Principal Test Specialist (DATA)

Leeds
5 days ago
Create job alert

Principal Test Specialist (DATA)

£75,000 + Profit Share | Hybrid with flexible monthly office visits | Permanent

Are you a hands-on, technically advanced Test Specialist looking to take the lead on testing strategy across a cutting-edge data environment? We're working exclusively with a high-performing organisation who are making a rare and strategic external hire into their specialist team - and they're looking for a Principal Test Specialist (DATA) to elevate testing across their data engineering and analytics function.

This is a business-critical role, working at the intersection of technical strategy and hands-on delivery. You'll help define and implement scalable test automation across complex data pipelines and analytical models, directly impacting the quality and reliability of data products used business-wide.

What You'll Be Doing

Partner with the Test Manager to modernise and optimise test processes across the data and analytics function.
Lead the development of test automation frameworks that support data ingestion, transformation (ETL/ELT), and analytical models.
Work hands-on with tools like Snowflake, dbt, Fivetran, and Tableau, alongside SQL and Python.
Design and implement scalable, agnostic testing frameworks for use across agile delivery teams.
Promote best practices including Test-Driven Development (TDD), Behaviour-Driven Development (BDD), and AI/ML-based testing for anomaly detection and performance validation.
Mentor and upskill test and engineering teams in modern, automation-first testing approaches.
Collaborate across teams to ensure quality and consistency throughout the development lifecycle.

What We're Looking For

Technical Skills

Deep experience in data testing, particularly across ingestion, transformation, and modelling pipelines.
Strong SQL and Python skills - essential for building and validating test cases.
Proven experience with Snowflake (or similar cloud data platforms), dbt, Fivetran, and Airflow.
Knowledge of automation frameworks such as Cucumber, Gherkin, TestNG.
Experience integrating test automation into large-scale delivery functions.Experience

Proven track record in testing complex data solutions in fast-paced, agile environments.
Blend of hands-on capability and strategic input - you'll be expected to build as well as guide.
Background in mentoring or training other engineers/testers is highly advantageous.
Exposure to analytics testing, data modelling, or working with analytical products.Soft Skills

Strong communication skills - confident in providing constructive feedback and driving improvement.
Comfortable presenting solutions and testing strategy to stakeholders.
Curious, solutions-focused, and excited by emerging tools (particularly AI-based testing techniques).

What's in It for You?

£75,000 salary + generous discretionary profit share scheme
Colleague discounts
Flexible hybrid working - typically 1 office visit per month after probation
Join a highly respected team of technical specialists
Make a tangible impact across business-critical data systems

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Principal Data Scientist - Remote

Principal Data Scientist

Principal Data Scientist

Principal Data Scientist

SEND Principal Consultant

C# Development Lead

Get the latest insights and jobs direct. Sign up for our newsletter.

By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Veterans in Data Engineering: A Military‑to‑Civilian Pathway into Data Careers

Introduction Every modern mission—whether directing humanitarian aid, mapping enemy positions, or forecasting equipment failures—runs on data. The same is true for British business. The UK Big Data & Analytics market is forecast to hit £36 billion by 2026 (IDC), and Gartner reports that data engineering vacancies grew 38 % in 2024, outpacing data‑science demand for the first time. Organisations urgently need professionals who can collect, clean, and pipeline petabytes of information—exactly the logistical, analytical, and security‑minded tasks veterans perform in theatre. If you’ve routed tactical sensor feeds, managed supply‑chain databases, or written Python scripts to crunch signal logs, you already think like a data engineer. This guide maps military skills to civilian data‑engineering roles, spotlights Ministry of Defence (MoD) transition funding, and shows you how to secure a rewarding second career building the pipelines that power AI and business intelligence. Quick Win: Browse our live listings for Data Pipeline Engineer roles to see which employers are hiring this week.

Quantum-Enhanced AI in Data Engineering: Reshaping the Big Data Pipeline

Data engineering has become an indispensable pillar of the modern technology ecosystem. As companies gather massive troves of data—often measured in petabytes—the importance of robust, scalable data pipelines cannot be overstated. From ingestion and storage to transformation and analysis, data engineers stand at the forefront of delivering reliable data for analytics, machine learning, and critical business decisions. Simultaneously, the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has undergone a revolution, transitioning from niche research projects to a foundational tool for everything from predictive maintenance and fraud detection to customer experience personalisation. Yet as AI models grow in complexity—think large language models with hundreds of billions of parameters—the data volumes and computational needs escalate dramatically. The industry finds itself at an inflection point: traditional computing systems may eventually hit performance ceilings, even when scaled horizontally with thousands of nodes. Enter quantum computing, a nascent yet rapidly progressing technology that leverages quantum mechanics to tackle certain computational tasks exponentially faster than classical machines. While quantum computing is still maturing, its potential to supercharge AI workflows—often referred to as quantum-enhanced AI—has piqued the curiosity of data engineers and enterprises alike. This synergy could solve some of the biggest headaches in data engineering: accelerating data transformations, enabling more efficient analytics, and even facilitating entirely new kinds of modelling once believed to be intractable. In this article, we explore: How data engineering has evolved to support AI’s insatiable appetite for high-quality, well-structured data. The fundamentals of quantum computing and why it may transform the data engineering landscape. Potential real-world applications for quantum-enhanced AI in data engineering—from data ingestion to machine learning pipeline optimisation. Emerging career paths and skill sets needed to thrive in a future where data, AI, and quantum computing intersect. Challenges, ethical considerations, and forward-looking perspectives on how this convergence might shape the data engineering domain. If you work in data engineering, are curious about quantum computing, or simply want to stay on the cutting edge of technology, read on. The next frontier of data-driven innovation may well be quantum-powered.

Data Engineering Jobs at Newly Funded UK Start-ups: Q3 2025 Investment Tracker

Data. It’s the critical lifeblood of every forward-thinking organisation, fueling everything from strategic decision-making to real-time analytics. As data volumes skyrocket and technologies mature, the UK has distinguished itself as a frontrunner in data innovation. A robust venture capital scene, government-backed initiatives, and a wealth of academic talent have created fertile ground for data-centric start-ups across the country. In this Q3 2025 Investment Tracker, we’ll delve into the newly funded UK start-ups shaping the future of data engineering. More importantly, we’ll explore the rich job opportunities that have emerged alongside these funding announcements. From building scalable ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) pipelines to architecting data warehouses and implementing advanced data governance frameworks, data engineers, architects, and analysts have an incredible array of roles to pursue. If you’re eager to elevate your career in data engineering, read on for insights into the most dynamic start-ups, their fresh capital injections, and the skill sets they’re hungry for.