Senior Data Engineer

Location: Solihull or Hook (typically 2-3 days per year to UK-based sites).
Reporting to: Head of Data Engineering
Function: Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) - Enterprise Data Office (EDO)

Day Rate: £300 - £340

Contract: 6 months Inside IR35.

Clearance Requirements: BPSS clearance required; must be able to gain CTC clearance

Key Purpose

As a Senior Data Engineer (SDE), you will be instrumental in designing and delivering robust data solutions that support enterprise-wide analytics and business intelligence. Working within a collaborative data engineering function, you will translate functional requirements into technical deliverables, build and optimise data pipelines, manage complex data models, and uphold the highest standards of data governance and security.

You will work with platforms including Microsoft SQL Azure and Power BI, and will contribute to building and managing DevOps pipelines. The role also includes mentorship responsibilities, especially supporting and guiding Associate Data Engineers.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate business needs into technical solutions, including data exploration, transformation pipelines, and presentation-ready data models.

• Design and build semantic layers for business users and BI developers.

• Provide advisory input on appropriate tools and approaches for specific data problems.

• Develop prototypes and data-driven models in collaboration with stakeholders to uncover insights.

• Recommend and implement optimal approaches for delivering data engineering solutions.

• Collaborate across teams-including data analysts, IT, 3rd-party vendors, and business stakeholders-to drive effective data delivery.

• Champion continuous improvement through performance tuning and solution optimisation.

• Produce and maintain comprehensive documentation including data dictionaries, glossaries, models, and quality attributes.

• Align deliverables with the organisation's data strategy and roadmap.

• Support troubleshooting and resolution of complex data-related technical issues.

• Stay current on evolving technologies, best practices, and trends in data engineering.

• Promote knowledge sharing, mentorship, and capability development within the team.

• Create and maintain DevOps/DataOps pipelines across environments (Dev/Test/Prod).

Essential Skills and Qualifications

• Background in Computer Science, IT, or equivalent practical experience.

• Minimum 6 years of experience in data engineering and analytics solution delivery.

• Expertise in Microsoft Azure data stack (Data Factory, Synapse SQL Pools, Analysis Services).

• Experience with data warehousing, data modelling, and building ELT/ETL pipelines.

• Familiarity with data governance disciplines such as data quality and master data management.

• Understanding of and adherence to industry best practices, with the ability to adapt where beneficial.

• Strong interpersonal skills for effective collaboration with business and technical stakeholders.

• Demonstrable experience mentoring or coaching junior data engineers.

• Knowledge of DevOps principles and implementation in data environments is highly desirable.

Desirable Attributes

• Strategic thinker with an innovative mindset toward solving business problems.

• Strong communication skills to engage stakeholders across technical and business functions.

• Ability to work collaboratively across cross-functional teams, including offshore and third-party vendors.

• High attention to detail and ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Willingness to travel occasionally (typically 2-3 days per year to UK-based sites).

Security Requirements

• Must already possess or be eligible to obtain Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance.

• Must be able to gain Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) clearance.