Senior Data Engineer

Senior Data Engineer

Full-Time 41985 - 41985 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
TargetJobs UK

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Design and maintain data pipelines, ensuring data quality and integrity.
  • Company: Join the Office for National Statistics, the UK's leading producer of official statistics.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, generous pension contributions, flexible working, and personal development time.
  • Other info: Be part of a supportive community focused on innovation and career growth.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on data-driven decisions that shape the UK.
  • Qualifications: Experience in programming and data engineering; strong communication skills.

The predicted salary is between 41985 - 41985 £ per year.

Job Summary

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics.

These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution, and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime, and migration.

Data Products, Services and Governance (DPSG), which sits centrally within ONS, provides a cross‑ONS capability for data, including data access and preparation, and the provision of data and linked data products.

DPSG develops and manages the systems and processes that underpin the distribution of data across ONS and beyond.

DPSG provides data to ONS, academia, wider government, and other external users in a safe and controlled way, supporting and encouraging users to maximise data utility, enabling innovation and statistical and research use.

Data Engineers are responsible for data products and services in ONS, primarily to support the ease‑of‑use and consistency of our data across our data platforms, enabling ONS statistical areas, researchers and wider external data users.

Job Description

We’re looking for someone with technical skills but also a great attitude, who is proactive, takes pride in the quality of their work and is eager to continuously improve their technical skills.

We welcome applications from varied technical backgrounds including but not limited to data science, infrastructure engineering, software engineering or related technical disciplines.

As well as day‑to‑day processing and delivery we work as a team to develop the capability of the organisation – developing reusable and increasingly automated code, tools, and best practice so that we and others across the organisation can build the data pipelines needed to support the growing work of a changing organisation.

Your work will include data cleansing, validation, and enhancement processes to refine the quality and integrity of the data and prepare this for onward linkage.

We encourage training and development so that we can stay on top of changing technology.

We have and continue to invest in the development of our staff with internal and external training opportunities.

  • As a Data Engineer In ONS, You May
  • Work across the lifecycle of ETL/ELT (extract, transform, load / extract, load, transform) pipelines that facilitate the movement and transformation of data across our systems.
  • Conduct data profiling and analysis to assess data quality, identify anomalies, and uncover insights that inform data pipeline design and business decision‑making.
  • Develop and maintain internal software packages for Data Engineering.
  • Use tools across our tech‑stacks, such as SQL, Python, Py Spark, Cloudera Data Platform, Google Cloud Platform.
  • Optimise the performance of our queries and data pipelines.
  • Collaborate with various technical and business stakeholders to develop and deliver on requirements, to ensure our data and processes meet business needs.
  • Set, follow and ensure adherence to standard ways of working and good practice in Data Engineering.
  • Ensure governance and compliance of our data and processes in line with ONS policies and wider legal requirements.
  • Contribute to the evaluation and adoption of new tools, frameworks, and technologies that enhance the data engineering ecosystem.
  • Champion the role of Data Engineers within ONS and participate in ONS and Civil Service Data Engineering communities.
  • Take an active role in building the capability of Data Engineers within ONS.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the design, build, operation and maintenance of a portfolio of repeatable pipelines to prepare and load data into strategic ONS data platforms.
  • Oversee the rollout of improvements to data‑engineering processes across a portfolio of repeatable pipelines.
  • Identify opportunities for innovation in our Data Engineering workflows and processes.

Work as part of a team to deliver prioritised change projects to deliver efficiencies and improvements.

Essential Criteria

  • Programming and building (data engineering) – Practitioner - Use agreed standards and tools to design, code, test, correct and document moderate‑to‑complex programs and scripts from agreed specifications and subsequent iterations.

Develop and review specifications where appropriate.

  • Communicating between the technical and non‑technical – Working - Communicate effectively with technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Support and host discussions within a multidisciplinary team, with potentially difficult dynamics.

Be an advocate for the team externally.

Manage differing stakeholder perspectives.

  • Problem management – Practitioner – Ensure that the right actions are taken to investigate, resolve and anticipate problems.

Coordinate the team to investigate problems, implement solutions and take preventive measures.

