Data Engineer

Matalan; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff discount 20%

Recognition scheme

Wellbeing support

Life Assurance

Retail Rewards platform

Pension scheme

Career development

Job summary

Matalan is seeking a strategic and hands-on leader to shape and deliver a next-generation data platform across Microsoft Fabric and GCP. You will own the architecture of a scalable data ecosystem, bridging Data, IT Security, and Business Strategy, and guide migration from legacy systems to a modern lakehouse approach.

You will lead secure, production-ready data operations with governance, cost efficiency, and cross-functional collaboration with Finance, Data Science, and Architecture teams.

Qualifications

• Experience designing enterprise-scale data platforms across Microsoft Fabric and GCP.
• Strong programming skills in Python and SQL.
• Deep understanding of lakehouse and medallion architectures.
• Experience with data pipeline tools (DataFactory, Dataflow/Apache Beam) and workflow orchestration.
• Track record of cloud cost optimization (FinOps) and managing large-scale data environments.
• Knowledge of data governance, data lineage, and cataloguing tools.
• Understanding IT security principles (IAM, network controls, secure architecture).
• Experience leading large-scale migrations from legacy systems to cloud platforms.
• Ability to translate complex technical challenges into business-focused insights.
• Mentoring others and raising engineering standards.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement a robust medallion architecture across Fabric and GCP.
• Lead migration from legacy platforms to a modern cloud-native ecosystem.
• Partner with IT and Security to embed Security by Design and enterprise standards.
• Drive FinOps and cost optimisation, targeting a 15-20% reduction in cloud spend.
• Establish data governance including lineage, cataloguing, and eliminating shadow IT.
• Set engineering standards across CI/CD, version control, and documentation.
• Oversee ETL/ELT orchestration for reliable, high-performing data flows.
• Collaborate with Finance, Data Science, and Architecture teams to deliver trusted datasets.

Skills

Python

SQL

Enterprise data platforms

Lakehouse architectures

Migrate to cloud

Data governance

Security by design

FinOps/cost optimization

Data lineage/cataloguing

Mentoring/leadership

MLOps support (Vertex AI)

Tools

DataFactory

Dataflow/Apache Beam

Job description

We're looking for a strategic and technical leader to shape and deliver our next-generation data platform across Microsoft Fabric and GCP. In this role, you'll own the architecture of a scalable, secure, and cost-efficient data ecosystem, playing a key part in bridging Data, IT Security, and Business Strategy. You'll lead the move away from legacy systems, embedding a modern lakehouse approach and ensuring our data operations are production-ready, governed, and built to scale. You will:

You will:

• Design and implement a robust medallion (Bronze/Silver/Gold) architecture across Fabric and GCP
• Lead the migration from legacy platforms into a modern, cloud-native ecosystem
• Partner closely with IT and Security to embed Security by Design and meet enterprise standards
• Drive FinOps and cost optimisation, targeting a 15-20% reduction in cloud spend
• Establish strong data governance, including lineage, cataloguing, and eliminating shadow IT
• Set engineering standards across CI/CD, version control, and documentation
• Oversee pipeline orchestration (ETL/ELT) to ensure reliable, high-performing data flows
• Work cross-functionally with Finance, Data Science, and Architecture teams to deliver high-quality, trusted datasets

Success in this role will be measured through platform reliability, cost efficiency, successful migration milestones, and full alignment with security and governance standards.

You'll bring:

• Proven experience designing enterprise-scale data platforms across Microsoft Fabric and GCP
• Strong programming skills in Python and SQL, with experience building scalable, reusable frameworks
• Deep understanding of lakehouse and medallion architectures
• Experience with data pipeline tools (e.g. DataFactory, Dataflow/Apache Beam) and workflow orchestration
• A track record of delivering cloud cost optimisation (FinOps) and managing large-scale data environments
• Strong knowledge of data governance, data lineage, and cataloguing tools
• Solid understanding of IT security principles (IAM, network controls, secure architecture)
• Experience leading large-scale migrations from legacy systems to cloud platforms
• The ability to translate complex technical challenges into clear, business-focused insights
• A passion for raising engineering standards and mentoring others
• Experience with GA4 data modelling or supporting MLOps environments (e.g. Vertex AI) would be a bonus.

About Matalan

From humble beginnings to disruptive innovations in the retail industry, find out about how Matalan is ever-evolving We know as a team, we are stronger together - we champion equality for all and make lasting connections that go beyond work. We thrive off our inclusive culture, encouraging our colleagues to bring their true selves to work and contributing to collective creativity, open-mindedness and growth.

Core benefits

• 20% staff discount, which increases with length of service
• Thrive Recognition Scheme
• Wellbeing support provided by the Retail Trust
• Life Assurance
• Retail Rewards platform offering discounts for other retailers
• Pension Scheme
• Access to a wide range of career development
• Additional benefits may apply depending on your role and area of the business