributing to proposals, and helping win new work

• Manage and mentor teams of Data Engineers and Analysts across active projects

• Design modern data platforms and architectures from scratch, often where existing infrastructure is minimal or misused

• Establish best practices across data engineering, governance, and delivery

• Build trust with both technical teams and senior non-technical stakeholders

What you’ll bring:

• Significant experience in data engineering and solution design, ideally in complex or regulated environments

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with a consultative approach

• Technical skills across modern cloud platforms (Azure preferred), SQL, Python, data visualisation and data pipeline tools

• Experience leading teams and developing others

• Patience, adaptability, and a willingness to work in organisations with low data maturity

What to expect:

You’ll join a growing consultancy team working on high-impact digital transformation projects. Many of these clients are only just starting their data journeys — so this isn’t a plug-and-play role. It’s about building capability where it’s never existed before.

Additional info:

• SC clearance is required (sole UK nationals only)

• Occasional travel to client sites will be necessary

• The role offers long-term growth, autonomy, and variety across projects

Ready to shape the future of data where it’s needed most?

Get in touch to find out more or apply directly.