Data Engineer Benelux

Unilever; Rotterdam; On-site; EUR 65,000 - 81,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension & bonus

Hybrid working

Travel opportunities

Homeworking allowance

Job summary

Unilever is seeking a Data Engineer for the Benelux region to build and maintain data systems, creating datasets for analysis and enabling reliable data-driven decisions. The role collaborates with data scientists and engineers to support predictive and prescriptive modelling across the BNX area.

The position is based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, or Brussels, Belgium, with local employment conditions. Fluency in English and Dutch is required; French is a plus.

Qualifications

• MSc in a relevant field and strong analytical capability.
• 5+ years of working experience in data engineering or related roles.
• Experience with data science tools (e.g., R).
• Background as a data engineer or software developer.
• Fluent in English and Dutch; French is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Turn raw data into structured datasets for analysis.
• Support reporting and analyses to improve business decisions.
• Develop data extraction/transform pipelines for modelling.
• Improve data quality and reliability across data sources.
• Collaborate with data scientists, analysts and architects.
• Maintain accessible data work for colleagues and teams.
• Stay up-to-date with industry standards and tech advances.

Skills

Strong communication

Cross-functional teamwork

Data trends awareness

Collaboration

Data models & data mining

SQL database design

Numerical & analytical

Programming languages (Python, Java, R

Hadoop familiarity

Data security & governance

English & Dutch fluent

Education

MSc in Computer Science / Data Science / MIS / Statistics / Analytics

Data engineering certification (IBM or similar)

Tools

SQL

Python

R

Java

Hadoop

Job description

Unilever is looking for a Data Engineer Benelux

Reports to: Business Intelligence Lead

Location: Rotterdam, the Netherlands or Brussels, Belgium

Anderlecht, Brussels Capital

Local employment conditions apply, full-time

Salary range: €64,800 - €81,000 gross per year, including holiday allowance and based on relevant experience.

About Unilever Food Solutions

Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) is a global foodservice business focused on serving chefs and professional kitchens. Operating across more than 70 countries, our purpose is to free chefs to love what they do.

We have an ambitious growth strategy towards 2030, focused on delivering superior products, becoming a leader in AI‑powered customer experience, and using data and technology to better understand and serve our customers. From identifying emerging culinary trends through our Future Menus Report to developing innovative solutions for chefs, we aim to stay ahead of a rapidly evolving foodservice industry.

At UFS, you’ll work in an entrepreneurial environment built on speed, simplicity, trust and ownership. Our teams are empowered to work end‑to‑end, collaborate across functions and turn ideas into real business impact.

If you’re excited by the opportunity to use data and technology to help shape a growing global B2B business, we’d love to hear from you.

Main purpose of the job

The Data Engineer builds and maintains data systems. They construct datasets that are easy to analyse and support company requirements. They implement methods to improve data reliability and quality. They combine raw information from different sources to create consistent and machine-readable formats. They also develop and test architectures that enable data extraction and transformation for predictive or prescriptive modelling. Key interfaces: Central & Local Data Teams (BNX), MCO Digital Team (BNX).

Main Accountabilities

• Will turn raw data (SSD, Digital and other sources) into structured data so it can be used for other purposes, is also in charge of shaping and improving the Global Data Lake (currently UDL) and Data Warehouse solution
• Will be the owner of structuring data in and end‑to‑end way, so it can be used to (a) set up reporting, (b) perform analyses to improve business decisions and (c) automate recurring processes and tasks
• Will build algorithms and prototypes that can be used to extract and transform data for predictive or prescriptive modelling, as well as grow our business structurally
• Will proactively look for ways to enhance data quality and reliability to increase business productivity, as well as hit our business goals more consistently
• Looks for ways to collect additional data points that can help us grow the business more quickly
• Will collaborate intensely with data scientists, data analysts and architects in the central and local teams
• Ensuring that your work remains backed up and readily accessible to relevant coworkers.
• Remaining up‑to‑date with industry standards and technological advancements that will improve the quality of your outputs.

What you will need to succeed

Key Skills

• Strong communication skills
• Team Player that can work cross‑functional (both with marketing and sales‑oriented roles)
• Curious about the latest developments in data and a clear understanding of how organizations can leverage these opportunities
• The ability to work comfortably in a collaborative setting
• Technical expertise with data models, data mining, and segmentation techniques
• Hands‑on experience with SQL database design
• Great numerical and analytical skills
• Expert proficiency in Python, C++, Java, R, and SQL.
• Familiarity with Hadoop or suitable equivalent.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• A knack for independence and group work.
• Scrupulous approach to duties.
• Capacity to successfully manage a pipeline of duties with minimal supervision.
• You know the latest data security measures and apply them rigorously, securely managing and storing data to protect it from loss or theft
• Fluent in English and Dutch. French is a plus.

Relevant Experience

• MSc in Computer Science, Data Science, Management Information Systems, Statistics, Analytics or any other related field
• 5+ years of working experience
• Proven track as a Data professional in high‑paced, executive environments
• Experience in Data science tools (e.g. 'R')
• You have a background as a data engineer, software developer or similar

Desirable

• Data engineering certification (e.g IBM Certified Data Engineer) is a plus
• Knowledge of Google Analytics, Marketo and Salesforce Sales Cloud or any other relevant digital marketing tools

What is in it for you?

Unilever is the place where you can be yourself and bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. We offer an exciting & dynamic work environment where you can make things happen. Furthermore, we offer some great reward and benefits!

• Attractive total remuneration package: excellent company pension, bonus, share scheme
• Flexible cross‑disciplinary career opportunities and a wealth of training opportunities & wellbeing resources whenever and wherever
• Plenty of company‑paid holidays to further ensure your work‑life balance is maintained
• We encourage an inclusive culture, which comes to life with interchangeable public holidays, paid paternity leave of 6 weeks and our transgender policy
• Under the Hybrid Working principles, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% in the office or at customers, suppliers or partners to connect and collaborate. For the time you work from home, we will ensure you are well equipped. When you are at the office, you can enjoy our tasty canteen with prepped food and own products
• Informal culture and being the first one trying our new products
• My Fitness Plan (deduction on your Fitness Subscription)
• Home working allowance
• Company laptop and mobile phone
• Green Mobility Policy