Data Engineer

Cognita; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Medical Insurance

GPP Pension

Life Assurance

25 days annual leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Employee Discounts Site

Professional Subscriptions

Job summary

Cognita is seeking a hands-on Data Engineer to build and maintain a modern data platform in Azure Databricks. You will design end-to-end data pipelines, govern data quality, and collaborate with analysts and engineers across the Group Data team.

Working arrangement is four days in the London office and one day remote. A degree in CS/DI, Azure certifications, and ongoing cloud data tech development are advantageous.

Qualifications

• Hands-on data engineer with production-grade pipelines.
• Strong Azure Databricks, PySpark, SQL skills.
• Experience with structured and semi-structured data (JSON/CSV/Parquet).

Responsibilities

• Design and build scalable data pipelines in cloud environments.
• Govern data quality, schemas, and monitoring.
• Collaborate with analysts and platform engineers; CI/CD.

Skills

Azure Databricks

PySpark

Delta Lake

SQL

CI/CD practices

Git

APIs

Education

Degree in Computer Science or Data Engineering or Information Systems

Job description

About Cognita:

Cognita is a global leader in independent education. Founded in 2004, we are a growing community of 90 schools in 20 countries - in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East - serving more than 100,000 students. Each of our schools are proudly unique, however our collective purpose is to create an environment where everyone can, "Thrive in a rapidly evolving world".

About the Role:

The Data Engineer will play a key role in building and maintaining Cognita’s modern data platform, developing robust and scalable data pipelines within our Azure Databricks environment. Working with data from a range of core systems, including HubSpot CRM, MIS, Finance and HR platforms, you will design, develop and optimise end-to-end data solutions that transform raw information into reliable, high-quality datasets for business use. Responsible for managing data across the bronze and silver layers of our medallion architecture, you will implement effective ingestion processes for structured and semi-structured data, ensure pipelines are resilient, observable and well-governed, and support evolving business requirements through strong data quality, monitoring and schema management practices. Collaborating closely with analysts, analytics engineers, platform engineers and the wider Group Data team, you will help deliver data models that meet organisational needs while maintaining high engineering standards through documentation, code reviews and CI/CD practices. This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on Data Engineer who enjoys solving complex data challenges, working within a modern cloud-based technology stack, and translating business requirements into scalable and maintainable data solutions.

Working Arrangement: 4 days per week in London office, 1 day working from home.

Who We Are Looking For:

We are looking for a skilled and hands-on Data Engineer with proven experience designing and delivering production-grade data pipelines within modern cloud environments. You will have strong expertise in Azure Databricks, including PySpark, Delta Lake and Databricks Jobs, alongside excellent SQL skills and a solid understanding of medallion architecture principles. Comfortable working with data from CRM, MIS, Finance and HR systems, you will have experience building scalable ingestion frameworks using APIs and a range of structured and semi-structured data formats, including JSON, CSV and Parquet. You will be confident implementing data quality controls, managing schema changes, and using Git-based version control to support robust engineering practices. With a collaborative approach and strong problem-solving skills, you will be able to translate business requirements into reliable technical solutions and work effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. A degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Information Systems or a related field, along with Azure certifications and ongoing professional development in cloud data technologies, would be advantageous.

Benefits at Cognita:

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Private Medical Insurance & Healthcare Cash Plan
• GPP Pension
• Life Assurance
• 25 days annual leave allowance (plus Bank Holidays)
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee Discounts Site
• Professional Subscriptions

Please note: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role so you must have right to work in the UK.

Cognita Schools is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to safer recruitment checks, including an enhanced DBS check. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is available on the school website. Details on Recruitment of Ex-Offenders is included within the Application Guidance.

We are an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity and treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of background.

Early applications are encouraged, we reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to closing date for the right applicant.