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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and development of innovative cloud-first data solutions in AWS.
- Company: Join Aegon, a company dedicated to helping people live their best lives through pensions, savings, and investments.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, generous leave, private medical cover, and lifestyle perks.
- Why this job: Be part of a transformative data function and collaborate with diverse teams to drive innovation.
- Qualifications: Experience as a Senior or Principal Data Engineer with strong AWS and data architecture skills required.
- Other info: Flexible hybrid working model; must be in the office at least 40% of the time.
The predicted salary is between 53400 - 75900 £ per year.
Job Description Summary
Job Description
Principal Data Engineer
Permanent
Location: Edinburgh or Witham (We believe in the power of in-person collaboration, and our hybrid model requires colleagues to be in the office a minimum of 40% of their time)
Salary: A competitive salary from £63,440 – £95,160,depending on the experience you can bring
Closing date: 21st July 2025
We’re a company of ambitious, collaborative problem-solvers who get things done – we’re looking for like-minded people to join us.
We help people live their best lives. We help them with the big stuff, for the moments that matter: Pensions, Savings, Investments. At Aegon, we strive in creating a diverse organisation that plays a meaningful role in driving greater equity, inclusion and belonging.
Data is crucial to our organisation — it shapes how we operate every day and is fundamental to achieving our goals. As we continue to evolve, our data function is undergoing a transformation. We\’re reimagining how we work, incrementally improving our data architecture, strengthening our engineering practices, expanding our capabilities, and driving innovation across the business.
We are hiring for multiple Principal Data Engineers in Edinburgh or Witham. In this role, you will lead the design and development of complex cloud-first data solutions in AWS, ensuring high-quality, scalable code and engineering excellence. You will collaborate with data engineers, product managers, analysts, BI engineers, and data users to deliver innovative, self-service data solutions. You’ll also work with senior stakeholders to shape the roadmap and backlog for the data capability team, aligning with strategic business objectives. Your responsibilities will span the entire data lifecycle, from design to production — ensuring solutions meet defined standards.
Key Responsibilities:
- Team Leadership: Provide technical guidance, foster continuous learning, and take ownership of team capabilities and deliverables.
- Architect and Build Scalable Data Solutions: Design and develop scalable data solutions using AWS-native technologies (DMS, Glue, RDS, Lambda, Python, PySpark, Athena, DynamoDB, PostgreSQL, Kinesis, SQS, SNS) and BI tools (Tableau, Power BI, QuickSight).
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Working closely with cross-functional teams to gather business requirements, designing effective data solutions, and ensuring timely and high-quality project delivery.
- Champion Engineering Best Practices: Establish coding standards, conduct code reviews, and promote quality assurance practices.
- Ensuring Data Quality and Reliability: Develop and maintain automated testing frameworks for data pipelines.
- Platform Design: Architect data platform solutions aligned with AUK Architecture team standards.
We’d love to hear from you if you have:
- Experience in a Senior, Lead, or Principal Data Engineer role.
- Strong track record of delivering cloud-based data platforms, data lakes, BI, and advanced analytics solutions.
- Deep understanding of data architecture principles and data modelling techniques in modern serverless cloud environments.
- Hands-on experience with Python, PySpark, SQL, and infrastructure-as-code tools (AWS CloudFormation, Terraform, AWS CLI).
- Extensive expertise in AWS services and architecture, including EC2, S3, DMS, Lambda, API Gateway, AWS Glue, and QuickSight or similar in other Cloud environments like GCP / Azure.
- Proficiency in building scalable, serverless data pipelines using cloud-native ETL tools, such as AWS Glue, Azure Data Factory, or Google Dataflow.
- Experience with SQL and NoSQL cloud databases.
- Strong grasp of data engineering principles and best practices.
- Ability to implement robust data quality controls and monitoring frameworks.
- Knowledge of data security best practices.
- Proven ability to lead and mentor engineering teams.
- Skilled in translating business requirements into technical specifications.
What’s in it for you?
- A non-contributory pension between 8%-12%
- A discretionary bonus, depending on personal and company performance
- 36 days leave per year (including bank holidays, pro-rated for part-time)
We also offer private medical cover, life assurance, critical illness cover, enhanced parental leave and a variety of lifestyle benefits to help our employees live their best lives, including retail discount vouchers, cycle2work scheme, subsidised restaurant and online GP appointments. To find out more about what to expect at Aegon click here .
We\’re looking for talented individuals who are ready to make a real impact. If you\’re excited about new challenges and want to work with a team that values your skills, apply today!
The legal bits
We’ll need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK. If we offer you a job and you accept, there are some checks we need to complete before you can start with us. This will include a credit and criminal record check, as well as providing satisfactory references.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their age, disability, race, religion/belief, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity.
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Principal Data Engineer employer: Aegon UK
Contact Detail:
Aegon UK Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Data Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with AWS services and tools mentioned in the job description, such as DMS, Glue, and Lambda. Having hands-on experience or projects showcasing these technologies can set you apart during discussions.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with current or former employees of Aegon on platforms like LinkedIn. Engaging in conversations about their experiences can provide valuable insights into the company culture and expectations for the Principal Data Engineer role.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss your leadership style and how you've mentored teams in the past. This role emphasises team leadership, so having specific examples ready will demonstrate your capability to guide and inspire others.
✨Tip Number 4
Stay updated on the latest trends in data engineering and cloud technologies. Being able to discuss recent advancements or best practices during your interview can show your passion and commitment to continuous learning in this field.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Data Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in data engineering, particularly with AWS and the specific technologies mentioned in the job description. Use keywords from the job listing to ensure your application stands out.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Write a cover letter that not only outlines your qualifications but also demonstrates your understanding of Aegon's mission and values. Mention how your skills can contribute to their goals, especially in data architecture and engineering excellence.
Showcase Leadership Experience: Since the role involves team leadership, be sure to include examples of your past leadership experiences. Highlight any mentoring or guidance you’ve provided to teams, as well as successful projects you've led.
Highlight Collaboration Skills: Emphasise your ability to work cross-functionally. Provide examples of how you've collaborated with product managers, analysts, and other stakeholders to deliver data solutions, as this is a key aspect of the role.
How to prepare for a job interview at Aegon UK
✨Showcase Your Technical Expertise
As a Principal Data Engineer, you'll need to demonstrate your deep understanding of AWS services and data architecture principles. Be prepared to discuss specific projects where you've successfully implemented cloud-based data solutions, highlighting the technologies you used and the challenges you overcame.
✨Emphasise Collaboration Skills
This role requires working closely with cross-functional teams. Share examples of how you've collaborated with product managers, analysts, and other stakeholders to gather requirements and deliver effective data solutions. Highlight your ability to communicate complex technical concepts in an understandable way.
✨Discuss Engineering Best Practices
Be ready to talk about your experience in establishing coding standards and conducting code reviews. Discuss how you've championed quality assurance practices in your previous roles, and provide examples of how these practices have led to improved project outcomes.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving skills and ability to design scalable data solutions. Think through potential challenges you might face in the role and how you would address them, particularly in relation to data quality and reliability.
