Data Engineer

You will join the team at an exciting time - With SAP BW ending support in the near future, we are embarking on a journey to migrate to Microsoft Fabric. This new infrastructure will be key in delivering our Data Strategy, and so we look to expand our team with an experienced, skilled and personable Data Engineer to help deliver this migration and maintain the framework and reporting data layer post-migration.

The IS team at Shoosmiths plays a pivotal role in enabling the firm’s digital transformation and operational excellence. With a team of 76 professionals, the department is structured into two core functions: Technical and Applications. The Technical team covers Service Desk, 3rd Line Support, Business Systems Training, Compliance, Networks, and Security, while the Applications team manages platforms such as SAP, iManage and other core legal systems. The team is committed to collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement, with a strong focus on wellbeing, development opportunities, and delivering secure, scalable, and user-centric solutions that support the firm’s strategic goals.

Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for our ability to focus on what matters. From offices across the UK and Brussels, we support some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious businesses; amazing clients making an impact. We empower our people to be their authentic selves and deliver together in supportive teams committed to excellence and innovation. The first top 50 law firm to achieve ‘Platinum Standard’ Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm. Shoosmiths is also on a pathway to net zero across the value chain by 2040.

We have an outstanding benefits package to complement our competitive remuneration system. In addition to the competitive salaries, great working environment and high-quality work, we believe that all staff should be rewarded for their commitment to the continued success of the firm through a comprehensive and flexible range of benefits.

Shoosmiths strategy is to transform Shoosmiths from being a really good firm with a really solid reputation, into an excellent firm with a reputation for excellence. So that by 2030, we will excel in our chosen markets. At the heart of our new strategy is focus. Intense focus on what we do well. And a bold commitment to doing it even better.

Main Responsibilities

• Primary responsibility initially will be to support the introduction of Microsoft Fabric.
• Work closely with the IT team, Data Manager, Finance, HR, and Commercial stakeholders to translate requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Design, build, and maintain data ingestion pipelines from key sources system into Fabric.
• Implement ETL/ELT processes using tools like Azure Data Factory, Fabric Data Pipelines, and SAP Data Services.
• Develop data models for Finance, HR, and Commercial teams aligned with Shoosmiths’ Data Strategy.
• Create and maintain a Gold-standard reporting layer, for use both internally & externally to the Data team.
• Understand, implement and maintain strong Data Governance procedures, including compliance with GDPR and legal data handling standards.
• Collaborate and assist in upskilling the team with regards to coding ability.
• Proactively create an awareness of engineering processes, and meticulously document knowledge & error handling processes.

Skills & Qualifications

• Proven experience in data engineering within enterprise environments.
• Hands-on with Microsoft Fabric (OneLake, Lakehouse, Delta, Data Pipelines, Dataflows, Power BI semantic models).
• Experience SAP data (HANA, BW, SuccessFactors or PI/PO interfaces) would be advantageous.
• Strong SQL (including performance tuning), and Python/PySpark for transformations.
• Practical ETL/ELT using Fabric Data Pipelines and/or Azure Data Factory.
• Solid grasp of data modelling, medallion/Lakehouse patterns, and dimensional design.
• Experience with data governance, security (RBAC), and GDPR in a UK context.
• Version control (Git), CI/CD for analytics, and working in agile teams.
• Strong communicator, with ability to train colleagues and communicate technical issues to a non-technical audience.

Equal opportunities

Our approach to our people is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion and well-being. Our ambition is to build a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and talents, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues. This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.