Lead Data Engineer (National Security)
Salary: £80,000-£120,000
Clearance: Active eDV required
Location: Key National Security hubs | Hybrid / secure-site working depending on programme
There comes a point where another pipeline isn't enough.
You want to shape the technical direction, influence the customer and have a say in what actually gets built.
I'm supporting a specialist Data & Geospatial SME that has recently secured strategically important National Security work ahead of significantly larger competitors — largely on the strength of its technical capability and credibility in the space.
This is a senior role, operating around SFIA 5-6, with genuine ownership.
You won't be disappearing into a large delivery team. You'll be expected to shape solutions, guide technical direction and work directly with senior customer stakeholders, including C-level contacts.
What you'll be working across
- Python
- AWS and cloud-native data services
- Modern data platforms
- ETL / ELT and scalable pipelines
- Data modelling and architecture
- Distributed data processing
- CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code
- Technical design and solution ownership
The role is still hands-on, but the value is in the influence you'll have around it.
You'll be close enough to the customer to understand the real problem, senior enough to challenge the approach, and technical enough to help shape the solution properly.
Why it's worth a look
This should appeal if you want:
- Greater technical ownership
- Direct access to senior customer stakeholders
- More influence over architecture and delivery
- A specialist engineering environment rather than a huge prime
- Strong learning and development
- The chance to work on strategically important National Security programmes
The business is in a genuine growth phase, and this role sits close to that expansion rather than being another hire into an established delivery machine.