At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build scalable data platforms using Azure and Databricks for impactful solutions.
- Company: Join Jacobs, a leader in solving critical global challenges with innovative data engineering.
- Benefits: Flexible working, competitive benefits, and investment in your professional development.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for growth in engineering and technical leadership.
- Why this job: Work on real-world data challenges and shape solutions that influence business outcomes.
- Qualifications: Experience with Azure, Databricks, Python, SQL, and modern data architecture.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world’s most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. This is a great time to join our Data & Digital team as we continue to scale our data platform and AI capabilities across critical infrastructure sectors. You’ll be working at the forefront of modern data engineering, helping design and deliver high-impact solutions that transform how organisations operate and make decisions. It’s an opportunity to work on complex, large-scale challenges, building production-grade data systems and AI-enabling platforms that deliver measurable outcomes across industries such as water, transport, and energy.
Day to Day
- Design and build robust, scalable data platforms and pipelines on Azure and Databricks (batch and streaming)
- Develop high-quality data products using Python, SQL, Spark, and Delta Lake within modern lakehouse architectures
- Create AI-enabling foundations including feature stores, ML-ready datasets, and automated model-serving workflows
- Implement best practices in testing, observability, and monitoring (metrics, logging, lineage) to ensure platform reliability
- Optimise cost, performance, and scalability across large-scale data workloads
- Apply security-by-design principles, leveraging tools such as Unity Catalog for governance and access control
- Automate engineering workflows using Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform/Bicep) and CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps/GitHub Actions)
- Collaborate with clients to translate business challenges into technical solutions, facilitating workshops and aligning stakeholders
- Continuously deliver value through iterative development, frequent releases, and outcome-driven delivery
- Evaluate and implement modern data tooling and architectural patterns to improve platform capability
- Contribute to reusable frameworks, templates, and scalable engineering practices
- Communicate trade-offs, risks, and technical decisions clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
What’s In It For You
- Work on large-scale, high-impact data and AI solutions across critical infrastructure industries
- Build modern data platforms using cutting-edge technologies across Azure and Databricks
- Be part of an engineering-led culture with strong investment in platforms, tooling, and innovation
- Collaborate with highly skilled engineers, architects, and data professionals
- Gain exposure to complex, real-world data challenges at scale
- Develop deep expertise in cloud data engineering, AI enablement, and modern architecture patterns
- Shape technical solutions that directly influence business outcomes
- Opportunities to grow into principal engineering, architecture, or technical leadership paths
Benefits
- A global network of expertise and opportunity
- A culture founded on safety, integrity, inclusion, and belonging
- Flexible working arrangements that support your well-being and potential
- Investment in your development, including certifications, learning time, and access to mentors
- Opportunities to contribute to communities of practice and internal technical initiatives
- Exposure to diverse projects across multiple industries and regions
- Competitive benefits package including pension, holiday allowance, and additional perks
Requirements
- Azure (Cloud Platform) Experience building and scaling data solutions using services like ADLS Gen2, Data Factory or Synapse, and Event Hubs, with a strong understanding of security, networking, and enterprise-grade architecture
- Databricks (Data Processing & Analytics) Hands-on experience delivering end-to-end pipelines in Databricks, using Spark and Delta Lake, with exposure to governance through Unity Catalog and ML workflows such as MLflow
- Python & SQL (Core Engineering Skills) Strong capability in Python (PySpark) and SQL to develop, optimise, and maintain scalable, high-performing data pipelines and transformations
- Modern Data Architecture (Lakehouse) Experience designing and working within lakehouse environments, applying data modelling approaches to create flexible, reusable, and high-performance data layers
- CI/CD & DevOps Practices Familiarity with Git, automated deployment pipelines using Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions, and Infrastructure-as-Code tools such as Terraform or Bicep to enable reliable, production-ready delivery
- Data Quality, Observability & Governance Experience implementing testing, monitoring, logging, and governance practices to ensure data is accurate, secure, and trusted across platforms
- AI & Machine Learning Enablement Exposure to supporting AI and machine learning use cases, including preparing feature datasets, enabling experimentation, and contributing to model deployment and lifecycle management
We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work. As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role. Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.
Data Engineer in Manchester employer: Jacobs
At Jacobs, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through our investment in development opportunities, flexible working arrangements, and a supportive environment that values safety, integrity, and inclusion. Join us to tackle complex data challenges while enjoying a competitive benefits package and the chance to shape impactful solutions across critical infrastructure sectors.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Data Engineer in Manchester
✨Get Involved in Data Science Meetups
Tap into local data science meetups or workshops to connect with fellow enthusiasts and professionals. These events are goldmines for networking, and sometimes even lead directly to job openings at companies like Jacobs!
✨Show Off Your Projects
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Join professional bodies related to data science, like the Data Science Society or similar organisations. Getting involved can lead to mentorship opportunities and insider knowledge about full-time positions at companies like Jacobs.
✨Apply Directly through Our Website
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We think you need these skills to ace Data Engineer in Manchester
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!
Quantify Your Achievements:Employers love numbers! When drafting your CV, highlight your achievements with quantifiable results. For instance, mention how your data analysis led to a certain percentage increase in efficiency or revenue at a previous job or project. These details can really make your application pop!
Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at Jacobs, 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 Jacobs. 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 Jacobs
✨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!
✨Showcase Your Projects
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 Jacobs!
✨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.
