Principal Data Engineer - Finance & Transformation

British Airways; Hounslow; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff travel benefits

Discounted airfares

Job summary

British Airways is seeking a Principal Data Engineer – Finance & Transformation to lead hands-on data engineering, shaping ingestion, storage, and processing across the organization. You will drive scalable pipelines, data products, and secure data platforms while guiding senior engineers and delivering DevOps-aligned operations.

You will excel in SQL, cloud-native data tooling, and data security, collaborating with cross-functional teams to optimize data processing and governance.

Qualifications

• Excellent SQL development experience.
• Experience with data ingestion, processing, and storage on cloud-native tooling.
• Experience with cloud data management (Snowflake, AWS, DBT) at scale.
• Knowledge of data modelling and optimisation.
• Expertise in data processing, testing, and monitoring practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead and build data pipelines for secure, scalable delivery of data.
• Maintain and operate data products for availability and performance.
• Ensure code and automation scripts manage data flows.
• Lead service reviews and incident investigations to improve reliability.
• Set standards for data processing documentation and version control.
• Support engineers with engineering patterns and automated testing practices.
• Lead agile ceremonies, planning, and retrospectives for continuous improvement.
• Define and measure developer experience with data product teams.
• Line manage Senior Data Engineers; be on-call on a rota basis.

Skills

SQL development

Data ingestion & processing

Cloud data tooling

Data security & governance

CI/CD in data ops

Data modelling & optimisation

Data quality & monitoring

Education

Degree in Computer Science or related

Tools

Snowflake

AWS

DBT

Job description

A career without limits

As the nation's flag carrier, we take great pride in connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain.

A career without limits

As the nation's flag carrier, we take great pride in connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain. It's something we've been doing for over 100 years, ever since we launched the world's first international scheduled air service between London and Paris. This originality has been in our blood since day one. It's the spirit we share with the people that fly with us, our partners, and our colleagues. So, whether you are a reassuring voice on the end of a phone, a smile at the door, under a wing keeping the turbines spinning or landing us gently in far-flung places, a job at British Airways is yours to make. We know great things can happen when you're inspired to think big and bring your ambition to work every day, which is why, at British Airways the sky is never the limit.

The role: Principal Data Engineer - Finance & Transformation

This role forms part of the data delivery teams The Principal Data Engineer leads others in the hands-on data engineering tasks, and will also retain close to the technical detail, leading the development, operation, and continuous improvement of data ingestion, storage and processingthat underpins data across the organization. Principal Data Engineers are expected to lead thedata lifecycle from development to deployment, monitoring, incident response, performance optimisation, and deprecation in line with modern DevOps principles. Leading agile teams and supported by senior engineers, this role involves building reusable components, automating components, and embedding operational best practices to ensure that the platform is secure, resilient, observable, and cost-efficient

What You’ll Do

• Leading other in the build, test, and deploy data pipelines to support the secure and scalable delivery of data.


• Maintain and operate data products, ensuring their availability, performance, and resilience through monitoring, alerting, patching, and incident resolution.


• Assure code and automation scripts to manage data flows.


• Lead service reviews, health checks, and root cause analyses to improve data processing reliability and reduce operational overhead.


• Set standards fordata processing documentation, ensuring changes are tracked and version-controlled.


• Support senior engineers with the delivery of engineering patterns, coding standards, and automated testing practices.


• Actively leadagile ceremonies, delivery planning, and retrospectives to support continuous improvement.


• Define and measure the developer experience by working with data product teams to streamline integration and resolve data processing related issues.


• Will line manage Senior Data Engineers.


• Will be needed to be on call on a rota basis to support data products

What You’ll Bring To British Airways

• Delivers work reliably and to a high standard. Builds trust by being consistent, transparent and accountable in all interactions.


• Seeks to understand the problem behind the ask. Actively explores new ways to frame requirements and improve processes through better data use.


• Encourages collaborative problem‑solving. Supports colleagues by sharing knowledge and enabling others to make informed decisions.


• Raises concerns constructively and challenges ambiguity or assumptions to ensure clarity and value in delivery.


• Works openly across disciplines, connecting stakeholders and delivery teams. Builds shared understanding through strong communication and engagement.

Your Experience

• Excellent SQL development experience


• Highly experienced indata ingestion, processing and storage techniques on cloud native tooling.


• Experience cloud data management i.e. Snowflake, AWS, DBT, or similar Paas and SaaS offerings.


• Experience of enterprise data management and security at scale.


• Knowledge of data modelling and optimisation


• Expert in data processing, testing, and monitoring practices and frameworks.


• Experience supporting production data systems and resolving operational issues in CI/CD processes and agile development workflows.


• Expert in information security principles and access control within data environments.


• Degree or equivalent training in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline is desirable.

What We Offer

We believe that all the people who work with us should feel valued for the part they play. It's one of the reasons our rewards go far beyond a competitive salary. From the day you join us, you'll get access to brilliant staff travel benefits including unlimited basic and premium standby tickets on British Airways flights. You'll also receive up to 30 discounted 'Hotline' airfares per year for yourself, friends, and family. At British Airways you'll have the chance to take on new challenges and move forward in a way that feels right for you. We encourage all those who work for us to consider opportunities right across our business to help you develop and progress. We never stand still, and we don't expect our people to either.

Inclusion & Diversity

At British Airways we all have a part to play in creating an inclusive place to work. Diverse representation among our people is really important to us and we recognise that all our colleagues are uniquely different and bring their own originality, creativity and identity to work. Inclusion and diversity is a key driver of innovation and we're committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they can be themselves. We're looking for people from all backgrounds and cultures to join us and be a part of our journey to become a Better BA as we continue to connect Britain with the world and the world with Britain.