At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and build data platforms, ensuring reliability and scalability while mentoring your team.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking tech company that values innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, competitive pay, generous holidays, and a focus on your wellbeing.
- Other info: Be part of a vibrant culture with opportunities for community involvement and personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in data engineering and shape the future of analytics.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in data engineering with strong leadership and problem-solving skills.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 € per year.
We're looking for a Principal Data Engineer with extensive commercial experience building, supporting and leading data platforms and pipelines. You'll work hands‑on across our cloud data stack, partnering with engineers, analysts and senior stakeholders to deliver reliable, well‑modelled data that supports analytics and downstream use cases. This role is focused on practical delivery and technical leadership, designing, building and improving data pipelines, setting engineering standards, and helping shape how we approach data engineering as a discipline. You'll bring depth across modern data engineering practices and play a key role in growing the capability of the team around you.
Essential Skills
- 8+ years' commercial experience in a data engineering or data‑focused software engineering role, including experience operating at a senior or lead level.
- Experience owning data platforms end‑to‑end, including considerations around reliability, scalability, cost and governance.
- A track record of setting technical direction, establishing standards and leading architectural decisions across data workstreams.
- Experience mentoring and growing engineers, and contributing to how the team works as well as what it builds.
- Strong problem‑solving skills and an ability to navigate ambiguity, shaping solutions from incomplete or evolving requirements.
- Clear communication skills and experience collaborating with both technical teams and senior non‑technical stakeholders.
Commercial Experience Including a Combination of the Following
- Python for data processing, transformation, pipeline development and the design of reusable frameworks or shared tooling.
- AWS data services such as S3, Lambda, Glue (or comparable cloud services), including platform design and cost‑aware architecture.
- Designing, building and maintaining ETL/ELT pipelines in production environments at scale.
- Expert SQL skills, including complex queries, performance tuning and warehouse optimisation.
- Deep experience with a cloud data warehouse such as Snowflake (or similar), covering data models, pipelines, warehouse objects and governance.
- Handling semi‑structured data (e.g. JSON, Parquet) alongside structured datasets.
Desirable Skills
- Experience with data orchestration or scheduling tools, including patterns for reliability and observability.
- Exposure to CI/CD practices for data pipelines, including testing strategies and deployment automation.
- Familiarity with analytics or BI use cases and the consumers of data.
- Experience with data governance, access control, lineage or security concepts at a platform level.
- Exposure to streaming or event‑driven data architectures.
- Experience working in agile, delivery‑focused teams and influencing how those teams operate.
Benefits
- Recognition That Matters: A discretionary annual performance bonus that rewards your impact and contribution to our success.
- Flexibility Built In: Flexible working arrangements and summer hours, because life isn’t 9 to 5, and balance matters.
- Financial Security: A highly competitive pension scheme with generous employer contributions, private healthcare, and life assurance for peace of mind.
- Health & Wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme, mental health support, cycle‑to‑work scheme, and regular social events to keep our culture vibrant.
- Time to Recharge: 35 days holiday, enhanced maternity pay, and family‑first policies so you can focus on what matters most.
- Learning Never Stops: From courses to certifications, we’ll invest in your development so you can keep growing and shaping what’s next.
- Community & Culture: Opportunities to volunteer, give back, and be part of initiatives that make Instil a truly inclusive and connected workplace.
Principal Data Engineer in Belfast employer: Instil
At Instil, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that prioritises flexibility and employee well-being. As a Principal Data Engineer, you'll not only lead innovative data projects but also benefit from extensive professional development opportunities, a competitive pension scheme, and generous holiday allowances, all while contributing to a community-focused environment that values inclusivity and collaboration.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Data Engineer in Belfast
✨Network Like a Pro
Get out there and connect with folks in the industry! Attend meetups, webinars, or even just grab a coffee with someone who’s already in a Principal Data Engineer role. Building relationships can open doors that a CV just can’t.
✨Show Off Your Skills
Don’t just talk about your experience; demonstrate it! Create a portfolio showcasing your data pipelines, projects, or any cool stuff you’ve built. This gives potential employers a tangible sense of what you can do.
✨Ace the Interview
Prepare for those interviews by brushing up on common data engineering questions and scenarios. Practice explaining your thought process clearly, especially when discussing complex problems. Remember, communication is key!
✨Apply Through Us!
We’ve got some fantastic opportunities waiting for you on our website. Don’t hesitate to apply directly through us – it shows you’re keen and makes it easier for us to spot your application!
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Data Engineer in Belfast
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences mentioned in the job description. Highlight your 8+ years of experience in data engineering and any leadership roles you've held. We want to see how you’ve owned data platforms and set technical direction!
Showcase Your Projects:Include specific examples of projects where you've designed, built, or improved data pipelines. Mention the tools and technologies you used, like AWS services or SQL, to demonstrate your hands-on experience. This helps us see your practical delivery skills in action!
Communicate Clearly:When writing your application, keep your language clear and concise. We value strong communication skills, so make sure to explain your problem-solving approach and how you’ve collaborated with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website for a smoother process. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates from our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Instil
✨Know Your Data Engineering Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your data engineering skills, especially around Python, AWS services, and SQL. Be ready to discuss your experience with building and maintaining data pipelines, as well as any architectural decisions you've made in the past.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Since this role involves technical leadership, be prepared to talk about how you've mentored other engineers and contributed to team dynamics. Share specific examples of how you've set standards or influenced architectural decisions in previous roles.
✨Communicate Clearly
Practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. You'll need to collaborate with both technical teams and senior stakeholders, so being able to communicate effectively is key. Think of examples where you've successfully navigated these conversations.
✨Prepare for Problem-Solving Questions
Expect to face questions that test your problem-solving abilities, especially in ambiguous situations. Prepare some scenarios where you've shaped solutions from incomplete requirements, and be ready to walk through your thought process.
