Temporary Senior Data Engineer (Grade E3) in Edinburgh

At Scottish Funding Council, we’re embarking on an exciting digital transformation to redefine how we use data to drive innovation and deliver exceptional value to our customers. Central to this journey is the creation of the Azure-based data ecosystem, enabling us to unlock the full potential of our data through transformative and intelligent solutions. Our Data Engineering team plays a pivotal role in this mission. We manage the entire data lifecycle—from integrating diverse data sources and optimizing storage and processing pipelines to delivering actionable insights—while ensuring compliance with company standards and data protection regulations.

As a Senior Data Engineer, you will be a technical leader within this dynamic team, driving innovation and engineering excellence. You’ll work closely with teams across the organisation, including Analytics and Cloud Engineering, to cultivate a data-driven culture and lead initiatives that turn data into a powerful tool for transformation. This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of post-16 education in Scotland. By delivering innovative, data-driven solutions, you will enable institutions and policymakers to make informed decisions, enhance learning outcomes, and create opportunities that empower students to thrive in an increasingly data-centric world. We expect that this role will end in February 2027.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate business requirements into technical specifications, roadmaps and deliverable data solutions, including data streams, integrations, transformations, databases, data warehouses, and business intelligence, reporting and analytical platforms.
• Define the data architecture framework, standards and principles, including modelling, metadata, security and data virtualisation.
• Support the Head of Data Engineering to develop and enhance standards and policies/guidelines whilst driving adoption of standards.
• Define data flows and data lineage, visualising which parts of the organization generate data, which require data to function, how data flows are managed, and how data changes in transition.
• Provide technical guidance and advice to help in the design and development of data solutions for data modelling and warehousing, data integration, and analytics.
• Provide direction and support to a team of data engineers and provide technical guidance on the data products.
• Develop roadmaps for both product related DE work as well as overall data maturity roadmap.
• Drive the design, building, and launching of new data models and data pipelines in production.
• Perform peer reviews, audits, standards compliance checks and due diligence as required.
• Report delivery progress and status to both internal and external stakeholders.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

It is important through your CV / Cover Letter that you give evidence of proven experience of each of the following essential criteria:

Essential

• Proven track record of designing, developing and delivering enterprise-scale data products and solutions within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem.
• Advanced proficiency in SQL and modern data processing frameworks, coupled with strong programming skills in at least one language (Python preferred).
• Comprehensive expertise in data architecture, including dimensional modelling, data warehouse design patterns, and business intelligence solution architecture.
• Deep hands-on technical knowledge acquired through extensive practical implementation experience.
• Exceptional analytical capabilities with proven ability to conduct comprehensive data profiling, source system analysis, and deliver actionable insights that drive business value.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, compelling narratives for diverse stakeholder audiences.
• Proven leadership experience in guiding and mentoring data engineering teams, fostering technical excellence and professional growth.
• Track record of identifying strategic data opportunities, initiating transformative projects, and driving technical direction from concept to successful delivery.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and align technical solutions with organisational objectives.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to engage effectively with technical teams and business stakeholders.
• Expertise in requirements gathering, solution design, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Degree level education (SCQF level 9) or equivalent experience, ideally in a technical field such as Computer Science, Mathematics or Physics.

Desirable

• Significant exposure to Azure utilising some of the following: Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure SQL, Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Lake, Azure DevOps and PowerBI.
• Azure Data Engineer Associate certification or higher OR Azure AI Engineer Associate certification or higher.
• Experience implementing solutions using Microsoft Fabric.

Terms and Benefits

• Normal full-time hours of work are 35 per week. We will consider flexible working arrangements. A flexi-time system is in operation.
• Annual leave entitlement of 30 days pro-rata, plus public and privilege holiday entitlement of 13 days pro-rata.
• A flexible approach to hybrid working, giving you flexibility to work from home anywhere in the UK for some of the time while also maintaining regular in-person contact with colleagues.
• Annual pay review: approved within the framework of the Scottish Government’s Public Sector Pay Policy and negotiated with our recognised trade union, Unite. Salaries are reviewed annually in April for employees who commence employment prior to 1 October in the preceding year.
• Eligibility to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme. With its low member contribution rates and generous employer contributions, this gives you a secure, inflation-proof pension for life with no investment uncertainty.
• Support for continuous professional development: as a part of SFC, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive support for continuous learning and professional development.
• Support for health and wellbeing, including generous occupational sick pay, free access to confidential advice and support through our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, Special Leave (paid and unpaid), a contribution to learning outside work through our Lifelong Learning Fund, free winter flu vaccination, and access to occupational health support.
• We provide support to SFC employees with Volunteering Days.
• Support for travel to and from work, including a salary sacrifice cycle loan scheme, cycle storage and shower facilities, an interest-free loan for bus or rail season tickets and free office car parking for employees on a first-come basis.

Although most salaried roles are advertised as full time positions (35 hours a week), we are happy to discuss part-time or compressed hours to suit a candidate's circumstances. We also operate a flexible working scheme to work around a candidate's other commitments such as caring responsibilities. We will consider secondment applications for most salaried fixed-term or temporary positions and in many cases also for salaried permanent positions.

This role has been identified and will be funded by The Scottish Government to support the smooth transition of the Tertiary Education and Training (TET) Bill. This will enable SFC to continue delivering key priorities including the smooth transfer of the funding, development and delivery of national training programmes, including apprenticeships, from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

We are the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, more commonly known as the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). We are Scotland’s tertiary education and research authority and our purpose is to sustain a world-leading system of tertiary education, research and innovation that enables students to flourish, changes lives for the better, and supports social, economic and environmental wellbeing and prosperity.

As a non-departmental public body established by the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005, we are directly accountable to Scottish Government Ministers and the Scottish Parliament. We work across many government portfolios and are sponsored by the Lifelong Learning Directorate. We hold colleges, universities and other funded bodies to account for their delivery of required outcomes. We are also the statistical authority for colleges, and work closely with the UK-wide Higher Education Statistical Authority (HESA), to provide data and statistics for government, decision-makers, and the wider public. We work in partnership with a wide range of partners and bodies, including those we fund, across all aspects of our remit.

General information for applicants for SFC roles

You must already be eligible to work in the UK to apply for these roles. SFC do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skills Worker License and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. We are pleased to support applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, socio-economic background, gender, sexual orientation, sex, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, as well as those who have skills in Scottish Gaelic or British Sign Language, who have the right skills for the job. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and actively encourage interviews through the scheme.

Further information about SFC is available on our website Scottish Funding Council home page (sfc.ac.uk). Additional information about our recruitment process can be found at Recruitment FAQs | Scottish Funding Council Careers (sfc.ac.uk).