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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design of scalable data architectures and mentor senior engineers.
- Company: Global content solutions company with cutting-edge technology and expertise.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of data engineering and make a real impact on global brands.
- Qualifications: Extensive experience in cloud-based data platforms and strong leadership skills.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
The predicted salary is between 54000 - 84000 £ per year.
Location: United Kingdom
Our Client
They are a global content solutions company, powered by technology and human expertise. They help organisations grow the value of their ideas, data, and content by enabling them to be understood - everywhere. With over 45 AI patents, industry-leading technology, and expert talent, they support more than 80 of the world’s top 100 brands. Their teams operate across 60+ locations worldwide, delivering solutions that accelerate time-to-market, deepen customer engagement, and unlock new global opportunities.
Role Overview
As Principal Data Engineer, you will be a senior technical leader responsible for shaping the architecture, scalability, and evolution of the enterprise data platform. This role goes far beyond delivery. You will define technical strategy, design scalable data systems, mentor senior engineers, and partner closely with product, engineering, analytics, and business leaders to transform strategic goals into robust, data-driven solutions. You will have significant autonomy to influence architectural decisions, introduce best practices, and create a lasting technical legacy across the global data ecosystem.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design and evolution of scalable, secure, and reliable data architectures supporting BI, analytics, and ML workloads.
- Define and drive data engineering standards, architecture patterns, and best practices across teams.
- Influence technical strategy across engineering, product, and analytics through clear communication and stakeholder collaboration.
- Anticipate future data needs, balancing long-term vision with pragmatic delivery.
- Own reliability, performance, and observability of critical data systems, including SLO definition and operational resilience.
- Mentor and develop senior data engineers through architecture reviews, technical coaching, and knowledge sharing.
- Champion data quality, governance, monitoring, incident response, and cost optimisation.
- Evaluate emerging tools and technologies, guiding adoption where they deliver genuine business value.
Skills & Experience
- Extensive experience designing and operating large-scale, cloud-based data platforms.
- Deep expertise in data engineering fundamentals: data modelling, pipeline orchestration, distributed systems, and performance optimisation.
- Strong architectural judgement, balancing technical excellence with business outcomes.
- Proven leadership and influence across cross-functional teams.
- Demonstrated success mentoring senior engineers and scaling team effectiveness.
- Exceptional communication skills, including technical writing, documentation, and executive presentations.
- Strong business acumen with the ability to connect technical decisions to measurable ROI.
Desirable Experience
- Hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform (Big Query, Data form, Cloud Composer).
- Metadata management and data cataloguing (e.g., DataHub, Alation).
- Modern orchestration platforms (Airflow, Prefect, Dagster).
- Cloud-native architectures, including Kubernetes, serverless, and Infrastructure as Code.
- Data mesh or decentralised data architecture implementations.
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) for data assets.
- Open-source contributions or active participation in the data engineering community.
Locations
Principal Data Engineer in Hampshire, Portsmouth employer: Shaw Daniels Solutions
Contact Detail:
Shaw Daniels Solutions Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Data Engineer in Hampshire, Portsmouth
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the data engineering field and let them know you're on the lookout for opportunities. Attend industry meetups or webinars to meet potential employers and showcase your expertise.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio that highlights your best projects, especially those involving cloud-based data platforms or innovative data architectures. This will give you an edge when chatting with hiring managers.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your technical knowledge and soft skills. Be ready to discuss how you've influenced architectural decisions and mentored others. Practice common interview questions to boost your confidence!
✨Tip Number 4
Don't forget to apply through our website! We have loads of exciting opportunities waiting for talented individuals like you. Plus, it’s a great way to get noticed by our hiring team directly.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Data Engineer in Hampshire, Portsmouth
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Principal Data Engineer role. Highlight your expertise in cloud-based data platforms and any leadership experience you've had, as we want to see how you can shape our data architecture.
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 your vision aligns with our goals. Don’t forget to mention specific projects or achievements that showcase your technical prowess and leadership skills.
Showcase Your Communication Skills: As a Principal Data Engineer, you'll need to communicate complex ideas clearly. In your application, demonstrate your ability to write technically but also engage non-technical stakeholders. This will help us see how you can influence across teams.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it gives you a chance to explore more about our company culture and values!
How to prepare for a job interview at Shaw Daniels Solutions
✨Know Your Data Inside Out
As a Principal Data Engineer, you’ll need to demonstrate your deep understanding of data architectures and cloud-based platforms. Brush up on your knowledge of Google Cloud Platform and be ready to discuss how you've designed scalable data systems in the past. Prepare specific examples that showcase your expertise in data modelling and pipeline orchestration.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
This role requires strong leadership and mentoring abilities. Think about times when you've influenced cross-functional teams or mentored other engineers. Be prepared to share these experiences during the interview, highlighting how you’ve driven technical strategy and improved team effectiveness.
✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently
Exceptional communication skills are key for this position. Practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms, as you may need to present ideas to non-technical stakeholders. Consider preparing a brief presentation on a past project to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively.
✨Stay Ahead of the Curve
The tech landscape is always evolving, so show that you’re proactive about learning new tools and technologies. Research emerging trends in data engineering and be ready to discuss how you evaluate and adopt new solutions that can add value to the business. This will demonstrate your forward-thinking mindset and commitment to innovation.
