At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the migration of Parliamentary digital records and ensure data integrity.
- Company: Join The National Archives, preserving the UK's rich history for future generations.
- Benefits: Enjoy hybrid working with 3 days at our beautiful Kew site and remote flexibility.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on how future generations access public records through unique datasets.
- Qualifications: Strong SQL and SPARQL skills required; experience in ETL processes is a plus.
- Other info: SC clearance needed; must have been a UK resident for at least three years.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Drive the Data Migration That Will Shape the Future of UK Archives
The National Archives is the home of the nation’s history, preserving centuries of records that shape our collective memory. As we prepare for the next era of digital preservation, we need a Data Migration Engineer to take on one of the most critical data projects in our history.
This is not just another migration project. This is about ensuring that Parliamentary digital records and historic digital Public Records are seamlessly transferred to a new platform-accurately, securely, and in a way that will be accessible for future generations.
You’ll reverse-engineer, extract, transform, and migrate complex metadata, working across SQL, SPARQL, and XML-based structures to ensure that the UK’s digital history remains structured, searchable, and usable.
We welcome applications from database professionals, data engineers, data analysts with ETL expertise, and digital preservation specialists looking to apply their skills to a high-impact migration project.
What You’ll Be Doing:
- Leading the hands-on migration of Parliamentary digital records & Digital Preservation (DRI) system data.
- Extracting, transforming, and loading (ETL) complex metadata from SQL (Oracle/MySQL) and SPARQL (Jena Fuseki) databases.
- Documenting data models, identifier schemes, and relationships to support migration integrity.
- Building & optimizing SQL and SPARQL queries to ensure accurate, efficient data extraction.
- Validating and testing migration outputs to ensure completeness, accuracy, and usability.
- Collaborating with digital archivists, data engineers, and IT teams to shape best practices for digital records migration.
- Working with sensitive records in a security-controlled environment, ensuring compliance with archival standards.
What We’re Looking For:
- Strong SQL and SPARQL skills, with the ability to extract, transform, and migrate structured & unstructured data.
- Experience handling XML-based metadata within SQL databases.
- Hands-on experience in large-scale data transformations, migrations, or ETL processes.
- Ability to reverse-engineer undocumented databases, identifying data relationships & structures.
- A methodical, problem-solving mindset-you’re not afraid of messy data and love making sense of complex information.
- Confidence working independently, making critical migration decisions in a structured, well-documented way.
- Familiarity with data governance, validation, and quality assurance processes.
- Ability to work within security and compliance frameworks, handling sensitive data appropriately.
You might have experience as a:
- Data Engineer – if you’ve worked on ETL, database pipelines, or large-scale transformations.
- Database Administrator (DBA) – if you have SQL expertise and understand data structures.
- Data Analyst (with strong ETL experience) – if you’ve done large-scale transformations and quality assurance.
- Digital Archivist (with metadata management skills) – if you’ve worked with structured metadata, or repositories.
- Software Engineer (with a focus on data management) – if you’ve built or optimized data-heavy applications.
Why Join Us?
A Career-Defining Project – This is a unique, high-impact migration that will shape how the UK’s digital history is preserved. Enjoy hybrid working (3 days per week at our beautiful Kew site, with remote flexibility). Your work will directly impact how future generations access and understand public records. Work alongside some of the best digital preservation specialists in the country. This is not a routine migration-you’ll be working with unique, historically valuable datasets, requiring creative solutions and technical expertise. This is a rare opportunity to take on a project that truly matters. If you’re ready to bring your data engineering, transformation, or archival expertise to one of the world’s leading digital archives, apply today!
How to apply:
If you are an internal applicant: please do not use the link on this page. Please apply via your employee Workday account.
If you are an external applicant: to submit your application please click the ‘Apply’ button on this page.
You will be asked to provide details of your work experience and write a personal statement, not exceeding 1200 words. In your personal statement please explain, using examples, how you meet the essential criteria given below. You may draw on knowledge, skills, abilities, experience gained from paid work, domestic responsibilities, education, leisure interests and voluntary activities. Please note selection for interview will largely be based on the information you provide in this section.
