Senior Data Engineer

Travel Counsellors; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual bonus

Flexible hybrid working

Career development

25 days holiday

Job summary

Travel Counsellors is seeking a Lead Data Engineer to join our Head Office data team in a hybrid role. You will build scalable data pipelines and AI-enabled data products, collaborating with Insights, Data Science/AI, and business stakeholders to deliver trusted, observable data solutions.

You will work with Snowflake, dbt and Airbyte to transform source data into reusable models, while maintaining governance, security and cost-efficiency across our cloud data platform.

Qualifications

• Proficient in SQL with production code experience.
• Python programming for data engineering and automation.
• Strong data modelling and semantic-layer understanding.
• Experience with Snowflake and migrating legacy MS data techs.
• Experience building data integrations using ELT, API, batch or event-driven patterns.
• Familiar with SDLC, Git, CI/CD, automated testing and IaC.
• Experience or understanding of AI agent engineering and ML deployment.
• Ability to communicate trade-offs and build trusted relationships.

Responsibilities

• Translate business problems into secure, reusable data and AI solutions.
• Design, build and operate reliable data pipelines and data products.
• Develop our Data Intelligence Platform using Snowflake, dbt, Airbyte and cloud services.
• Monitor data quality, governance and platform health.

Skills

SQL

Python

Data modelling

Cloud platforms

ELT/ETL

AI agent engineering

CI/CD

Stakeholder communication

Tools

Snowflake

dbt

Airbyte

SQL Server

SSIS

SSAS

SSRS

Job description

About Us

At Travel Counsellors, our customers, communities, and colleagues are at the heart of everything we do. For over 30 years, we've empowered 2,200+ independent travel agents worldwide, helping them build successful businesses while providing deeply personal, human connections with their customers. Supported by a talented team of over 400 people in our Support Offices, we create unique travel experiences that keep customers coming back. Named the Best Place to Work in Travel (2022) and ranked in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work (2023, 2024 & 2025), we’re expanding rapidly and looking for exceptional individuals to join our Head Office team.

About Us

At Travel Counsellors, our customers, communities, and colleagues are at the heart of everything we do. For over 30 years, we've empowered 2,200+ independent travel agents worldwide, helping them build successful businesses while providing deeply personal, human connections with their customers. Supported by a talented team of over 400 people in our Support Offices, we create unique travel experiences that keep customers coming back. Named the Best Place to Work in Travel (2022) and ranked in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work (2023, 2024 & 2025), we’re expanding rapidly and looking for exceptional individuals to join our Head Office team.

About The Role

Reporting to the Lead Data Engineer, you will be part of the Data Engineering team building scalable, secure and available data products and our modern Data Intelligence Platform. This multifaceted role spans data pipelines, integrations, cloud data engineering and semantic models, alongside operationalising AI / ML products and building and managing AI agents and agentic workflows. You will work closely with Data Science / AI, Insights and wider business colleagues to ensure solutions are trusted, observable, governed and connected to measurable business value.

Principal Accountabilities

• Work closely with Insights, Data Science / AI, Technology teams and business stakeholders to translate business problems, decisions and workflows into secure, reusable data and AI engineering solutions.
• Design, build and operate reliable data pipelines, integrations and data products that provide accurate, consistent and timely data for reporting, analytics, automation and AI.
• Develop our modern Data Intelligence Platform, using Snowflake, dbt, Airbyte and associated cloud services to transform source data into reusable business models.
• Ensure data platform remains trusted, governed and cost-effective by proactively monitoring data quality, platform health, operational performance and governance controls.
• Maintain our existing Microsoft technology (SQL Server, SSIS, SSAS and SSRS) where required, while delivering controlled migration and legacy decommissioning plans.
• Build, integrate and manage AI agents and agentic workflows, including orchestration, tool and API integration, governed data access, evaluation, guardrails, observability, human oversight and lifecycle management.
• Work with the Data Science / AI team to operationalise and scale machine-learning models and AI products through repeatable deployment, validation, monitoring and support processes.
• Create and maintain tests, documentation, lineage, data-quality controls and operational runbooks; contribute to code review, shared standards and knowledge transfer across UK and offshore colleagues.
• Own the delivery of assigned workstreams, clearly communicating progress and dependencies.
• Stay updated on industry trends and best practices in data engineering, advocating for continuous improvement within the team.

Required Experience

• Proficient in SQL, with experience writing clear, performant and maintainable production code.
• Practical Python programming for data engineering, automation, integration and production support.
• Strong understanding of data modelling and semantic-layer techniques, including dimensional, relational and dbt-based approaches.
• Experience using modern cloud data platforms and services, particularly Snowflake, with the ability to support and migrate legacy Microsoft data technologies (SQL Server, SSIS, SSAS and SSRS).
• Experience building resilient data integrations using modern ELT, orchestration, API, batch or event-driven patterns.
• Good understanding of the software development lifecycle, including Git, peer review, automated testing, CI / CD and infrastructure-as-code principles.
• Experience or strong practical understanding of AI agent engineering, including LLM APIs, tool calling, orchestration, grounding / retrieval, evaluation, guardrails, monitoring and secure operation.
• Ability to build trusted relationships, communicate technical trade-offs clearly and deliver solutions that meet customer and business needs.
• Understanding of data and AI governance, security, privacy, responsible AI and the requirement to comply with GDPR.

Our Benefits

• Competitive salary + annual bonus
• Flexible hybrid working
• Career development opportunities
• 25 days holiday (increasing to 28 after 5 years)
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity pay
• 1 day paid charity day
• Company events and incentives
• 3x salary death in service benefit
• Pension scheme
• Private Medical Insurance or Healthcare Cash Plan
• Free breakfast and beverages

Inclusive Recruitment at Travel Counsellors

Travel Counsellors is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, gender, disability, or any protected characteristic. We provide accommodations for individuals with disabilities throughout the hiring process and will make every effort to accommodate reasonable adjustments where required. We believe diverse perspectives strengthen our team and encourage all to apply.

For more information about this role – and others – at Travel Counsellors, please do not hesitate to contact the Talent Acquisition team at [e-mail]