At a Glance
- Tasks: Join our team to design and maintain innovative data architectures and pipelines.
- Company: Unite Students is the UK's leading provider of purpose-built student accommodation.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days holiday, a generous pension scheme, and health & wellbeing perks.
- Why this job: Be part of a dynamic team reshaping data solutions and driving innovation.
- Qualifications: Experience in SQL, Python, Spark, and cloud services like AWS is essential.
- Other info: We value diversity and inclusion, fostering a collaborative culture where everyone belongs.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
We are seeking a skilled, motivated Data Engineer to join our dynamic and innovative team. As a Data Engineer in the Data & Insight Team you will work as part of a team of data engineers to design, develop, test and maintain data products and our data analytics platform. This is a fantastic opportunity to join our team at a pivotal moment. As we upgrade our data platform to modernise our analytics and AI capabilities, you will play a crucial role in building the architecture and pipelines to deliver the data assets that will drive our future success. If you are passionate about creating innovative and scalable data solutions and want to be part of a team that will help reshape how Unite Students leverages data, we want to hear from you.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Build, test and maintain robust, scalable data architectures and pipelines that align with architectural standards and business objectives.
- Collaborate with other data engineers to share knowledge and deliver solutions.
- Contribute to the culture of continuous improvement within the team and seek opportunities to automate processes.
- Troubleshoot complex data issues and optimize existing systems for performance and reliability.
- Implement data validation and quality checks and monitoring solutions to ensure data integrity and observability to meet data governance standards and requirements.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to help define requirements and ensure alignment with business needs.
- Communicate complex technical concepts effectively to non-technical stakeholders.
- Keep informed of new technologies and deliver proof-of-concept projects to drive innovation.
- Contribute to Agile ceremonies and technical processes such as code reviews and Change Advisory Board meetings.
What We’re Looking for in You
- Experience of working as a Data Engineer.
- Highly proficient in SQL, Python and Spark (pyspark) for developing and testing data engineering pipelines and products to ingest and transform structured and semi-structured data.
- Understanding of data modelling techniques and data pipeline design patterns and behaviours.
- Experience with pipeline management and orchestration tools such as Airflow.
- Experience with low/no-code pipeline development tools such as Talend or SnapLogic.
- Experience developing data pipelines using cloud services (AWS preferred) like Lambda, S3, Redshift, Glue, Athena, Secrets Manager or equivalent services.
- Experience of working with APIs for data extraction and interacting with cloud resources via APIs/CLIs/SDKs (e.g. boto3).
- Experience building out a data warehouse on platforms such as Redshift, Snowflake, or Databricks.
- Comfortable working with Git for source control (in Azure DevOps repos or equivalent).
- Experience working in an Agile (Scrum) environment for product delivery using Azure DevOps or similar tools.
- Strong problem-solving abilities with the capability to quickly analyse issues and locate performance bottlenecks in code and pipelines.
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences and non-data experts.
Nice to Have
- AWS certification(s).
- Experience developing data pipelines with Databricks.
- Experience building and deploying data models with dbt.
- Infrastructure as Code experience (Terraform).
What You’ll Get in Return
- A discretionary annual bonus so you can share in the company’s success.
- 25 days’ paid holiday and an annual holiday buying scheme, with 5 additional days awarded for long service.
- A generous pension scheme - employer contributions between 5% and 11% depending on how much you save.
- Various benefits to support your health and wellbeing including a Healthcare Cash Plan, an Employee Assistance Programme, a Wellbeing platform and a Gym benefit that you can share with your family and friends.
- Enhanced Family Leave including 18 weeks full pay for birthing parents and 4 weeks for non-birthing parents.
- Lots of other great benefits including an annual ShareSave scheme, Employee Life Assurance, a discounts portal and more!
About Unite Students
Founded in 1991, Unite Students is a FTSE 100 business and the UK’s leading provider of purpose-built student accommodation. You can find us in 25 leading university towns and cities, with 74,000 students calling US home! We are driven by our values, culture, and a commitment to develop diverse and inclusive teams, filled with positive energy and new ideas.
Instinctive inclusion. We know that to create and maintain a happy healthy organisation, we have to work hard to ensure inclusion isn’t just what we do but who we are.
People make Unite Students. Employees, students and neighbours all contribute to building environments where we can all thrive.
Room for Everyone
We’re proud to be an employer that embraces individuality, and we’re passionate about building inclusive teams. We focus on creating a collaborative culture where you can be you, where your voice is heard, and where you can truly belong. We take great pride in being rated Gold Investors in People and are constantly striving to provide the highest standard of learning and development opportunities and professional pathways for our people. Building a home for success, for both our employees and students, requires exceptional people with a passion for creating room for everyone, doing what’s right, keeping US safe, and raising the bar. Join us as we build better experiences for students that live with us.
We are US.
Data Engineer employer: Unite Students
Contact Detail:
Unite Students Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Data Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the specific technologies mentioned in the job description, such as SQL, Python, and Spark. Being able to discuss your experience with these tools in detail will show that you're well-prepared for the role.
✨Tip Number 2
Highlight any experience you have with cloud services, particularly AWS. If you've worked with services like Lambda or Redshift, be ready to share examples of how you've used them to build data pipelines.
✨Tip Number 3
Demonstrate your problem-solving skills by preparing to discuss specific challenges you've faced in previous roles. Think about how you identified bottlenecks in data pipelines and what solutions you implemented.
✨Tip Number 4
Since communication is key in this role, practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. This will help you connect with non-technical stakeholders during interviews and showcase your ability to bridge the gap between tech and business.
We think you need these skills to ace Data Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience and skills that align with the Data Engineer role. Emphasise your proficiency in SQL, Python, and Spark, as well as any experience with cloud services like AWS.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Write a cover letter that showcases your passion for data engineering and your understanding of the company's mission. Mention specific projects or experiences that demonstrate your ability to build scalable data solutions.
Showcase Technical Skills: In your application, clearly outline your technical skills, especially those mentioned in the job description, such as pipeline management tools like Airflow and experience with APIs. Use examples to illustrate your expertise.
Highlight Collaboration Experience: Since the role involves working with cross-functional teams, include examples of past collaborations. Describe how you communicated complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders to ensure alignment with business needs.
How to prepare for a job interview at Unite Students
✨Showcase Your Technical Skills
Be prepared to discuss your experience with SQL, Python, and Spark. Bring examples of data engineering pipelines you've developed, and be ready to explain the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
✨Understand Data Modelling and Pipeline Design
Familiarise yourself with data modelling techniques and pipeline design patterns. Be ready to discuss how you've applied these concepts in previous roles, as this will demonstrate your understanding of the fundamentals.
✨Communicate Effectively
Practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. Since you'll need to communicate with non-technical stakeholders, being able to convey your ideas clearly will set you apart from other candidates.
✨Emphasise Collaboration and Continuous Improvement
Highlight your experience working in Agile environments and your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams. Discuss any initiatives you've taken to improve processes or automate tasks, as this aligns with the company's values.