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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, 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 - 90000 £ 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.
Principal Data Engineer in Leeds 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 Leeds
✨Network Like a Pro
Get out there and connect with folks in the industry! Attend meetups, webinars, or even just grab a coffee with someone who’s already in a Principal Data Engineer role. Building relationships can open doors that a CV just can’t.
✨Show Off Your Skills
Don’t just talk about your experience; demonstrate it! Create a portfolio showcasing your projects, especially those involving cloud-based data platforms or innovative data solutions. This will give potential employers a taste of what you can bring to the table.
✨Ace the Interview
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your data engineering fundamentals. Be ready to discuss your architectural decisions and how they’ve impacted business outcomes. Remember, it’s not just about what you know, but how you communicate it!
✨Apply Through Our Website
When you find a role that excites you, apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search!
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Data Engineer in Leeds
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Principal Data Engineer role. Highlight your experience with cloud-based data platforms and any leadership roles you've had. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
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 forget to highlight your technical expertise in data modelling, pipeline orchestration, and distributed systems. We love seeing concrete examples of how you've applied these skills in past roles, so include those details!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for the best chance of getting noticed. It’s super easy, and you’ll be able to keep track of your application status. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take that extra step!
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 technical strategy or mentored other engineers. Be prepared to share these experiences during the interview, highlighting how you’ve helped teams improve their effectiveness and how you approach architectural reviews.
✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently
Exceptional communication skills are key for this position. Practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms, as you’ll need to collaborate with cross-functional teams. Consider preparing a few scenarios where you successfully communicated technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders, emphasising the business impact.
✨Stay Ahead of the Curve
The data engineering landscape is always evolving, so show that you’re proactive about learning new tools and technologies. Research emerging trends and be ready to discuss how you evaluate and adopt new solutions that can add value to the business. This will demonstrate your commitment to innovation and continuous improvement.
