At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and develop innovative data solutions using Azure technologies.
- Company: Join Markel, a Fortune 500 company with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Great salary, annual bonus, 25 days holiday, and strong benefits package.
- Other info: Flexible working options and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a dynamic environment while advancing your career.
- Qualifications: 3+ years of experience with Azure Databricks and strong SQL skills.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ per year.
Help us assess the needs of customers, external business partners and contribute to the solution design and development to enable Markel to drive our desired business outcomes. Join us and play your part in something special!
The opportunity:
Working as part of a small but friendly team, the role will be responsible for the design and development of critical initiatives and the implementation of our business solutions. As a Senior Data Engineer, you will apply your design and development skills to help solve company challenges, understanding the current state of system functionality and domain standard processes, assessing the needs of collaborators including our external business partners, contributing to solution designs, and developing the solutions needed to achieve desired business outcomes. You will operate in an agile, collaborative environment that values your insight, encourages you to take on new responsibility, promotes continuous learning, and rewards innovation.
What you’ll be doing:
- Assist with design & development of Azure Data offerings such as Databricks, PySpark, Spark SQL and ADLS
- If necessary, create prototypes to validate proposed ideas and solicit input from stakeholders
- Excellent grasp of and expertise with test-driven development and continuous integration processes
- Analysis and Design – Converts high-level design to low-level design and implements it
- Collaborate with Team Leads to define/clarify business requirements, estimate development costs, and finalise work plans
- Create and run unit and integration tests throughout the development lifecycle
- Benchmark application code proactively to prevent performance and scalability concerns
- Collaborate with the Quality Assurance Team on issue reporting, resolution, and change management
- Support and Troubleshooting – Assist the Operations Team with any environmental issues that arise during application deployment in the Development, QA, and Production environments
- Assist other teams in resolving issues that may develop as a result of applications or the integration of multiple components
- Create and maintain appropriate technical documentation and other project artefacts
- Develop, test, and iterate on MVP solutions to operationalize new features and products
Our must-haves:
- 3+ years of experience delivering cloud solutions using Azure Databricks, Delta Tables, Azure Data Factory, ADLS, Azure Data Lake, Azure VM
- Deep understanding of Delta Lake, including ACID transactions, schema enforcement, time travel
- Ability to design Medallion (Bronze–Silver–Gold) architectures for scalable analytics
- Experience with Unity Catalog for data governance, RBAC, lineage and secure data access
- Strong knowledge of Databricks Workflows, Jobs, Repos, Asset Bundles, and CI/CD integrations
- Advanced Apache Spark (PySpark/SQL)
- Expert in PySpark and Spark SQL performance tuning (partitioning, caching, AQE, skew mitigation, broadcast joins)
- Skilled in building high‐throughput ETL/ELT pipelines and optimising clusters
- Data modelling: dimensional modelling, relational design, semantic models
- Strong SQL—complex transformations, windowing, analytical queries
- Experience with structured, semi‐structured, and streaming data ingestion (Auto Loader, Structured Streaming)
- Using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or Databricks CLI/Repos for automated deployments
- Managing multiple environments (dev/test/prod) with parameterisation and environment config
- Building automated data quality frameworks (expectations, anomaly detection)
- Monitoring pipelines, implementing alerting
- Experience ensuring regulatory compliance
Desirable:
- Experience gained in either an insurance/insurance-related business or a fast-paced financial services environment
- Experience working with toolset such as Jira, Azure DevOps, Ataccama or Confluence
Who we are:
Markel Group (NYSE – MKL) a Fortune 500 company with over 60 offices in 20+ countries, is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, specialist advisory, and investment operations around the world.
We’re all about people | We win together | We strive for better | We enjoy the everyday | We think further
A great starting salary plus annual bonus & strong benefits package...
- 25 days paid holiday plus Bank Holidays, with the opportunity to buy/sell extra leave
- Fantastic company pension scheme, private medical and dental cover, life assurance, travel insurance cover, income protection, season ticket loan as well as other great benefits on offer
- There are countless opportunities to learn new skills and develop in your career and we can provide the support needed to do just that!
Markel celebrates the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you. We are also happy to consider candidates who are looking for flexible working patterns.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with all reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us via email at rec@markel.com or call us at 0161 507 5827 to request any accommodations that may be needed. This includes any alternative formats of any documents or information on how to apply offline.
Senior Data Engineer employer: Markel Corporation
Markel Group is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in London where innovation and collaboration thrive. With a strong focus on employee growth, we provide extensive learning opportunities, a competitive salary, and a comprehensive benefits package that includes generous holiday allowances and a robust pension scheme. Join us to be part of a diverse team that values your contributions and supports your career development in the fast-paced world of insurance and financial services.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Data Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections on LinkedIn or attend industry meetups. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by practising common questions and showcasing your skills. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers and highlight your experience with Azure Databricks and data engineering.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just wait for job postings; be proactive! Research companies you admire and reach out directly. Express your interest in their work and how your skills can contribute to their goals.
✨Tip Number 4
Finally, apply through our website! It’s quick and easy, and we love seeing candidates who take the initiative. Plus, it gives us a chance to learn more about you and your fit for the role.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Data Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the Senior Data Engineer role. Highlight your experience with Azure Databricks, Delta Tables, and any relevant cloud solutions. We want to see how your skills align with what we're looking for!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about data engineering and how you can contribute to our team. Be sure to mention specific projects or experiences that relate to the job description.
Showcase Your Technical Skills:Don’t hold back on showcasing your technical expertise! Include details about your experience with PySpark, Spark SQL, and CI/CD processes. We love seeing candidates who can demonstrate their knowledge in practical ways.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother application process. It helps us keep track of your application and ensures you get all the updates directly from us. Plus, it’s super easy!
How to prepare for a job interview at Markel Corporation
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your Azure Databricks, Delta Tables, and PySpark skills. Be ready to discuss specific projects where you've applied these technologies, as well as any challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare examples of how you've designed and developed solutions in previous roles. Think about times when you had to assess needs, create prototypes, or collaborate with teams to deliver results. This will demonstrate your ability to contribute effectively to the team.
✨Understand the Agile Environment
Familiarise yourself with agile methodologies and be prepared to discuss how you've worked in such environments before. Highlight your experience with continuous integration and test-driven development, as these are key aspects of the role.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions about the company's data strategy, team dynamics, and future projects. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you gauge if the company is the right fit for you.
