At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build scalable data pipelines for AI and analytics on a global scale.
- Company: Join HeadFirst Group, a leader in workforce solutions and innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hybrid work, generous vacation days, and performance bonuses.
- Other info: Collaborate with an international team in a dynamic, innovative environment.
- Why this job: Shape the future of AI-driven platforms and make a real impact.
- Qualifications: 3+ years of experience with Databricks, Spark, and data engineering.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Build the global data backbone for AI and workforce intelligence as a Data Engineer at HeadFirst Group. Do you want to build scalable data platforms that power AI, analytics, and intelligent workforce solutions on a global scale? Are you excited by modern Databricks environments, cloud-native engineering, and the opportunity to help shape the future of AI-enabled platforms?
As a Data Engineer on the Global Data & AI Team at HeadFirst Group & Impellam Group, you will play a key role in building and scaling the data infrastructure that underpins our international Workforce-as-a-Service (WaaS) strategy. You will work on our internally developed Headless Data Architecture (HDA): a scalable, API-first lakehouse platform built on Azure Databricks, Delta Lake, and Unity Catalog. This platform supports analytics, AI workloads, and intelligent workforce solutions across Europe, North America, and APAC.
What makes this role unique? You won’t be joining a traditional data team focused solely on reporting or ETL. You’ll help build a modern global data platform where data engineering, AI enablement, and platform scalability come together. You’ll work with modern technologies, AI‑assisted development tools, and an international engineering team that is actively shaping the next generation of workforce intelligence.
Your impact at HeadFirst Group:
- Design, build, and optimize scalable, production‑ready data pipelines within our global lakehouse ecosystem.
- Create scalable and reusable data products that power analytics, AI, and operational intelligence.
- Contribute directly to the further development of our Headless Data Architecture (HDA), where governance and scalability are embedded into every layer of the platform.
- Work closely with ML/AI Engineers, Platform Engineers, Cloud Engineers, and stakeholders across Europe, the UK, the US, and APAC.
- Help shape a modern cloud data platform that enables teams to exchange, govern, and leverage data efficiently.
- Join a growing international engineering team with significant influence over platform decisions, engineering standards, and the future direction of the platform.
What will you do?
- Design, build, and maintain Bronze → Silver → Gold medallion pipelines in Azure Databricks.
- Develop scalable ETL/ELT pipelines using PySpark, Delta Lake, and Databricks-native tools.
- Build deployable data products using Lakeflow, Spark Declarative Pipelines, and Databricks Asset Bundles (DABs).
- Implement reusable data contracts and scalable data product patterns.
- Manage Unity Catalog governance, lineage, and access management.
- Contribute to vector search, semantic search, and AI‑enabled retrieval capabilities.
- Work within a global multi‑lakehouse architecture, including Delta Sharing across regions.
- Collaborate with international engineering teams on platform scalability and data exchange.
- Participate in Git‑based development, CI/CD workflows, and code reviews.
- Monitor platform health, observability, and DataOps reliability.
- Work with AI‑assisted development tools such as Claude Code and the Databricks AI Dev Kit.
About HeadFirst Group:
HeadFirst Group is a leading international provider of workforce solutions and the largest Managed Service Provider in the Netherlands. Every day, we connect thousands of professionals with organizations such as Rabobank, Vattenfall, government agencies, and many other public and private sector clients. Through technology, data‑driven insights, and specialized expertise, we help organizations navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing labor market. Within our Global Data & AI Team, we are laying the groundwork for a truly AI‑enabled and data‑driven organization. You will join an ambitious international engineering environment where innovation, ownership, and collaboration are central. We combine enterprise‑scale operations with modern engineering practices and continuously invest in cloud‑native technologies, AI capabilities, and platform maturity. This is an opportunity to work on a modern Databricks ecosystem that makes a real global impact, while helping to shape the future of data and AI within a global organization.
What’s on offer:
- Salary that matches your experience.
- 8.33% vacation pay and 27 vacation days per year based on full‑time employment.
