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Senior Data Engineer Jobs

Experienced professionals who design, build, and maintain the data infrastructure that powers modern businesses. A critical role in ensuring data is accessible, reliable, and scalable.

Open roles
35
Salary range
£55k – £100k
Hiring companies
29
View 35 live roles → Get an alert

Senior Data Engineers are the backbone of data infrastructure in organisations. They design, build, and maintain the systems that enable data to be collected, processed, and stored efficiently. These professionals work closely with data scientists, analysts, and other stakeholders to ensure that data is accessible and reliable. They are responsible for creating robust data pipelines, optimising data warehousing solutions, and implementing DataOps practices to streamline data operations. Whether in scaleups, research-heavy startups, or the larger consultancies, Senior Data Engineers play a crucial role in driving data-driven decision-making.

What the role does

Inside the role of a Senior Data Engineer

A typical week for a Senior Data Engineer is a mix of hands-on technical work and collaboration with cross-functional teams.

  1. 01
    Design and implement data pipelines for ETL/ELT processes.
  2. 02
    Optimise data warehousing solutions for performance and scalability.
  3. 03
    Collaborate with data scientists and analysts to understand data requirements.
  4. 04
    Monitor and maintain data infrastructure to ensure reliability and security.
  5. 05
    Document and communicate data architecture and processes.
  6. 06
    Stay updated with the latest data engineering tools and technologies.
Salary on the board

£55k – £100k

Based on advertised midpoints across the 119 priced listings posted in the last 12 months. Base salary only.

Salary visibility
32% of listings advertise a salary.
By seniority
£k base
Senior
52
100
93 jobs
Lead
65
113
26 jobs
Skills & tools

What hiring managers ask for

% of 108 listings posted in the last 12 months that mention each skill, extracted from job descriptions.

Python
73%
SQL
62%
Data Modelling
36%
AWS
34%
CI/CD
33%
Data Governance
31%
Azure
26%
Data Pipelines
24%
PySpark
24%
Databricks
22%
Data Engineering
21%
Airflow
20%
Career ladder

From Junior to Principal

A typical UK progression for senior 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 the design and implementation of data pipelines and basic data warehousing solutions.

  2. Level 2

    Data Engineer

    2–5 yrs

    Takes ownership of specific data pipelines and contributes to the overall data infrastructure design.

  3. Level 3

    Senior Data Engineer

    5–8 yrs

    Leads the design and implementation of complex data infrastructure, ensuring scalability and reliability.

  4. Level 4

    Principal Data Engineer

    8+ yrs

    Strategic leader in data infrastructure, driving innovation and best practices across the organisation.

Pathway

How to become a Senior Data Engineer

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

  1. 1

    Learn the Fundamentals

    Start with a strong foundation in data engineering principles, including ETL/ELT processes, data warehousing, and SQL.

  2. 2

    Gain Practical Experience

    Work on real-world projects to build and maintain data pipelines, and collaborate with data scientists and analysts.

  3. 3

    Specialise in Advanced Topics

    Deepen your expertise in areas like big data processing, DataOps, and cloud data infrastructure.

  4. 4

    Lead Projects and Teams

    Take on leadership roles, managing data engineering projects and mentoring junior team members.

  5. 5

    Drive Strategic Initiatives

    Influence the organisation's data strategy, driving innovation and best practices in data infrastructure.

  6. 6

    Become a Thought Leader

    Contribute to the broader data engineering community through speaking engagements, writing, and open-source contributions.

Live jobs

35 live roles

See all 35 roles →
Spotlight
Lab 1 logo

Senior Data Engineer

This role involves designing, building, and operating scalable batch and streaming data pipelines that transform vast, unstructured exposed data into reliable, queryable intelligence. The Senior Data Engineer will own end-to-end data workflows, ensure data quality and model readiness, and collaborate closely with ML teams on feature engineering. The position is central to enabling analytics and AI capabilities on a platform that detects corporate data exposure across supply chains.

