Senior Data Engineer

Plan B Talent Ltd; Manchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A data recruitment agency in the UK is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to lead the design and optimisation of Azure-based data pipelines. This role offers a unique opportunity to grow into a strategic leadership position, shaping the company’s data vision and governance as it matures. The ideal candidate will have significant experience with Azure technologies, excellent SQL skills, and the ability to engage with stakeholders across the organisation. Join a forward-thinking team dedicated to diversity and innovation.

Qualifications

• Significant hands-on experience as a Data Engineer or BI Developer in a data-driven environment.
• Strong focus on building and optimising Azure data pipelines.
• Excellent SQL skills with experience in building queries and data transformations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimise Azure data pipelines and integrations.
• Translate business requirements into data models with cross-functional teams.
• Monitor data quality and performance, ensuring continuous improvement.

Skills

Azure data technologies

SQL

Data management principles

Stakeholder engagement

Data quality

Tools

Power BI

Data Lake

Databricks

Data Factory

Azure Functions

Job description

Plan B Talent Ltd is excited to be supporting a fast-growing organisation on a significant data transformation journey across the UK & Ireland. We’re seeking a talented Senior Data Engineer who can deliver high-quality technical solutions today, while also having the ambition and capability to develop into a more strategic leadership role in the future.

This position offers a rare opportunity : once the data and technology foundations are fully established, the role has the scope to evolve into a Head of Data –style position, shaping data strategy and influencing decision‑making at a senior level.

The Role

In the near term, your focus will be on designing, building and optimising Azure-based data pipelines, datasets and reporting foundations. You’ll work closely with Sales, Finance, Procurement and Business Performance teams to convert business requirements into robust, scalable data outputs.

You’ll also collaborate with a wider European data community to ensure alignment with a broader Data Factory Architecture, supporting shared assets, automation and dashboard development.

As the organisation’s data capabilities mature, you’ll have the opportunity to shift into a more strategic role—taking greater ownership of data direction, standards, governance and long‑term vision.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain and optimise Azure data pipelines, dataflows and integrations aligned with a modern European data architecture.
• Build and refine datasets used across CRM, supplier and financial systems, ensuring accuracy, consistency and usability.
• Translate business requirements into well‑structured data models in partnership with cross‑functional teams.
• Develop and maintain semantic models and datasets for Power BI, ensuring consistency of KPIs and reporting definitions.
• Work closely with European data engineers and analysts to industrialise dashboards, automation and shared data assets.
• Monitor data quality and performance, proactively resolving issues and driving continuous improvement.
• Contribute to data process documentation, lineage tracking and best‑practice development.

Skills & Experience

• Significant hands‑on experience as a Data Engineer, BI Developer or similar technical role in a data‑driven environment.
• Strong proficiency with Azure data technologies such as Data Lake, Databricks, Data Factory, Azure Functions (or similar).
• Excellent SQL skills, with experience building and optimising queries, stored procedures and data transformations.
• Experience preparing models and datasets for Power BI.
• Strong understanding of data quality, metadata, lineage and general data management principles.
• Confident working with stakeholders at all levels, able to translate between technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Delivery‑focused, pragmatic and effective in a matrix environment.
• Ambitious, with the desire to develop into a more strategic, leadership‑oriented role over time.

Career Development Opportunity

This role is ideal for a technically strong Data Engineer who enjoys delivery and stakeholder engagement but is also looking for a long‑term career path. As the organisation’s data landscape matures, there is genuine progression into a strategic role, with responsibility for shaping data vision, governance, and enterprise‑wide data strategy.

At Plan B Talent, we are committed to creating an inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment for all our clients, candidates and employees. We believe that diversity in all its forms, including but not limited to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, socio‑economic background, and cultural identity, is a powerful driver of innovation, success, and growth. We welcome conversations to discuss adjustments that might be needed as part of the application or interview process.