Graduate Data Engineer

Apetito; England; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food supplier in the United Kingdom is seeking graduates for their two-year program focusing on data engineering. The role involves designing data pipelines, collaborating with various teams, and ensuring data quality. Candidates should have a degree in a relevant discipline and skills in SQL and Python. This opportunity offers competitive salary, generous holiday, and various employee benefits.

Benefits

Competitive salary

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Discretionary annual bonus scheme

Pension scheme – employer matched contributions up to 4%

Life assurance scheme

Subsidised canteen

Free parking

Qualifications

• Working or recently gained a degree in a related discipline.
• Coding experience in SQL and Python with an understanding of data structures and algorithms.
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and maintain scalable data pipelines and ETL/ELT processes.
• Collaborate with teams to provide technical consultancy on data architecture.
• Work with large datasets, develop data models and implement data quality checks.

Skills

SQL

Python

Data structures

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Education

Degree in Computer Science / Data Engineering / Information Systems / Mathematics / Statistics / Engineering

Job description

About the Company

apetito is the UK's leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors, serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings. Our meals are crafted by dieticians and chefs, then frozen to lock in quality. As a family‑owned business, we are dedicated to creating outstanding meals that nourish some of the UK’s most vulnerable people. We partner with the UK's largest ready‑meal supplier to deliver a wide range of ready‑meals across the country.

About the Graduate Programme

This role is part of our two‑year graduate programme, giving you mentoring, leadership training and support to reach your full potential. You will present your work to the executive team and gain exposure across the organisation.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and maintain scalable data pipelines and ETL/ELT processes to ensure reliable data flows from source systems to data warehouses and analytics platforms, supporting data quality and accessibility for business stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Data Analytics, IT, Operations, Data Protection Officer and Business Intelligence colleagues to provide technical consultancy on data architecture, championing best practices in data governance, data quality and metadata management.
• Work with large internal and external datasets: develop data models, implement data quality checks and establish data lineage documentation using SQL, Python, Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Spark and governance frameworks.
• Build understanding of our data systems, governance policies and regulatory requirements (such as GDPR) while building strong relationships with stakeholders across the business to understand data needs and ensure compliance.
• Present technical solutions to senior management.

Qualifications

• Working or recently gained a degree in Computer Science / Data Engineering / Information Systems / Mathematics / Statistics / Engineering or a related discipline.
• Coding experience in SQL and Python (or similar) with an understanding of data structures and algorithms.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Problem‑solving skills and initiative.
• Experience collaborating on projects or shared work goals.
• Excellent communication skills and confidence to engage senior managers from technical and non‑technical backgrounds.
• Keen focus on data quality and governance standards.
• A can‑do approach and sense of ownership of the work delivered.

Desirable

• Relevant work experience in data engineering, database management, ETL development or data governance.

Benefits

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer.
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays.
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days annual leave per year.
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme.
• Pension scheme – employer matched contributions up to 4%.
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary.
• Subsidised canteen.
• Free parking.
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas.
• apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts.