Lead/Principal Data Engineer

Sanderson Government and Defence; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson Government and Defence seeks a Data Engineer to join a growing, collaborative Agile team delivering secure, large-scale data solutions for government customers. You will work with modern cloud technologies and open-source tools on complex platforms supporting critical decision-making and operations.

The role offers exposure to innovative cloud and data technologies and opportunities to contribute to mission-critical programmes in a regulated environment.

Qualifications

• Current and active SC Clearance at time of application.
• Experience developing and maintaining data pipelines.
• Knowledge of Agile delivery in fast-paced environments.
• Strong data modelling and understanding of data structures.
• Experience with AWS services (EC2, RDS, Lambda, Athena, Glue).
• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases; query tuning.
• Proficiency in Python.
• Experience with Test-Driven Development (TDD).
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and communication skills; multidisciplinary teamwork.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent commercial experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop, test, and maintain robust data pipelines.
• Design and optimise data-processing solutions for batch and real-time analytics.
• Contribute to database design across data platforms.
• Expand platform capabilities to address evolving data challenges.
• Analyse datasets and identify data processing improvements.
• Ensure data models align with established standards and definitions.
• Perform root cause analysis on data issues and implement fixes.
• Collaborate with engineers and stakeholders to deliver scalable data solutions.
• Support continuous improvement and promote best practices in data engineering.

Skills

Data pipelines

Agile methodologies

SC clearance

Python

Data modelling

Analytical thinking

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

AWS

EC2

RDS

Lambda

Athena

Glue

NoSQL databases

SQL tuning

Jenkins

Terraform

Ansible

Packer

Linux

Windows

Job description

Salary: £100,000 - 100,000 per year

Requirements:

• Current and active SC (Security Check) Clearance at the time of application; candidates with expired clearance or who need to obtain clearance cannot be considered, and sponsorship or clearance applications are not supported.
• Experience developing and maintaining data pipelines using modern data-processing technologies and frameworks.
• Knowledge of Agile delivery methodologies and experience in fast-paced development environments.
• Strong understanding of data modelling, data structures, and their advantages and limitations across different use cases.
• Experience with public cloud platforms, particularly AWS, including EC2, RDS, Lambda, Athena, and Glue.
• Experience configuring and optimising relational and NoSQL databases, including query tuning and performance optimisation.
• Proficiency in programming and scripting languages such as Python.
• Experience applying Test-Driven Development (TDD) methodologies and associated testing frameworks.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Bachelors degree or equivalent commercial experience in a relevant discipline.
• Desirable: experience with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins or Drone; configuration management tools such as Ansible and Packer; Terraform for Infrastructure-as-Code deployments; Linux and Windows environments; cloud-native architectures and DevOps practices; or government, defence, or other highly regulated environments.
• Attention to detail, commitment to high-quality solutions, a collaborative and proactive approach to learning, and the ability to translate business requirements into scalable data solutions.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, test, and maintain robust data pipelines that meet functional and non-functional business requirements.
• Design, build, and optimise data-processing solutions for batch and real-time analytics.
• Contribute to logical and physical database design across a range of data platforms.
• Expand and enhance platform capabilities to address new and evolving data challenges.
• Analyse complex datasets and identify opportunities to improve data processing, quality, and performance.
• Ensure data models align with established data architecture standards, maintaining consistency across entities, relationships, and definitions.
• Perform root cause analysis on data-related issues and implement effective solutions.
• Collaborate with engineers, architects, and stakeholders to deliver scalable, reliable data solutions.
• Support continuous improvement and promote best practices in data engineering and platform development.
• Produce clear technical documentation covering data pipelines, processes, and system enhancements.

Technologies:

• AWS
• Lambda
• Ansible
• CI/CD
• Cloud
• DevOps
• EC2
• Support
• Jenkins
• Linux
• NoSQL
• Python
• Security
• TDD
• Terraform
• Windows

More:

We are seeking a Data Engineer to join our growing, collaborative Agile engineering team, delivering secure, large-scale data solutions for government and public sector customers. You will work with modern cloud technologies and open-source tools on complex platforms that support critical decision-making and operational outcomes. This role offers exposure to innovative cloud and data technologies and the opportunity to contribute to meaningful, secure, mission-critical government programmes. We value respect, equality, and inclusion, welcome applicants from all backgrounds, and are committed to supporting reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

last updated 40 week of 2026