Principal Data Engineer in Bristol

Salary

Range: £53,269 - £68,000 Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands.

The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market.

Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Your impact At Leonardo, our Principal Data Engineers lead the design and delivery of secure, scalable data solutions that underpin critical defence, government, and commercial operations.

As a technical authority and people manager, you’ll guide engineering teams through the full data lifecycle—transforming raw data into actionable insight across hybrid and cloud environments.

This role blends technical leadership, stakeholder engagement, and team development, offering the opportunity to shape data strategy and capability across multiple programmes.

Your work at Leonardo UK will see you take the lead in solving customer problems in an agile, innovative and team‑centric manner.

The role may involve a blended hybrid working model, with a mixture of working from home and working on site at one of our Leonardo offices to ensure close collaboration with the wider team and with our customers.

What you will do as a Principal Data Engineer

• Provide technical leadership and oversight for data engineering delivery within your team
• Lead the design, implementation and maintenance of end‑to‑end data solutions: acquisition, integration, storage, processing, and analysis
• Implement scalable data solutions using big data architectures and workflow management systems
• Guide the development of tools for data‑driven insights and task automation
• Continuously test and monitor systems to improve performance and reliability
• Research and adopt emerging technologies
• Work with cloud platforms and diverse operating systems
• Support development and deployment of machine learning models
• Collaborate with Dev Ops Engineers, Data Scientists, Analysts and Cyber Consultants
• Mentor and coach junior data engineers to build team capability, while managing project tasks across your own and their workloads
• Support technology assessments, feasibility studies, and roadmap development
• Engage with stakeholders and customers, presenting and defending technical solutions
• Manage a small team of direct reports, providing guidance, mentorship and support for their career development
• Support the effective operation of the wider team through utilisation tracking, chairing team meetings and resource management
• What you’ll bring

Demonstrated leadership in data engineering, with experience managing and mentoring others.

Ability to take ownership of engineering delivery and drive team performance.

Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

A proactive mindset with a commitment to continuous learning and capability development.

Proven ability to work across disciplines and collaborate effectively in multi‑functional teams.

A strategic approach to problem‑solving and technical decision‑making.

• Core Areas (must have)
• Strong Python and SQL skills
• Experience with ETL flows, data pipelines, and orchestration tools
• Understanding of database architecture (SQL and No SQL)
• Experience with cloud technologies
• Experience with cloud platforms
• Experience with CI/CD practices
• Experience with big data tools e. g. Spark, Hadoop, Ni Fi
• Experience managing direct reports, providing regular guidance and performance feedback
• Ability to create delivery plans with estimated timelines for personal and team workloads
• Experience supporting ML model deployment and Dev Ops collaboration

Desirable

• Degree in STEM, Data, AI, or Programming‑related field
• Awareness of data security best practices
• Experience with designing data architecture
• Experience with scaling infrastructure and code, e. g. Kubernetes
• Exposure to Ansible and Terraform
• Understanding of ML algorithms and deployment

Desirable: The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre‑employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS).

An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, which could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV).

For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers. uk. leonardo. com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

We offer a comprehensive, company‑funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work‑life balance.

Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi‑days each year.
• Benefit from our award‑winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee‑led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and Linked In Learning.
• Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible hours with hybrid working options.

For part‑time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role. For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

• Primary Location
• GB – Bristol – Coldharbour Lane
• Contract Type
• Permanent (Hybrid Working)
• Open Invitation

We of Leonardo are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace.

If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger – apply now!

#J-18808-Ljbffr