Data Software Engineer - Python

Sainsbury's; Greater London; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Colleague discount 10%

Pensions and life cover

Performance bonus up to 10%

Annual leave

Season ticket loans

Cycle to work

Health cash plans

Employee assistance programme

Job summary

Sainsbury's is seeking a Data Software Engineer - Python to build and maintain data platform capabilities, implementing infrastructure as code with Terraform and CI/CD pipelines via GitHub Actions for reliable deployments. You’ll write well-documented, scalable code and contribute to data transformations and ML workflows.

You will collaborate with data engineers, ML engineers, and analysts, handle incidents, and help improve performance and observability using tools like DBT, Airflow, and New

Qualifications

• Strong programming in Python with tested, well-documented code.
• Proficiency in cloud platforms (AWS and/or Azure) with data services, networking, and compute infrastructure.
• Strong SQL skills and experience with infrastructure as code using Terraform.
• Experience with containerization (Docker) and basic orchestration concepts.
• Knowledge of platform security practices including IAM and encryption.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain data platform capabilities including data ingestion pipelines, transformation frameworks (DBT), monitoring, and governance.
• Implement infrastructure as code using Terraform and manage cloud resources for data platforms.
• Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions with automated testing and deployment workflows.
• Configure observability and monitoring (New Relic) with alerts and dashboards for data pipelines.
• Contribute to data transformation, orchestration (Airflow/Astronomer), and MLOps workflows.
• Support platform users by troubleshooting issues and providing clear documentation.
• Participate in code reviews and knowledge sharing to improve team capability.
• Identify technical debt and performance issues and implement improvements.
• Respond to incidents affecting platform services with guidance from senior engineers.

Skills

Python

SQL

Cloud (AWS/Azure)

Terraform

GitHub Actions

Docker

New Relic

DBT

Airflow/Astronomer

Tools

Terraform

GitHub Actions

Docker

New Relic

DBT

Airflow

Job description

Data Software Engineer - Python

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Think about the scale it takes for us to feed the nation. The level of data, transactions and variety it involves. Then you’ll realise that ours is a modern software engineering environment because it has to be. We’ve made serious investment into a Tech Academy and into setting standards and principles. We iterate, learn, experiment and push ways of working such as Agile, Scrum and XP. So you can look forward to awesome opportunities in everything from AI to reusable tech.

In a nutshell

We are looking for a strong python engineer who builds, tests, and maintains data platform capabilities that enable teams across Sainsbury's to leverage data and AI effectively. Implements infrastructure as code using Terraform and CI/CD pipelines via GitHub Actions to ensure reliable, repeatable deployments across data workloads. Does what they say they will do by delivering quality platform components and shows care for colleagues by creating well-documented, accessible solutions that make data engineering simpler and more efficient.

This is a hands‑on engineering role requiring strong technical expertise, ownership of end‑to‑end delivery, and the ability to mentor other engineers and promote engineering best practices.

What I Am Accountable For

• Build and maintain data platform capabilities including data ingestion pipelines, transformation frameworks (DBT), monitoring solutions, and governance controls following established patterns and technical standards.
• Implement infrastructure as code using Terraform, deploying and managing cloud resources for data platforms across environments with guidance from senior engineers and adherence to configuration standards.
• Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, implementing automated testing, deployment workflows, and operational automation for data pipelines.
• Configure and maintain observability and monitoring using New Relic and other tools, implementing instrumentation, alerts, and dashboards for data pipelines and ML systems based on established patterns.
• Contribute to platform capabilities that support data transformation (DBT), pipeline orchestration (Airflow/Astronomer), MLOps workflows including model versioning and deployment automation and much more
• Support platform users including data engineers, ML engineers, data scientists, and analysts by troubleshooting issues, providing technical guidance, and creating clear documentation.
• Participate in code reviews and knowledge sharing activities, learning from senior engineers and contributing to team capability through documentation and peer collaboration across data domains.
• Identify and elevate technical debt, performance issues, and operational problems in data platforms, working with senior engineers to implement fixes and improvements.
• Respond to incidents affecting platform services, supporting diagnosis and resolution of infrastructure issues, pipeline failures, and performance degradation under guidance from senior team members.

Essential

What I need to know

• Strong programming skills in Python including package and environment management
• Strong software engineering skills (experience of writing maintainable, tested code with proper error handling and documentation)
• Strong proficiency in cloud platforms (AWS and/or Azure) with good understanding of data services, networking, and compute infrastructure
• Strong SQL skills
• Good working experience with infrastructure as code using Terraform, including resource creation, module usage, and state management
• Familiarity with containerization (Docker) and basic container orchestration concepts
• Knowledge in platform security practices including IAM, encryption, and network security basics

Desirable

• Knowledge of data warehouse and lakehouse technologies (Snowflake, Databricks)
• Awareness of FinOps principles and cloud cost optimization
• Experience supporting multiple teams or use cases with shared platform capabilities
• Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, including workflow creation, automation, and deployment processes
• Working knowledge of data transformation tools, particularly DBT, including model development and testing
• Understanding of data pipeline orchestration tools (Airflow/Astronomer/Azure Data Factory)
• Experience with observability and monitoring tools including New Relic or similar platforms
• Background in software development or platform engineering with focus on automation and quality
• Experience participating in incident response or system troubleshooting activities

What I Need To Show

Own it

• Take ownership of assigned platform components and features across data infrastructure, ensuring they work reliably and proactively monitoring for issues within your scope of responsibility
• Deliver on your commitments to the team and platform users, completing tasks within agreed timelines and communicating early when you need support or face blockers
• Maintain high standards for your infrastructure code and pipelines, implementing tests, creating documentation, and responding constructively to code review feedback to ensure quality
• Don't walk past problems you can fix, addressing technical issues within your capability in data platforms and escalating appropriately when support from senior engineers is needed

Make it better

• Look for ways to improve the platform capabilities you work on, suggesting optimizations for performance, cost, reliability, or user experience based on your observations and measurements
• Contribute to better developer and data scientist experience by creating clear documentation, reusable infrastructure modules, and helpful automation that make it easier for teams to work effectively
• Focus on user impact in your work, understanding how the platform features you build affect data engineers, data scientists, and analysts, and seeking to improve their experience
• Identify inefficiencies in platform workflows and operational processes, proposing improvements and learning from senior engineers about better approaches and practices

Be human

• Work collaboratively with diverse users including data engineers, data scientists, and analysts, seeking to understand their requirements and asking clarifying questions to ensure you implement solutions that meet their needs
• Learn from senior Data Software Engineers with openness and curiosity, actively seeking feedback on your infrastructure code and implementations and applying guidance to develop your technical skills and judgment
• Communicate clearly and honestly about your progress, challenges, and learning needs, building trust through transparency, reliability, and willingness to ask for help when needed
• Support your teammates and platform users by being responsive to questions, sharing what you learn, troubleshooting issues with patience, and contributing positively to team culture through respectful and considerate interactions

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new - whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:

Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance‑related bonus of up to 10% of salary, depending on how we perform.

Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme.

Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.

Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).