Lead Data Engineer Ref. 3729

Location: Central London with some occasional wider UK travel.

Salary: £74,624 and a recruitment and retention allowance of £6,251, with an opportunity to qualify for additional allowances and a skills‑related payment under the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability (GDDPC) Framework – formerly known as DDaT.

Flexible working: We support full‑time, part‑time, compressed, job‑share and other flexible working patterns. Due to the nature of our work this is an office‑based role – remote working and/or working from home is not possible.

The role involves enhancing how we operate today to better prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow. We’re creating dedicated teams focused on bringing Artificial Intelligence (AI) into some of our most mission‑critical areas. As a Lead Data Engineer, you’ll work in a unique environment where data supports MI6’s frontline teams and core enterprise operations.

Day to day you’ll lead the design, build and optimisation of secure, scalable data pipelines across complex environments, ensuring sensitive, high‑volume data is onboarded, processed and used safely and effectively. You’ll work closely with operational officers, analysts, engineers and partners to integrate new data sources and enable advanced, AI‑driven workflows. Acting as a bridge between technical and non‑technical stakeholders, you’ll help translate requirements into practical, high‑impact solutions. Along with leading technical delivery, you’ll provide direct engineering leadership, mentoring junior engineers and shaping best practice across teams. You’ll also support the evaluation and integration of LLMs and agentic AI systems, including testing, ethics and policy considerations, while driving exploration and prototyping of emerging technologies to build future capability.

About you: You’re a curious, motivated person who enjoys solving problems in unstructured environments where no two challenges look the same. You’re comfortable working independently, building data pipelines and developing robust data models, with strong core technical skills grounded in areas like data modelling or Python‑based ecosystems rather than low‑code tools. You bring a creative, inquisitive mindset and a habit of learning by doing – prototyping, experimenting, and continuously building on your understanding. You feel comfortable engaging with both technical and non‑technical audiences, translating complex ideas into clear, actionable insights, and you enjoy shaping solutions collaboratively. At this level, you’ll bring either deep technical expertise or strong leadership experience, whether that’s mentoring others or managing people. You’ll also have exposure to modern AI and LLM‑enabled workflows, including testing, evaluation, and ethical considerations.

Training and development: We take professional development seriously, and you’ll join a community that invests in helping people grow their skills. You’ll have access to a broad mix of learning opportunities, including in‑house and online training, technical deep dives and development pathways shaped around your interests and the needs of the organisation. This includes support to strengthen your capability across modern AI techniques and wider security practices, with a variety of different courses on offer. We use the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework as a compass to provide guidance and tools to support you. You’ll also have opportunities to work with external professional bodies and training providers who offer routes to specialist accreditation, advanced AI training or broader professional recognition. Whether you choose to deepen your expertise in a specific technical area or broaden your capability across new domains, you’ll have the guidance and support you need to progress. Alongside formal training, you’ll benefit from mentoring, peer support and a collaborative community that shares knowledge openly. You’ll have opportunities to rotate across different teams, explore emerging technologies and contribute to shaping how MI6 evolves its AI and data‑science capability. As you develop, you’ll have the space to experiment, expand your expertise and play an active role in strengthening our AI practice across the organisation.

Rewards and benefits: You’ll receive a starting salary of £74,624 and a recruitment and retention allowance of £6,251, plus other benefits including:

• 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service, and an additional 5 days public and privilege holidays
• Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• Interest‑free season ticket loan
• Excellent pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on‑site coffee bars (at some locations)
• Paid parental and adoption leave

Equal opportunities: At MI6 diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neuro‑divergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under‑represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio‑economic backgrounds.