Principal Data Engineer

IPS Group; England; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company within the insurance sector is looking for a Principal Data Engineer to shape their data infrastructure. This strategic role involves designing scalable data systems, mentoring engineers, and implementing best practices. Ideal candidates will have extensive data engineering experience, strong cloud expertise, and excellent communication skills.

Qualifications

• 8+ years’ experience in data engineering, with 3 years in leadership.
• Experience designing end-to-end data pipelines.
• Strong experience with Azure cloud services.

Responsibilities

• Designing and delivering robust data pipelines and architectures.
• Collaborating with stakeholders to align technical solutions.
• Leading integration of cloud platforms and tools.

Skills

Data Pipeline Design

Data Security

Azure Cloud Services

Data Governance

Communication Skills

NoSQL Databases Knowledge

Python Programming

Education

Degree in Computer Science

Degree in Data/Analytics

Tools

Snowflake

Matillion

Job description

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Are you an experienced Data Engineer ready to take the next step into a strategic, hands-on leadership role? This is a fantastic opportunity to join a well-established organisation with a long-standing heritage and a strong customer-first ethos, operating at scale within the insurance sector.
They are a household name in general insurance and part of a larger European group, with a UK presence that continues to grow. With significant investment in their data and technology function, they’re now looking to bring on aPrincipal Data Engineerto help shape and evolve their data infrastructure and engineering capability.

The Opportunity:
This is a pivotal role where you’ll lead on the design, delivery, and optimisation of scalable, secure data systems that support the wider business strategy. You’ll be part of a collaborative tech environment, working closely with cross-functional teams and mentoring fellow engineers. It’s a great blend of hands-on technical work and strategic influence.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Designing and delivering robust data pipelines and high-performing architectures
• Defining and implementing best practice in data modelling, storage and retrieval
• Collaborating with stakeholders to ensure alignment between technical solutions and business objectives
• Leading on the integration of cloud platforms and modern tooling (Azure, Snowflake, Matillion etc.)
• Coaching and mentoring engineers to elevate capability across the team
• Ensuring data governance, privacy and security standards are embedded into all solutions
• Troubleshooting and optimising data infrastructure performance

What We’re Looking For:

• 8+ years’ experience in data engineering, with at least 3 years in a senior or leadership role
• Proven experience designing and delivering end-to-end data pipelines
• Strong experience with Azure cloud services and security concepts (Key Vault, ACLs, RBACs)
• Hands-on with Snowflake, Matillion, and a range of modern data tools
• Programming expertise in Python, Java or SQL
• Solid knowledge of relational and NoSQL databases
• Excellent communication skills – able to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences
• A degree in Computer Science, Data/Analytics, or related experience