Principal Data Engineer

Twinkl is on an exciting journey to redefine how we serve our global teaching community through data. We are building a world-class data engineering function to power the next generation of our data platform, with modern tools and practices at our core. As a Principal Data Engineer, you will build and maintain the robust data systems that power our analytics and operational needs. You will work across our entire data platform, from batch processing to real-time event streams, ensuring our solutions are scalable, maintainable, and deliver real value to our users.

You will have the opportunity to work with modern data engineering tools and practices, while learning from experienced engineers. We offer the freedom to work in whatever way suits you best - whether that is remote, in our Sheffield office, or a mix of both. You are encouraged to contribute to architectural decisions, take ownership of key platform components, and develop your skills across the full data engineering spectrum. With our focus on impact over hours worked, you will be part of a team that values pragmatic solutions and continuous learning, working on projects that make a real difference to educators worldwide.

What will you be doing?

• Work with stakeholders to scope out new high impact projects
• Design, build and maintain scalable data pipelines
• Implement event streaming solutions
• Design and optimize data models from ingestion to presentation layers
• Set and implement the standards for code quality, testing practices, CI/CD workflows
• Design solutions and make architectural decisions that serve the long term needs of the organization
• Work closely with data scientists and analysts to identify and deliver high impact projects
• Manage stakeholders across the business from both technical and non-technical domains
• Help build and maintain our data catalog and documentation
• Implement comprehensive data quality frameworks and standards that contribute to confidence in our data
• Turn complex data problems into maintainable solutions
• Identify opportunities for the use of AI across the development lifecycle
• Build an awareness of data industry trends and opportunities that Twinkl can leverage
• Mentor and coach existing team members, sharing knowledge and experience, investing in the growth of the whole team

What do we need from you?

• Minimum 7 years experience working in Data Engineering/Analytics Engineering or within data teams
• Minimum 2 years of experience with a modern data platform such as Databricks or Snowflake
• Minimum 2 years of experience with DBT or similar data modelling framework
• Knowledge of different data architecture patterns and how and when to implement them
• Knowledge of data modeling and warehouse design
• Minimum 5 years experience with SQL and Python
• Experience with version control and CI/CD
• Experience with infrastructure as code such as Terraform
• Experience implementing data quality and testing approaches in a modern data platform
• Experience implementing testing and deployment patterns for modern data pipelines

Most importantly, you should:

• Be curious about how things work and always looking to learn more
• Care about building reliable systems that make other people's jobs easier
• Understand that sometimes 'boring' technology is the right choice
• Get satisfaction from cleaning up messy data problems
• Want to work somewhere where you can have real impact, not just maintain the status quo

What’s in it for you?

• A friendly, welcoming and supportive culture. We believe work should be fun and always put people before process
• 33 days annual leave per year, pro rata. You decide which public holidays to recognise. After 2 years of employment, your annual leave entitlement will accrue year on year up to 38 days annual leave
• An additional day of annual leave, a Me Day, to take time for yourself
• Charity day to volunteer and support a registered charity of your choice
• Westfield Health (including Health Club discount and Westfield Rewards discount and cashback)
• Learning and Development opportunities, with opportunities for internal mobility across various departments / areas of the business
• 4 x annual salary death in service life assurance
• Enhanced pension after long service
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave after long service
• Quarterly awards designed to reward and recognise our wonderful Twinkl employees
• Seasonal events for all UK employees so you can catch up with your new colleagues in person
• Twinkl Subscription

How do we make it happen?

We like to keep things simple and clear, after an initial chat with our TA Partner the process is: Initial 30 minute chat with one of our Head of Data Engineering so you can get to know more about the role. 60 minute technical interview - we’ll go over your tech test and talk about it in more detail. Then we’ll do a few competency based questions. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions about the role and Twinkl and get to know why the data team is a really exciting place to work. 60 minute behaviours interview - where we’ll do some competency based questions and you’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions about the role and Twinkl and get to know why the data team is a really exciting place to work. That’s it, we’ll review everything and let you know, either way you’ll be given feedback about your interview because we believe constructive feedback is always important.

At Twinkl, we encourage diversity, and our doors are open to everyone. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all. If you need any adjustments during the application process to showcase your abilities, please let us know. We are here to support you on your journey.