Senior Data and AI Engineer

Senior Data and AI Engineer

Full-Time 72000 - 88000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Design and build cutting-edge data platforms for renewable energy solutions.
  • Company: Join RES, the world's largest independent renewable energy company.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, benefits, and a commitment to your professional growth.
  • Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for career advancement in AI and tech.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in the renewable energy sector with innovative AI and data engineering.
  • Qualifications: 7+ years in data engineering, strong Azure and Python skills required.

The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ per year.

  • Senior Data and AI Engineer
  • Make Power for Good

RES is the world’s largest independent renewable energy company.

Our mission is simple: a future where everyone has access to affordable, zero-carbon energy.

The problems we’re solving are among the most important of our generation - and the people working on them are extraordinary.

We’re building a world-class global data platform and looking for a Senior Data and AI Engineer to help shape it.

If you want to engineer things that matter - at scale, with the latest tooling - this is the role.

The Role

You’ll be at the heart of RES’s data platform - designing, building, and operating the platform, pipelines, infrastructure, and datasets that power enterprise reporting, analytics, and AI/ML across the business.

This is a senior hands-on engineering role combining deep technical execution with architectural decision-making.

You’ll set data and AI engineering standards, driving automation and MLOps practice, and work across the full Azure Fabric data stack - from ingestion through to feature-ready datasets that enable analysts, data scientists and AI teams to do their best work.

You’ll partner with architecture, governance, modelling, and analytics teams to deliver end-to-end data and AI engineering products.

  • What You’ll Do
  • Design, build, and operate reliable, secure, and observable data pipelines and curated datasets that power enterprise reporting, analytics, and AI/ML use cases.
  • Own engineering quality, performance, and cost optimisation - implementing robust data quality controls, testing frameworks, monitoring, and observability across the platform.
  • Build and maintain production-grade data infrastructure on Azure / Microsoft Fabric, including data lakes, lakehouses, and modern data warehouse patterns.
  • Produce feature-ready datasets and optimised data products that enable data scientists, AI engineers, and analytics teams.
  • Lead AI/ML engineering use cases - applying engineering best practice to model pipelines, data preparation, and AI-ready dataset design at scale.
  • Evaluate and adopt emerging data and AI engineering tools and patterns; drive continuous improvement of RES’s data ecosystem.
  • Define and implement CI/CD pipelines for data engineering workflows; apply infrastructure-as-code and automated quality gates as standard practice.
  • Lead engineering automation to reduce manual effort, improve reliability, and accelerate time-to-insight.
  • Apply containerisation and orchestration tooling (e. g. Docker, Airflow, or equivalent) to production data workflows.
  • Drive architectural decisions and shape the direction of the data platform.
  • Partner across architecture, governance, data modelling, and reporting to deliver coherent, end-to-end data and AI products.
  • Mentor and support engineers; set the standard for quality, craft, and engineering rigour across the team.
  • What You’ll Bring
  • Azure Fabric data platform - deep expertise across Azure Data Factory, Synapse, Microsoft Fabric, Purview, Unity Catalogue, and Data Lake / Lakehouse architectures.
  • Python - advanced proficiency including open-source data libraries, frameworks, and production pipeline development.
  • SQL - expert-level for data modelling, transformation, and complex query optimisation.
  • AI/ML engineering - experience building data infrastructure for machine learning and AI use cases, including feature engineering and model pipeline support.
  • MLOps - CI/CD for data pipelines, infrastructure as code, containerisation, and orchestration tools such as Airflow or equivalent.
  • Data quality & observability - hands-on experience with testing frameworks, monitoring, and quality controls in production environments.
  • LLMs and generative AI - practical understanding of how to engineer data products and pipelines that support LLM and Gen AI use cases.
  • Technical leadership - track record of engineering and architectural decision-making, setting engineering standards and delivering high quality, innovative and automated AI and data engineering work, leading strategy, roadmaps and future thinking.
  • Your Background Essential

Degree in computer science, data engineering, software engineering, or a related field - or equivalent hands-on experience.

Significant experience (typically 7+ years) delivering enterprise-grade data engineering solutions in production environments.

Proven track record as a Senior Data Engineer, including building large-scale data systems using modern approaches and making architectural decisions.

Deep expertise in the Microsoft Azure data ecosystem - ADF, Synapse, Fabric, Purview, Unity Catalogue.

Advanced Python skills including open-source data libraries, frameworks, and messaging systems.

Strong experience building and maintaining production data infrastructure for AI and ML consumption.

Experience with MLOps practices: CI/CD for data pipelines, automated testing, and infrastructure as code.

Experience with modern data stack tooling - dbt, Airflow, Prefect, or equivalent orchestration and transformation frameworks.

Experience with automation tooling such as Power Automate, Power Platform, or equivalent.

Relevant certifications in Microsoft Azure, data engineering, or AI/ML.

Exposure to working alongside data scientists and AI engineers in a shared platform model.

Why RES?

  • Engineer at scale - a genuinely global data platform with real complexity and ambition behind it.
  • A modern, cloud-first stack - Azure, Fabric, Synapse, and active investment in AI tooling.
  • Join a brand new, agile, global data and analytics team at the heart of AI, innovation, Next Gen technology and driving innovation for competitive advantage for RES.
  • You will have a diverse portfolio and be able to lead on many types of work, honing and developing strong skills in Artificial Intelligence to shape your future career at the forefront of the latest technologies.
  • A collaborative, cross-functional data function with architecture, AI, science, analytics, and engineering working closely together.
  • Competitive salary, benefits, and commitment to your professional development.
  • Department
  • Group – IT/IS – 710
  • Location
  • United Kingdom, Kings Langley
  • United Kingdom, Glasgow
  • United Kingdom, Larne
  • United Kingdom, Gateshead
  • United Kingdom
  • Employment type
  • Permanent Full Time

About us

At RES, we celebrate differences as we know it makes our company a great place to work.

Encouraging applicants with different backgrounds, ideas and points of view, we create teams who work together to solve complex problems and design practical solutions for our clients.

Our multiple perspectives come from many sources including the diverse ethnicity, culture, gender, nationality, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, marital status, parental status, education, social background and life experience of our people.

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Senior Data and AI Engineer employer: UK Government - Forestry Commission

At RES, we are committed to fostering a vibrant work culture that prioritises personal and professional growth, making us an exceptional employer for those passionate about data analytics and AI. Our diverse team thrives in a collaborative environment where innovative ideas are encouraged, and employees are empowered to make a meaningful impact on the renewable energy sector. With competitive benefits and a focus on ethical data practices, working at our Kings Langley or Glasgow locations offers unique opportunities to contribute to a sustainable future while advancing your career.

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Contact Details:

UK Government - Forestry Commission Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Senior Data and AI Engineer

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We think you need these skills to ace Senior Data and AI Engineer

Azure Data Factory
Microsoft Fabric
Data Lake Architecture
Python
SQL
AI/ML Engineering
MLOps

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!

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Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at UK Government - Forestry Commission, 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 UK Government - Forestry Commission. 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 UK Government - Forestry Commission

Brush Up on Your Statistics

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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

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Prepare for Case Studies

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