Senior Data Engineer

DWP Digital; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 62,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

A major UK government digital division in Newcastle is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to lead the strategy within a dynamic team. This role involves mentoring junior engineers, designing complex data processing solutions, and driving innovation with AI and automation technologies. The position offers competitive pay, a generous pension, and flexible working arrangements, alongside a vibrant culture that promotes diversity and inclusion. Join us to make a real impact across the digital landscape in the UK.

Benefits

Generous leave package

Civil service pension contribution

Flexible working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Discounts and savings on shopping

Sports and social activities

Qualifications

• Proven experience in designing and implementing data processes and ETL pipelines.
• Deep expertise in data engineering standards and governance.
• Ability to troubleshoot complex data issues effectively.
• Experience in leading and mentoring data engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead data engineering activities with a focus on strategy and standards.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to Data Engineers.
• Build and maintain high-quality ETL pipelines and BI reporting strategies.
• Collaborate across teams to deliver innovative data solutions.

Skills

Data Engineering Design & Delivery

Data Standards & Governance

Problem Solving & Incident Management

Leadership & Team Development

Tools

Elastic Stack

Qlik Sense

Job description

Senior Data Engineer

Pay up to £73,517, plus 28.97% employer pension contributions, hybrid working, flexible hours, and great work life balance.

Join The Garage as a Senior Data Engineer and you'll help to drive data engineering strategy, mentor a talented team, and build robust pipelines that power cutting-edge AI and automation solutions. Working with modern tools and collaborating across disciplines, you'll deliver high-impact data solutions that drive real transformation.

DWP. Digital with Purpose.

We are looking for a Senior Data Engineer to join our community of tech experts in DWP Digital.

We're using fresh ideas and leading-edge tech to build and maintain digital solutions that will be used by nearly every person in the UK, every day and at key moments in their lives.

DWP is the UK's largest government department. We help people into work, and make payments worth over £195bn a year to support and empower millions of people.

The scale of what we do is extraordinary, and our purpose is unique. We'd love you to join us.

What skills, knowledge and experience will you need?

• Data Engineering Design & Delivery (Practitioner) - You can design and oversee the implementation of complex, enterprise-scale data processes and ETL pipelines, translating complex customer requirements into robust, scalable solutions.
• Data Standards & Governance (Expert) - You have deep expertise in establishing and maintaining data engineering standards across teams, ensuring adherence to organisational and community standards for consistency and compliance.
• Problem Solving & Incident Management (Practitioner) - You can lead investigations into complex data issues, including ETL pipeline failures and platform-level problems, applying solutions that consider strategic, tactical, and operational impacts.
• Leadership & Team Development (Practitioner/Expert) - You have experience leading data engineering teams, mentoring junior engineers, and promoting continuous improvement. You drive capability uplift and foster a culture of best practice.

You and your role

We're looking for a Senior Data Engineer to join The Garage, an award-winning delivery unit at the forefront of intelligent automation in government. The Garage provides cutting-edge digital transformation capabilities, including robotics, computer vision, machine learning, generative AI, and more. To date, we've deployed over 80 solutions that have processed more than 74 million transactions, making a real impact across DWP and beyond.

In this role, you'll lead and manage data engineering activities, setting strategy and standards for the wider community. You'll provide technical leadership to a team of Data Engineers, building and maintaining high-quality ETL pipelines and BI reporting strategies. Your work will directly support innovative solutions using AI and automation technologies, while ensuring resilience, performance, and compliance. You'll also mentor and coach others, helping to grow capability and foster a strong data engineering culture.

You'll collaborate with software engineers, DevOps teams, and service managers to deliver robust data solutions. You'll use tools like Elastic Stack for log analytics and Qlik Sense for BI dashboards, all on modern MacBook Pro devices. We offer access to industry conferences, comprehensive training, and digital learning resources to support your development.

Details. Wages. Perks.

Location: You'll join us in our brilliant digital hub in Newcastle.

Hybrid Working: We work a hybrid model - you'll spend some time working at home and some time collaborating face to face in a hub.

Pay: We offer competitive pay of up to £73,517.

Pension: You'll get a brilliant civil service pension with employer contributions worth 28.97%.

Holidays: A generous leave package starting at 26 days rising to 31 days over time.

You can also take up to 3 extra days off a month on flexi-time. You'll also get all the usual public holidays.

We have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Flexible working including flexible hours and flex-friendly policies
• Time off volunteering and charitable giving
• Bring your authentic self to work with "I Can Be Me in DWP"
• Discounts and savings on shopping, fun days out and more
• Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket, so it's even easier for you to get to work and start making a difference
• Sports and social activities
• Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities.

And we have an award-winning environment and culture:

• DWP have been recognised as 2024 Diversity Employer of the Year at the Computing Women in Tech Excellence awards
• Diverse and Inclusive Leadership at Digital Leaders Awards.
• Commended as Best Place to Work in Digital category in the Computing Digital Technology Leaders awards 2025
• Recognised as one of the Best Public Sector Employers at 2025 Women In Digital Awards

Process

We know your time is valuable so our application and selection process is just two stages:

1. Apply: complete your application on Civil Service Jobs. There'll be full instructions when you click through.
2. Interview: a single stage interview online.

CLICK APPLY for more information and to start your application.