Lab 1 London, Greater London, United Kingdom £85,000 – £125,000 pa
Hybrid Permanent
Langham Recruitment logo

Senior Data Engineer

This role involves designing and maintaining enterprise-scale data pipelines and architectures on Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Fabric, with a focus on data quality, governance, and self-service BI enablement through Power BI. The engineer will collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to build scalable data models, implement security standards, and drive innovation using real-time analytics and emerging cloud technologies. It offers a key role in shaping a large organisation's data strategy during a major digital transformation.

Langham Recruitment Catherine-de-Barnes, West Midlands (county), B92 0DE, United Kingdom £60,000 – £70,000 pa
Hybrid Permanent

Senior Data Engineer

This role involves designing and maintaining scalable ETL/ELT pipelines for large-scale economic and financial datasets, using Azure Databricks, Spark, and Delta Lake. The engineer will implement data governance with Azure Purview, optimize cloud workloads, and collaborate with economists and data scientists to deliver reliable data infrastructure. Key responsibilities include automation, CI/CD integration, and mentoring within a hybrid working environment.

Velocity Talent London, United Kingdom £75,000 – £80,000 pa
Hybrid Permanent Clearance Required

Senior Data Engineer

This role involves designing and building a greenfield Microsoft Fabric data platform from the ground up, integrating data from manufacturing, finance, HR, logistics, and customer systems. The engineer will establish a secure, scalable data environment using OneLake, Lakehouses, and Power BI semantic models, while enabling AI and analytics initiatives. It's a strategic platform ownership position with direct influence on enterprise data strategy and architecture.

Raynor Foods Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom £75,000 – £85,000 pa
Hybrid Permanent

Senior Data Engineer

Senior Data Engineer – Azure/Databricks£70,000 + bonusHybrid Working – 1 day on-site per weekEast Midlands basedI'm working with a business that's continuing to invest in its Azure data platform and is looking for a Senior Data Engineer to help shape...

Amtis Professional Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1JG, United Kingdom £60,000 – £70,000 pa

Senior Data Engineer

This role involves designing and building a modern, secure data platform from the ground up using Azure Databricks and Delta Lake, forming the foundation for BI, analytics, and future AI capabilities. The engineer will implement ELT pipelines, embed DataSecOps and DataOps practices, govern Power BI architecture, and act as a technical lead—shaping data strategy in a greenfield environment. The role emphasizes security, compliance, and coaching within a not-for-profit housing organisation undergoing digital transformation.

Hays Technology Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, United Kingdom £60,000 – £63,500 pa
Hybrid Permanent

Senior Data Engineer

This role involves designing, building, and maintaining scalable cloud-based data platforms and products, with a focus on modern engineering practices. The Senior Data Engineer will lead end-to-end delivery of data solutions, optimize ETL/ELT pipelines, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve complex technical challenges. Emphasis is placed on CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and advancing data engineering standards within a growing team.

Reed Technology London, United Kingdom £55,000 – £65,000 pa
Hybrid Permanent

Senior Data Engineer

This role involves designing, building, and maintaining scalable cloud-based data platforms and data products, with a focus on ETL/ELT pipelines, data warehousing, and modern engineering practices. The Senior Data Engineer will lead full lifecycle delivery, optimize data processing frameworks, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve complex technical challenges. Emphasis is placed on code quality, CI/CD, and mentoring junior engineers within an Agile environment.

Reed Technology Plaistow And Sundridge, London, United Kingdom £55,000 – £65,000 pa
Hybrid Permanent
See all 35 roles →
Top hirers

Companies hiring senior 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
15 open

Manchester

Location
2 open

Birmingham

Location
1 open

Leeds

Location
1 open

Cardiff

Location
1 open
FAQs

Common questions

  • Key skills include expertise in ETL/ELT processes, data warehousing, SQL, and cloud data infrastructure. Strong problem-solving abilities and collaboration skills are also essential.

  • Common tools include Apache Kafka, Apache Spark, AWS Redshift, Google BigQuery, and Snowflake. Familiarity with programming languages like Python and SQL is also important.

  • The typical progression is from Junior Data Engineer to Data Engineer, then Senior Data Engineer, and finally Principal Data Engineer. Each step involves increasing responsibility and leadership.

  • For specific salary information, please refer to the salary section on this page.

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