Head of Data Engineering in England

Location: UK, London

Job type: Full time, Permanent – Hybrid

We work on an 8‑hour workday. Two days in the office each week; the rest remote.

Why QS?

At QS, we believe that work should empower you. That’s why we foster a flexible working environment that encourages every employee to own their career whilst flourishing personally and professionally. Our company values underpin everything we do – we collaborate, respect and support each other. It’s our mission to empower motivated people around the world to fulfil their potential through higher education, ensuring that everyone has access to opportunities that change lives. Our diversity makes us stronger. By sharing our experiences, we learn from one another and achieve more together, driving progress across the sector.

At QS, you’ll be responsible for implementing real change in the international higher education landscape. You’ll take on meaningful challenges that see a positive impact across the business and the wider sector. We’re confident you’ll feel right at home here. QS was named as one of Newsweek’s Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® in the UK (October 2023), recognising the respect, trust and appreciation that drive our culture every day. And as a gold‑accredited Investors in People organisation – putting us among the top 28% of workplaces globally – it’s official: QS is a place where everyone can thrive.

As Head of Data Engineering, this is what you’ll be doing:

• At QS, we believe that empowering people through data drives meaningful impact in higher education worldwide. As Head of Data Engineering, you will lead in the architectural design, build and delivery of scalable data pipelines, APIs and services at the core of QS Cerebrum, and our enterprise analytics and AI platforms.
• You will be accountable for building and owning the data architecture and infrastructure that underpin QS’s core student and institution facing products and enterprise analytics.
• This role leads the engineering function responsible for ingestion, transformation, quality, governance and delivery of all core QS datasets.
• You will define and embed engineering standards, robust governance and data quality measures into all pipelines, and actively develop your engineers to deliver a high‑performance culture in Data and Analytics.
• This role will collaborate with leaders across Data Science, Product and Technology to build the QS data platform.
• Your strong leadership and communication skills will be essential in collaborating with stakeholders, guiding team members, and contributing to QS’s long‑term strategic objectives.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of higher education and workforce development by joining a dynamic Data Engineering team. If you are passionate about leading, innovating, and making a tangible difference in a diverse and supportive environment, we invite you to envision yourself in this impactful role at QS.

Role responsibilities:

• Data Platform Ownership

• Architect and evolve QS’s enterprise data platform (AWS + Snowflake).
• Drive the transition toward modern data architectures (data platform, streaming pipelines, real‑time scoring where relevant).
• Own standards for ingestion, transformation, orchestration, metadata, observability and lineage.
• Build robust ETL/ELT pipelines for QS datasets across performance, recruitment, skills and innovation, including real‑time student demand data, global workforce data and higher education rankings data.
• Implement scalable frameworks for data acquisition from surveys, universities, partners and public sources.
• Ensure pipelines are cost‑efficient, monitored, recoverable and version‑controlled.

• Establish enterprise‑wide data quality metrics, monitoring systems and remediation workflows.
• Implement governance frameworks aligned with QS’s methodologies and product/service requirements.
• Partner with Data Science, Technology and Product to standardize definitions, master data and reference data models.
• Lead, grow and mentor a global team of data engineers.
• Set clear engineering standards, code practices, review processes and architectural guidelines.
• Build a culture of technical excellence, reliability and delivery accountability.

• Partner with the Director of Data Science, Technology and Product Leads to align on priorities, platform capabilities and data readiness.
• Translate business and methodological requirements into scalable data engineering solutions.
• Work with compliance and security teams on data privacy and PII handling and regulatory alignment (GDPR, global privacy standards).

• Own and drive the multi‑year data engineering roadmap.
• Introduce automation, ML‑assisted data validation and higher‑frequency data refresh cycles to improve QS’s data competitiveness.
• Future‑proof QS’s data stack to support new growth models.

Key skills and experience:

• Proven ability to lead teams and deliver results in complex data or information services businesses.
• Wicked problem‑solver who thrives in dynamic, evolving environments.
• Strategic communicator with strong interpersonal and leadership skills, fostering collaboration and inclusivity.
• Demonstrable business impact, balancing technical solutions with practical business needs.
• Strong proficiency in SQL and Python, with hands‑on experience in cloud data platforms (such as Snowflake or equivalent).
• Strong experience with orchestration tools (e.g. Glue, Airflow, dbt) supporting reliable data workflows, streaming frameworks (such as Kafka, Snowpipe) for real‑time data delivery and machine learning and artificial intelligence workflows, including feature stores and platforms like Sagemaker.
• Excellent understanding of data modelling concepts, including graph‑based design.
• Familiarity with REST/GraphQL APIs and approaches to optimise data delivery and performance.
• Master’s degree in a relevant field.

Please note, if you don’t meet all the criteria but believe you have the skills and passion to thrive in this role, we encourage you to apply.

So, who are we and what do we do?

QS is the world leader in higher education services, analytics, insights and intelligence. From consultancy to student mobility, academic partnerships to branding solutions, our services power both institutional and individual success. We’re behind the world’s most widely read university rankings (Meltwater 2023). Our QS World University Rankings® reach hundreds of millions, shaping decisions and guiding futures. Since launching in 1990, our impact and influence have only grown. Today, we work with more than 2,000 of the world’s leading higher education institutions, over 12,000 employers, and governments seeking change and socioeconomic development through higher education.

Join QS and you’ll join an 800‑strong community of problem‑solvers, creators, collaborators and change‑makers based in 40+ countries and 11 international offices, including Australia, Malaysia, India, Romania, Singapore, France, Germany, the USA and our headquarters in London. With every talented new hire, business acquisition and bold initiative, we’re strengthening our reach and delivering even greater value to institutions and learners worldwide. Are you ready to shape the future of higher education?

We take investing in our people very seriously. As standard you will have:

• Access to an annual bonus scheme (for qualifying roles only).
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays – increasing to 27 days after 5 years’.
• Access to a Buy Holiday scheme allowing you to buy up to 5 additional holiday days per year.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
• Generous pension through Royal London.
• Comprehensive private medical insurance and wellness scheme through Vitality.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• A vibrant social environment and multicultural and multinational culture.

But that’s not all. Outside of these standard benefits we also offer resources to allow professional growth and wellness initiatives to nurture a healthy mindset:

• Free subscription to the Calm App – the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation.
• A focus on welfare which is led by our global wellness team, with mental health first aiders globally.
• Access to a variety of diversity and inclusion initiatives and groups.
• Strong recognition and reward programs – including a peer‑to‑peer recognition platform, quarterly and annual QS Applaud Awards, Connect with your Career annual PD event.
• Support for volunteering and study leave.
• Free subscription to LinkedIn Learning – with over 5000 courses and programmes at your fingertips.
• Options to join our outstanding global Mentorship programme.

Like what you’ve heard? Great, apply now!

As a candidate, we know the application and interview process can be daunting and so it’s important that you have a great experience with us. Our dedicated Talent Team will work hard to ensure you are fully informed at all stages and you are really excited by this opportunity to do meaningful work in the education space.

Equal opportunities

QS Quacquarelli Symonds is proud to be a fair and equal organisation where everyone has the same opportunity to achieve their full potential, irrespective of their background or personal attributes. We celebrate our diversity and believe through sharing our experiences we can learn from one another, be stronger together, and enable our business to thrive.

Seniority level: Mid‑Senior level

Employment type: Full‑time

Job function: Analyst and Management

Industry: Higher Education, Education and Education Administration Programs