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Data Engineer Jobs

The backbone of modern data infrastructure. Building, maintaining, and optimising the pipelines that power data-driven decisions.

Open roles
173
Salary range
£30k – £240k
Hiring companies
97
View 173 live roles → Get an alert

Data Engineers are the architects and builders of the data infrastructure that underpins modern businesses. They design, build, and maintain the data pipelines, warehouses, and lakes that enable organisations to store, process, and analyse vast amounts of data. Whether working in scaleups, research-heavy startups, or the larger consultancies, Data Engineers play a crucial role in ensuring that data is accessible, reliable, and secure.

What the role does

Inside the role of a Data Engineer

A typical week for a Data Engineer is a mix of coding, testing, and collaboration with cross-functional teams.

  1. 01
    Design and implement data pipelines using tools like Apache Kafka and Apache Spark.
  2. 02
    Optimise data storage and retrieval processes for efficiency and scalability.
  3. 03
    Collaborate with data scientists and analysts to understand their data needs.
  4. 04
    Monitor and maintain data infrastructure to ensure high availability and performance.
  5. 05
    Document and communicate data architecture and processes to stakeholders.
  6. 06
    Troubleshoot and resolve data-related issues as they arise.
Salary on the board

£30k – £240k

Based on advertised midpoints across the 293 priced listings posted in the last 12 months. Base salary only.

By seniority
£k base
Entry
30
38
1 job
Junior
30
45
8 jobs
Mid
30
113
113 jobs
Senior
44
240
96 jobs
Lead
40
240
37 jobs
Director
95
130
4 jobs
Skills & tools

What hiring managers ask for

% of 220 listings posted in the last 12 months that mention each skill, extracted from job descriptions.

SQL
70%
Python
70%
AWS
34%
Azure
32%
Data Modelling
31%
Data Pipelines
27%
CI/CD
26%
Data Governance
26%
ETL
25%
Databricks
23%
PySpark
19%
Data Warehousing
18%
Career ladder

From Junior to Principal

A typical UK progression for data engineers. Years are guidance — strong people move faster, and many senior folks sidestep into research, product or management.

  1. Level 1

    Junior Data Engineer

    0–2 yrs

    Assists in building and maintaining data pipelines, with a focus on learning and supporting more senior team members.

  2. Level 2

    Data Engineer

    2–5 yrs

    Takes ownership of specific data pipelines and projects, ensuring they meet performance and reliability standards.

  3. Level 3

    Senior Data Engineer

    5–8 yrs

    Leads the design and implementation of complex data infrastructure, mentoring junior engineers and collaborating with cross-functional teams.

  4. Level 4

    Principal Data Engineer

    8+ yrs

    Strategises and oversees the entire data infrastructure, driving innovation and best practices across the organisation.

Pathway

How to become a Data Engineer

There's no single route, but most people follow some version of these steps.

  1. 1

    Learn the Basics

    Start with foundational skills in SQL, Python, and data storage systems. Gain experience with ETL processes and data warehousing.

  2. 2

    Build Pipelines

    Work on building and maintaining data pipelines using tools like Apache Kafka and Apache Spark. Focus on efficiency and scalability.

  3. 3

    Optimise Infrastructure

    Optimise data storage and retrieval processes to ensure high performance and reliability. Collaborate with data scientists and analysts.

  4. 4

    Lead Projects

    Take ownership of complex data infrastructure projects. Mentor junior engineers and ensure best practices are followed.

  5. 5

    Strategise and Innovate

    Strategise the overall data infrastructure, driving innovation and best practices. Oversee the implementation of new technologies and methodologies.

Live jobs

173 live roles

See all 173 roles →

Data Engineer

This role involves designing and building scalable data pipelines to ingest and process data from diverse sources, ensuring data reliability and platform performance. The engineer will work within a high-performance team to enhance data systems using modern tools and collaborate across functions to deliver analytics solutions. The role emphasizes technical ownership, innovation, and continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment.

