Data Engineer

Penguin Random House UK; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Penguin Random House UK is seeking an experienced Data Engineer in London to design, build and maintain reliable data pipelines and Snowflake environments. You will collaborate with DK and PRH teams to enable trusted data for reporting and analytics.

You will work in a hybrid setup, with a salary of £60,000-£75,000 plus bonus, and opportunities to influence data governance, BI, and automation across the Data Centre of Excellence.

Qualifications

• Experience designing and maintaining scalable data pipelines.
• Strong Snowflake data platform knowledge.
• Proficient SQL for extraction, transformation and analysis.
• Python for data processing and automation.
• Experience with ETL/ELT frameworks (dbt, Fivetran).
• Knowledge of BI data modelling and reporting tools (Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Looker).
• Ability to work with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Understanding of data governance, privacy and compliance.
• Familiarity with CI/CD and GitHub Actions.
• Collaborative, ownership mindset and mentoring ability.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage data pipelines so data moves between systems for reporting and analytics.
• Maintain DK’s Snowflake data environment, including models, schemas and data quality.
• Integrate data from internal/external sources with secure, compliant access.
• Automate manual data and reporting processes using cloud tools and GitHub.
• Manage CI/CD processes for data solutions and ensure proper testing and deployment.
• Support BI and reporting needs with dashboards and tools such as Power BI and Microsoft Fabric.
• Create clear documentation including data definitions and technical notes.
• Support testing, incident resolution and performance monitoring for data solutions.
• Lead technical conversations and reviews, sharing best practices.
• Keep improving data infrastructure and stay current with tooling.
• Collaborate with Data Governance to monitor metadata and data quality.

Skills

Snowflake expertise

SQL

Python

ETL/ELT pipelines

dbt

Fivetran

Power BI

Microsoft Fabric

Looker

GitHub

CI/CD

Stakeholder management

Data governance

Collaboration

Mentoring

Tools

dbt

Fivetran

Power BI

Microsoft Fabric

Looker

GitHub

Snowflake

Job description

We have a new opportunity for an experienced Data Engineer to join us on a permanent basis in London. This role is offered with hybrid working (more details shared below).

Joining the Penguin Data Engineering team and working closely with DK, you’ll help to shape and improve how data is accessed, understood and used across both businesses.

You’ll be part of the PRH Data Centre of Excellence, a collaborative team that sets shared standards, provides peer support and helps our business areas get the best from their data.

In this role, you’ll work closely with colleagues across DK and PRH, including Technology, Data and Analytics, Commercial Insights, Finance, Operations and Production, Online Marketplace, and Sales teams.

The role

As Data Engineer, you’ll design, build and maintain reliable, secure and reusable data pipelines, models and automation for DK. You’ll help to make trusted data available for reporting, analytics and operational workflows, essentially making it easier for DK teams to access, understand and use data confidently.

Reporting to the Head of Data Engineering, you’ll work with tools and platforms such as Snowflake, Python, SQL, dbt, Fivetran, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, GitHub and cloud services. You’ll also support strong data governance, documentation, monitoring and service quality. This role would suit someone who enjoys solving practical data problems, working with both technical and non-technical colleagues, and building solutions that are robust, scalable and genuinely useful.

What you’ll be doing

Key responsibilities:

• Build and manage data pipelines so that data can move reliably between systems and be used for reporting, analytics and day to day operations.
• Maintain DK’s Snowflake data environment, including data models, schemas, performance, and data quality controls.
• Bring together data from different internal and external sources and make sure it is secure, accessible and aligned with PRH data standards.
• Automate manual data and reporting processes using cloud tools, GitHub and other services to improve efficiency and reliability.
• Manage CI/CD processes for data solutions, making sure development is properly tested, documented and moved between environments safely.
• Support BI and reporting needs, working with analysts and stakeholders on dashboards, reports and tools such as Power BI and Microsoft Fabric.
• Create clear documentation including technical notes, data definitions and service transition materials.
• Support testing, incident resolution and performance monitoring for DK data solutions.
• Lead technical conversations and reviews, sharing best practice across data engineering, automation, data modelling and BI.
• Keep improving DK’s data infrastructure by staying current with tools and identifying better ways of working.
• Work closely with Data Governance, making sure monitoring, alerting and metadata are kept up to date,

What you’ll bring

• Strong experience in data engineering, business intelligence development or data platform engineering, with a proven track record of designing, building and supporting scalable data integration solutions.
• Strong knowledge of Snowflake and other cloud data platforms, including schema design, data modelling, secure access and performance management.
• Excellent SQL skills, ideally within Snowflake, including data extraction, transformation, analysis, performance optimisation and working with large, structured datasets.
• Strong Python skills for data processing, automation and integration, with the ability to build maintainable, well documented solutions.
• Practical experience of building and managing data pipelines using ETL or ELT frameworks, with knowledge of tools such as dbt, Fivetran or similar.
• Understanding of BI data modelling and reporting tools, such as Power BI, Microsoft Fabric or Looker, including how to structure data for reporting and self-service analytics.
• Experience working with technical and non-technical stakeholders to understand requirements, translate business needs into data solutions, and support the accurate use of data across an organisation.
• A good understanding of data governance, data quality, privacy and compliance considerations, with an appreciation of how these apply to reliable and responsible data use.
• Familiarity with cloud services, deployment practices or CI/CD pipelines, such as GitHub Actions or similar, would be helpful.
• You’ll be collaborative and inclusive, able to build trusted relationships across DK, PRH, technical teams, analysts and business stakeholders.
• You’ll take ownership of problems and follow through to delivery, balancing pace with quality, security and long term maintainability.
• Some experience of mentoring colleagues, contributing to technical design discussions or reviewing the work of other data professionals would be beneficial.

Disability Confident

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. The essential criteria for this role are listed as part of the ‘What you’ll bring’ section.

There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview. We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing [e-mail]. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.

AI

Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team.

We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself! While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.

The salary for this opportunity is £60,000-£75,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus a generous bonus scheme and benefits.

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important.

For this role we expect that you will work from our head office in Embassy Gardens, London a minimum of 2 days per week (with additional days for team meetings, townhalls etc as required).