- Hybrid working: 60/40 split; three days in the office and two days working from home.
- Premium‑free pension: we pay your entire pension premium.
- Performance bonus: may receive an annual bonus of one or two months' salary, depending on performance.
- Monthly extras: allowance for internet, vitality budget, contribution towards lunch, and support for setting up a home office.
What we expect from you:
We believe that talent can’t always be captured in a checklist. Are you excited about the role, but don’t meet every single requirement? We’d still love to hear from you. Our recruitment process welcomes diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ways of working. Feel free to let us know what you need to perform at your best.
- 3+ years of hands‑on experience with Databricks in production environments.
- Extensive experience with Medallion Architecture, Apache Spark, PySpark, and Delta Lake.
- Experience with Databricks SQL, Unity Catalog, and large‑scale data engineering workloads.
- Familiarity with Lakeflow, Spark Declarative Pipelines, and Databricks Asset Bundles (DABs).
- Strong SQL and Python skills.
- Experience with Git workflows, CI/CD, and DataOps practices.
- Understanding of data contracts and scalable data product design.
- Experience with vector search, semantic search, or AI‑oriented data workloads is a plus.
- Experience with global or multi‑lakehouse Databricks environments is a strong plus.
- Familiarity with Azure Synapse Analytics and SnapLogic.
- Strong communication skills and a pragmatic engineering mindset.
- An interest in AI‑native engineering and modern platform development.
Ready to help shape the future of AI‑driven workforce intelligence? Apply today and join the Global Data & AI Team at HeadFirst Group & Impellam Group. Together, we are building the global data platform that powers the next generation of workforce solutions.
Data Engineer employer: HeadFirst Group
At HeadFirst Group, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration within our Global Data & AI Team. With a strong focus on employee growth, we provide opportunities to work with cutting-edge technologies in a hybrid environment, alongside a diverse international team, while enjoying competitive benefits such as generous vacation days, a premium-free pension, and performance bonuses. Join us in shaping the future of AI-driven workforce intelligence in a role that truly makes a global impact.
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We think this is how you could land Data Engineer
✨Get Involved in Data Science Meetups
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We think you need these skills to ace Data Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Projects:In the world of data science, your projects can speak volumes about your skills. Make sure to showcase a few key projects in your CV or portfolio, especially those that highlight your ability to work with data sets, build models, or use relevant tools like Python, R, or SQL. Don’t forget to include links to any GitHub repositories if applicable!
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Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at HeadFirst Group, your cover letter should reflect your passion for data science and your excitement about the specific projects or values of the company. Dive into why you’re a good fit, how your skills align with their needs, and any unique perspectives you can bring to the team.
Stand Out with Relevant Courses and Certifications:Although experience talks, relevant courses or certifications can be your ticket to impressing hiring managers at HeadFirst Group. Mention any standout courses you've completed that equipped you with essential skills, such as machine learning certifications or data visualisation courses. This shows your commitment to continuously developing your skills in the field!
How to prepare for a job interview at HeadFirst Group
✨Brush Up on Your Statistics
For a data science role, we need to seriously sharpen our statistics skills. Get ready to tackle technical questions on probability distributions, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. These are often the bread and butter of data science interviews, so don't just skim over them!
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Prepare a killer portfolio showcasing your data science projects. We should include details about the datasets used, the tools and techniques applied, and the impact of your findings. If we can walk them through a particularly challenging project or a cool visualisation that had real-world implications, it’ll really make us stand out!
✨Get Comfortable with Python and R
Most data science positions require us to be proficient in programming languages like Python and R. We should practice common libraries like pandas, NumPy, and scikit-learn, and be ready for live coding exercises or algorithm questions. Showing off our coding chops can really impress the interviewers at HeadFirst Group!
✨Prepare for Case Studies
Expect to encounter real-world case studies during the interview. We might be asked how we’d approach a data problem or analyse a dataset to extract insights. It's essential to think out loud and demonstrate our problem-solving process so that the interviewer can see our logical thinking in action.