Tenth Revolution Group Edinburgh, Alba / Scotland, United Kingdom £80,000 – £110,000 pa
Hybrid Permanent

Data Engineer

Design and maintain scalable data pipelines for a high-performance data platform, ensuring data reliability and quality. Work with cross-functional teams to deliver solutions using modern data technologies in a collaborative, innovation-driven environment. Focus on building robust, testable systems that support critical business and investment processes.

Tenth Revolution Group Leeds, United Kingdom £80,000 – £110,000 pa
Hybrid Permanent

Data Engineer

Data Engineer (Field-Based)Open Day Rate (DOE)BelfastContractWe are looking for experienced Data Engineers to join a growing programme supporting retail and hospitality environments across BelfastThis is a field-based role, initially focused on service calls and site surveys, with larger rollout projects...

DCS Recruitment Belfast, County Antrim, United Kingdom

Data Engineer

This role involves designing, building, and supporting robust data pipelines and system integrations using modern Microsoft technologies like SQL Server, Microsoft Fabric, and Azure. You'll work on ETL/ELT pipelines, REST API integrations, and automated workflows to ensure data quality and efficiency.

Chapman Tate Associates Chippenham, Wiltshire, United Kingdom £45,000 – £50,000 pa
On-site Permanent

Data Engineer

Design and maintain scalable data pipelines and storage systems focused on knowledge graph integration and semantic data processing. Build ETL/ELT workflows, develop semantic models using RDF and OWL, and collaborate with data scientists to support graph-based analytics. Work across structured and unstructured data sources within a global team environment.

Rubicon Consulting United Kingdom
Hybrid Contract

Data Engineer

This role involves designing and building scalable data pipelines and dimensional models within modern cloud data platforms. You'll work on greenfield projects using tools like Snowflake or BigQuery, write complex SQL for data transformation, and collaborate with stakeholders to support analytics use cases. The position offers full lifecycle ownership in a remote-first, autonomous engineering environment.

Harnham - Data and Analytics Recruitment Manchester, United Kingdom £45,000 – £60,000 pa
Remote Permanent

Data Engineer

The Data Engineer role involves designing, building, and maintaining secure, scalable data solutions on Azure for financial services customers. Responsibilities include implementing data pipelines, ensuring data quality, and supporting analytics and machine learning workloads, with a focus on security, compliance, and performance.

Claranet Barnwood, Gloucestershire, GL4 3HZ, United Kingdom
On-site Permanent

Data Engineer

This role involves building and maintaining scalable data pipelines within Databricks as part of a growing data platform initiative. The engineer will lead data governance, platform setup, and integration of data from legacy systems and M&A activity, ensuring high data quality and performance. Collaboration with internal teams and external partners in an Agile environment is key, with a focus on supporting analytics, Tableau, and future AI-driven applications.

Ascent Resourcing Limited Pe11Ab, United Kingdom £50,000 – £60,000 pa
Hybrid Permanent
See all 173 roles →
Top hirers

Companies hiring data engineers

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Hiring locations

Where this role is hiring

The locations with the most live listings for this role today.

London

Location
50 open

Manchester

Location
11 open

Birmingham

Location
7 open

Leeds

Location
6 open

Bristol

Location
3 open

Newcastle

Location
3 open
FAQs

Common questions

  • Data Engineers commonly use tools like Apache Kafka, Apache Spark, SQL, Python, and data warehousing solutions such as Amazon Redshift or Google BigQuery.

  • Collaboration with data scientists is crucial. Data Engineers need to understand the data needs of data scientists to build effective data pipelines and infrastructure.

  • Key skills include proficiency in SQL, Python, and data storage systems, as well as a strong understanding of ETL processes, data warehousing, and big data technologies.

  • The typical career progression is from Junior Data Engineer to Data Engineer, then Senior Data Engineer, and finally Principal Data Engineer, with increasing levels of responsibility and leadership.

  • For specific salary information, please refer to the salary section on this page, which is updated with the latest data from live job listings.

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