At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design of scalable cloud data platforms and build modern data pipelines.
- Company: Join a leading organisation driving digital transformation in data engineering.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, hybrid work options, and ongoing professional development.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with genuine career progression opportunities.
- Why this job: Shape enterprise-wide data strategy and work with cutting-edge cloud technologies.
- Qualifications: 7 years in Data Engineering with strong cloud platform expertise.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
A leading organisation undergoing a significant digital transformation is looking to appoint a Principal Data Engineer to play a key role in shaping its enterprise data platform and future analytics capabilities. Joining a growing Data & Integration function, you’ll work alongside architects, product owners, and engineering teams to deliver modern, cloud-based data solutions that support business-critical decision-making. This is an opportunity to influence technical strategy, establish engineering standards, and drive the adoption of modern DataOps and cloud technologies across the organisation.
We are hiring a Principal Data Engineer to provide technical leadership across enterprise data engineering initiatives. You’ll be responsible for designing scalable cloud-based data platforms, building modern data pipelines, and defining engineering standards that enable secure, reliable, and high-performing data solutions.
Key Responsibilities:- Design and implement enterprise-scale cloud data platforms and architectures
- Lead the development of scalable data pipelines, integration frameworks, and reusable data products
- Drive best practice across Data Engineering, DataOps, and DevOps
- Implement CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code, and automated deployment processes
- Ensure data quality, governance, security, lineage, and compliance across enterprise platforms
- Collaborate with architects, software engineers, analysts, and business stakeholders to deliver high-quality data solutions
- Support cloud migration and modernisation initiatives
- Optimise platform performance, scalability, and operational efficiency
- Mentor Data Engineers and provide technical leadership across the wider engineering function
- Evaluate emerging technologies and help shape the organisation’s long-term data strategy
We’re looking for an experienced Data Engineering leader with a passion for modern cloud technologies and enterprise-scale data platforms.
Essential Experience:- 7 years’ experience in Data Engineering, Data Platform Development, or Software Engineering
- Strong experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale data architectures
- Expertise with cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud
- Advanced SQL and Python development skills
- Experience building ETL/ELT pipelines and modern data integration solutions
- Strong understanding of DataOps, DevOps, CI/CD, and Infrastructure as Code
- Experience with data modelling, data warehousing, and master data management
- Knowledge of data governance, metadata management, and data quality frameworks
- Hands-on experience with technologies such as Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, Airflow, or similar
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
- Experience mentoring engineers and providing technical leadership
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
- Experience working within Agile delivery environments
- Cloud certifications (Azure, AWS, or GCP)
- TOGAF, DAMA CDMP, or Data Engineering certifications
- Experience with AI/ML platforms or MLOps
- Exposure to Data Mesh or Data Fabric architectures
- Enterprise Architecture experience
- Experience within Aerospace, Defence, Manufacturing, or other highly regulated industries
- Competitive salary
- Hybrid and flexible working options
- Opportunity to shape enterprise-wide data strategy and architecture
- Work with cutting-edge cloud technologies including Azure, Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, and Snowflake
- Technical leadership role with significant influence across the organisation
- Ongoing professional development and certification opportunities
- Collaborative engineering culture with genuine career progression
- Multi-stage interview process
- Technical and competency-based assessments
- Fast-moving recruitment process
Principal Data Engineer in Reading employer: Pearson Carter
At Pearson Carter, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer by fostering a collaborative and supportive work culture that values employee growth and development. Our Skegness location offers unique advantages, including a close-knit community and the opportunity to work directly with clients, ensuring that your contributions have a meaningful impact. Join us to be part of a team that is dedicated to maximizing ERP investments while providing you with the resources and training needed to excel in your career.
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We think this is how you could land Principal Data Engineer in Reading
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We think you need these skills to ace Principal Data Engineer in Reading
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!
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Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at Pearson Carter, 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 Pearson Carter. 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 Pearson Carter
✨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 Pearson Carter!
✨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.