We understand that you might use artificial intelligence (AI) and other resources to assist with your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.
SC clearance/willingness to obtain SC clearance will be required for this role. This requires candidates to have been resident in the UK for at least the past three years. Please do not apply if you have been resident in the UK for less than three years as your application will be rejected.
Essential Skills & Experience:
- Advanced SQL and SPARQL skills, with experience handling structured and unstructured data (including XML within SQL tables).
- Knowledge of graph databases and triple stores.
- Experience in data migration, including extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes.
- Strong scripting and automation skills to improve data extraction, validation, and transformation.
- Ability to design and optimize database queries for performance and accuracy.
- Strong problem-solving skills, with a structured approach to data auditing and issue resolution.
- Experience working with sensitive or restricted data under security-controlled environments.
Desirable Skills & Experience:
- Familiarity with metadata standards such as Dublin Core.
- Experience working within digital archives or large-scale information repositories.
- Python, Shell scripting, or other automation tools such as Talend, Informatica or Pentaho for data transformation.
- Awareness of Agile methodologies and collaborative development practices.
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Data Migration Engineer employer: Lu4
Contact Detail:
Lu4 Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Data Migration Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarize yourself with the specific data structures and metadata standards mentioned in the job description, such as SQL, SPARQL, and XML. Understanding these technologies will not only help you during the interview but also demonstrate your commitment to the role.
✨Tip Number 2
Showcase any previous experience you have with large-scale data migrations or ETL processes. Be prepared to discuss specific projects where you successfully extracted, transformed, and loaded data, as this will highlight your hands-on expertise.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss your problem-solving approach, especially when dealing with messy or undocumented data. Think of examples where you've had to reverse-engineer databases or resolve complex data issues, as this aligns with the job's requirements.
✨Tip Number 4
Since this role involves working with sensitive records, be ready to talk about your experience with data governance and compliance. Highlight any relevant practices you've followed to ensure data integrity and security in past roles.
We think you need these skills to ace Data Migration Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Understand the Role: Before you start writing your application, make sure you fully understand the responsibilities and requirements of the Data Migration Engineer position. Familiarize yourself with the specific skills mentioned in the job description, such as SQL, SPARQL, and ETL processes.
Craft Your Personal Statement: Your personal statement is crucial. Use it to highlight your relevant experience and skills that align with the essential criteria. Provide specific examples from your past work or projects that demonstrate your expertise in data migration, handling complex metadata, and working with sensitive data.
Showcase Problem-Solving Skills: Since the role requires a methodical, problem-solving mindset, include examples where you've successfully tackled messy data or complex information. Explain your approach to resolving issues and how it contributed to successful data migrations or transformations.
Be Authentic: While it's okay to use AI tools for assistance, ensure that your application reflects your own voice and experiences. The selection for interviews will be based on the information you provide, so make sure it's accurate, truthful, and showcases your unique qualifications.
How to prepare for a job interview at Lu4
✨Showcase Your ETL Expertise
Be prepared to discuss your experience with extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes. Highlight specific projects where you successfully managed large-scale data migrations, focusing on the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
✨Demonstrate SQL and SPARQL Skills
Since strong SQL and SPARQL skills are crucial for this role, come ready to share examples of complex queries you've built or optimized. You might even be asked to solve a query-related problem during the interview, so brush up on your technical skills!
✨Discuss Data Governance and Compliance
Given the sensitive nature of the data you'll be working with, it's important to demonstrate your understanding of data governance and compliance frameworks. Be ready to explain how you've handled sensitive data in previous roles and the measures you took to ensure security.
✨Prepare for Problem-Solving Scenarios
Expect to encounter questions that assess your problem-solving abilities, especially regarding messy or undocumented data. Think of examples where you had to reverse-engineer databases or resolve data integrity issues, and be ready to walk through your thought process.