  • Behaviours
  • Changing and Improving
  • Working Together
  • Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,985, Office for National Statistics contributes £12,163 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.

We are committed to supporting our people’s wellbeing by offering flexible ways of working that support a healthy work‑life balance.

We are happy to explore opportunities with you about working flexibly in line with our hybrid working policies.

  • Protected Learning Time to spend on your personal development and side‑projects.
  • A supportive and active Community of Practice which you will be expected to contribute to, helping ensure you and your colleagues get the training, development and opportunities you need to progress your careers.
  • #J-18808-Ljbffr

Senior Data Engineer employer: TargetJobs UK

At targetjobs UK, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer, offering a supportive work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. Our Graduate Fire Engineer role not only provides competitive benefits such as 25 days holiday and flexible working options but also presents unique opportunities for professional growth in the thriving Cherwell District. Join us to make a meaningful impact in fire safety while enjoying a balanced work-life environment.

TargetJobs UK

Contact Details:

TargetJobs UK Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Senior Data Engineer

Get Involved in Data Science Meetups

Tap into local data science meetups or workshops to connect with fellow enthusiasts and professionals. These events are goldmines for networking, and sometimes even lead directly to job openings at companies like TargetJobs UK!

Show Off Your Projects

Start building a public portfolio showcasing your data science projects on platforms like GitHub or personal websites. Highlight unique analyses or models you've developed. This not only demonstrates your skills but also gets your name out there for roles like Senior Data Engineer at TargetJobs UK.

Leverage Professional Networks

Join professional bodies related to data science, like the Data Science Society or similar organisations. Getting involved can lead to mentorship opportunities and insider knowledge about full-time positions at companies like TargetJobs UK.

Apply Directly through Our Website

When you find a suitable opening like Senior Data Engineer at TargetJobs UK, make sure to apply directly through our website. It gives you an edge and shows you're keen to join our team. Plus, who doesn’t love a direct application? It’s easier than navigating through job boards!

We think you need these skills to ace Senior Data Engineer

SQL
Data Pipeline Development
Problem-Solving Skills
Python
Automation
Data Engineering
API Integration

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Off Your Projects:In the world of data science, your projects can speak volumes about your skills. Make sure to showcase a few key projects in your CV or portfolio, especially those that highlight your ability to work with data sets, build models, or use relevant tools like Python, R, or SQL. Don’t forget to include links to any GitHub repositories if applicable!

Quantify Your Achievements:Employers love numbers! When drafting your CV, highlight your achievements with quantifiable results. For instance, mention how your data analysis led to a certain percentage increase in efficiency or revenue at a previous job or project. These details can really make your application pop!

Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at TargetJobs UK, your cover letter should reflect your passion for data science and your excitement about the specific projects or values of the company. Dive into why you’re a good fit, how your skills align with their needs, and any unique perspectives you can bring to the team.

Stand Out with Relevant Courses and Certifications:Although experience talks, relevant courses or certifications can be your ticket to impressing hiring managers at TargetJobs UK. Mention any standout courses you've completed that equipped you with essential skills, such as machine learning certifications or data visualisation courses. This shows your commitment to continuously developing your skills in the field!

How to prepare for a job interview at TargetJobs UK

Brush Up on Your Statistics

For a data science role, we need to seriously sharpen our statistics skills. Get ready to tackle technical questions on probability distributions, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. These are often the bread and butter of data science interviews, so don't just skim over them!

Showcase Your Projects

Prepare a killer portfolio showcasing your data science projects. We should include details about the datasets used, the tools and techniques applied, and the impact of your findings. If we can walk them through a particularly challenging project or a cool visualisation that had real-world implications, it’ll really make us stand out!

Get Comfortable with Python and R

Most data science positions require us to be proficient in programming languages like Python and R. We should practice common libraries like pandas, NumPy, and scikit-learn, and be ready for live coding exercises or algorithm questions. Showing off our coding chops can really impress the interviewers at TargetJobs UK!

Prepare for Case Studies

Expect to encounter real-world case studies during the interview. We might be asked how we’d approach a data problem or analyse a dataset to extract insights. It's essential to think out loud and demonstrate our problem-solving process so that the interviewer can see our logical thinking in action.