Data Engineer

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames; Hull and East Yorkshire; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the United Kingdom seeks a Data Engineer to join their corporate data service. You will lead the development of an AWS-based data platform, engineer data solutions, and collaborate with teams to drive data quality. The ideal candidate possesses solid skills in Python, SQL, and AWS services, and has a passion for data-driven innovation. This position supports flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Generous annual leave (25-32 days)

Enhanced parental leave

Hybrid working arrangements

Learning and development opportunities

Discounts at local shops and restaurants

Local Government Pension Scheme

Health and wellbeing support

Qualifications

• Proficient in building and optimizing scalable data pipelines.
• Experience in leading complex data engineering projects.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the AWS-based data platform.
• Build and optimize scalable data pipelines and ETL processes.
• Lead data engineering projects and collaborate with diverse teams.

Skills

Python

SQL

NoSQL

AWS (Redshift, Athena, Lambda, S3)

Data Governance

Job description

About The Borough

Joining us, you get to work for not just one high performing London Borough, but two. Kingston and Sutton councils have a number of shared services serving both authorities, with some teams and roles more focussed on one council than the other, but the majority are shared across both, meaning you get multiple opportunities to learn from a wider pool of activities and two different political bodies.

We work flexibly in both Kingston and Sutton offices, and support working at home or flexible working patterns that enable you to tailor your working and personal life. We provide the equipment and tools to enable you to work flexibly, and in return ask you to use that flexibility to be creative and ambitious in the services we deliver.

There are some really exciting things happening in both boroughs. In Sutton, we are developing the London Cancer Hub, a world leading cancer research and treatment hub that will bring together professionals from across different sectors to identify and test new treatments and therapies. Over in Kingston, we are undertaking the largest housing regeneration programme ever delivered in the borough, building new energy efficient housing that will transform some of our oldest Council owned housing. Both boroughs have publicly committed to doing what they can to tackle the climate emergency and are investing in new technologies and societal change that will help bring carbon emissions down and improve our climate impact.

You should choose Kingston and Sutton if you are looking for an opportunity that will challenge you to deliver more, support you to achieve personal ambitions, and expect you to put borough residents at the heart of what you do.

Kingston is a beautiful Royal borough with a historic setting on the banks of the Thames with excellent schools and a bustling retail centre, all surrounded by open green spaces such as Richmond Park and Bushey Park, former recreation grounds for Tudor Kings and Queens. The Council is controlled by a Liberal Democrat Administration and has a council plan “Greener, Fairer, Safer, Together”, that sets out a vision to be a vibrant, diverse and inclusive borough where residents are active, empowered, engaged and able to remain independent and resilient.

Sutton is a well connected attractive part of London that has a reputation for excellent schools, green and leafy open spaces, and a history that drives a thriving heritage and culture offer through our museums and libraries. The Council is controlled by a long established Liberal Democrat Administration and has high ambitions set out in its corporate plan “Ambitious for Sutton”, that will ensure Sutton remains a great place to live, work and raise a family.

About The Role And Our Ideal Candidate

The data engineer will be joining the corporate data service. You will play a key role in the delivery of the data strategy. In this role, you will:

• Lead Platform Development: Take a leading role in the build, and maintenance of the AWS-based data platform, bringing together data from numerous systems.
• Engineer Data Solutions: Build and optimise scalable data pipelines, APIs, and ETL/ELT processes to connect operational systems with our data platforms.
• Deliver Key Projects: Lead complex data engineering projects, managing internal and external partners.
• Collaborate and Innovate: Work closely with data scientists, analysts, and service leaders to build data products and services that provide continuous insight for our staff and residents.
• Drive Data Quality: Work across the organisation to extract, clean, and combine data, establishing rigorous standards to make it a trusted asset for decision-making.

About You

You are a collaborative and adaptable engineer who is eager to grow with our new data service. You have a passion for solving complex problems and building efficient, reliable data systems.

You are:

• Skilled in Cloud services & Data Platforms: You possess excellent Python and SQL/NoSQL skills and have significant experience with AWS cloud services (e.g., Redshift, Athena, Lambda, S3). You can design, build, and optimise scalable data pipelines.
• A Proven Project Leader: You have a track record of leading complex data engineering projects in an agile manner and delivering impactful data products and services.
• A Clear Communicator: You excel at explaining highly technical concepts to diverse audiences and can build strong relationships with stakeholders to foster a data-driven culture.
• A Champion for Data Governance: You have a strong understanding of data security, GDPR, and data protection regulations, especially within the context of sensitive data.
• An Innovator and Problem-Solver: You are passionate about learning new technologies, automating manual processes, and finding innovative solutions to improve data reliability and efficiency.
• Dealing with complex data: You have experience working with complex datasets and working with services to automate manual processes or make existing processing more efficient and cost effective.

Supporting Statement

In your supporting statement please tell us what motivates you to pursue a data science role within local government? Please describe a specific project or accomplishment from your professional experience where you used data to solve a complex problem or drive a positive outcome.

About Us

The new Data Service is part of a shared Digital & IT service for the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Sutton. Both councils have ambitious transformation programmes that depend on a more effective use of data to gain better insights and improve council services for residents.

Our Offer To You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 25-32 days, plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
• Hybrid working (dependent on the role)
• Flexible and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role.