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- Tasks: Lead the design and delivery of secure, scalable data platforms for critical UK Government clients.
- Company: Join a dynamic UK-based SME known for high technical standards and a supportive culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary of £130,000, remote work, and access to talented engineers.
- Other info: Work in a collaborative environment with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on national infrastructure while shaping innovative data solutions.
- Qualifications: Extensive experience in Java, Kafka, AWS, and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 130000 - 130000 £ per year.
We are seeking an experienced Principal Data Platform Engineer to play a key technical leadership role within a high-impact programme delivering secure, scalable, real-time data platforms for critical UK Government and national infrastructure clients. This is a hands-on senior engineering role with significant responsibility for technical direction, architecture design, client assurance, and mentoring. You will work closely with both internal teams and client stakeholders, helping shape solutions from early concept through to production delivery.
As a Principal Data Platform Engineer, you will provide technical leadership across multiple data platform initiatives, designing and assuring highly available, low-latency, and scalable batch and real-time data solutions. You will act as a trusted technical authority, engaging directly with clients, producing high-quality architecture designs, and ensuring proof-of-concept solutions are robust, secure, and production-ready.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design and delivery of complex batch and real-time data pipelines and backend services
- Produce high-level and low-level architecture designs, ensuring alignment with security, scalability, and performance requirements
- Provide technical assurance for solution designs and proof-of-concepts prior to production implementation
- Act as a client-facing technical lead, working alongside customer teams to define requirements, shape solutions, and build confidence
- Mentor and coach Lead and Senior Engineers, setting technical standards and raising overall engineering capability
- Drive and promote best engineering practices, including TDD, CI/CD, DevOps, and clean, maintainable code
- Influence technology choices and architectural patterns across the data platform estate
- Collaborate with architects, analysts, security specialists, and testers in Agile / BDD environments
- Oversee services in production, ensuring resilience, performance, and operational excellence
- Contribute to technical strategy, estimation, delivery planning, and roadmap definition
- Champion continuous improvement across data platform tooling, processes, and ways of working
Required Experience
- Extensive commercial experience with Java in production environments
- Strong experience designing and building Kafka-based streaming platforms
- Hands-on experience with Spark, Flink, Kafka Streams, or similar technologies
- Experience with Spring Boot and/or Python
- Deep experience working with AWS, including services such as Lambda, S3, and cloud-native architectures
- Experience integrating with data stores such as PostgreSQL, Redis, or similar
- Strong understanding of data pipelines, data modelling, and distributed systems
- Proven experience leading technical designs and mentoring engineers
- Comfortable working in client-facing roles, explaining complex technical concepts clearly
- Strong background in Agile, DevOps, and modern software delivery practices
Desirable Skills
- Experience with Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, or Solr
- Infrastructure-as-Code tools such as Terraform, Ansible, or Packer
- CI/CD tooling such as Jenkins, Drone, or similar
- Experience working within highly secure or regulated environments
You will be joining a UK-based SME (circa 300 people) that designs, builds, and integrates highly secure data platforms for UK Government and national infrastructure clients. Teams work in integrated, collaborative environments, partnering closely with clients and internal subject-matter experts. The organisation is known for its high technical standards, strong engineering culture, and genuinely supportive working environment.
What’s on Offer
- Fully remote working (UK-based) for security reasons
- Competitive £130,000 salary plus benefits
- Opportunity to work on nationally critical systems
- Access to exceptionally talented engineers and architects
- A role with real technical influence and long-term impact
If this role is of interest, please apply.
Principal Engineer employer: Digital Skills ltd
Contact Detail:
Digital Skills ltd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend meetups, and engage on platforms like LinkedIn. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can help you land that Principal Engineer role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by brushing up on your technical skills and understanding the latest trends in data platforms. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online resources to get comfortable discussing your experience with Java, Kafka, and AWS.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your leadership skills! Be ready to discuss how you've mentored others and led projects in the past. We want to see how you can influence and inspire teams, especially in a client-facing role.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search!
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Principal Data Platform Engineer role. Highlight your experience with Java, Kafka, and AWS, and don’t forget to showcase any leadership roles you've had. We want to see how your skills align with what we’re looking for!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you’re passionate about this role and how your background makes you a perfect fit. We love seeing enthusiasm and a clear understanding of our mission at StudySmarter.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: In your application, be sure to highlight your technical expertise, especially in designing data pipelines and working with cloud technologies. We’re looking for someone who can lead and mentor, so share examples of how you’ve done this in the past.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for the best chance of getting noticed. It’s super easy, and you’ll be able to submit all the necessary documents in one go. Plus, it helps us keep track of your application!
How to prepare for a job interview at Digital Skills ltd
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
As a Principal Data Platform Engineer, you'll need to demonstrate your expertise in Java, Kafka, and AWS. Brush up on your knowledge of these technologies and be ready to discuss specific projects where you've applied them. Prepare to explain complex concepts clearly, as you'll be engaging with clients who may not have a technical background.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
This role requires you to lead and mentor other engineers. Think of examples from your past experiences where you've successfully guided a team or influenced technical decisions. Be prepared to discuss how you promote best practices like TDD and CI/CD, and how you’ve contributed to a positive engineering culture.
✨Understand the Client's Needs
Since you'll be client-facing, it's crucial to understand their requirements and how your solutions can meet them. Research the company and its clients beforehand. During the interview, ask insightful questions that show you're thinking about how to align your technical solutions with their business goals.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect to face scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving skills and technical judgement. Practice articulating your thought process when designing data pipelines or addressing performance issues. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses effectively.