Principal Data Engineer

WRK digital is excited to be partnering exclusively with a high-profile, UK-leading organisation, currently shortlisting for a Principal Data Engineer on a permanent basis.

This role sits at the heart of a cloud-first data strategy, helping to build scalable, secure, and high-quality data platforms that support critical, real-world decision-making.

Looking for a strong Principal Data Engineer who’s hands‑on with Azure (ADF, Databricks, Lakehouse), has led big modernisation/migration projects, and knows how to build secure data platforms. You need to be a genuine leader - someone who can coach the team, communicate well, and drive best practices!

Role Requirements

• Design, develop, test, and deploy scalable, cost‑effective, and secure distributed architectures using Azure services such as Azure Data Factory and Azure Databricks.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to translate business and technical requirements into innovative, automated solutions.
• Continuously innovate and evolve data ingestion and transformation framework design and implementation to meet modern data platform needs while providing comprehensive guidelines for customers.
• Manage the technical relationship with one or more Azure Data product groups, identifying common solution patterns and developing reusable frameworks.

Key Criteria

• Extensive experience in data engineering on an Azure data platform, with a strong background in modernization and large‑scale migration projects. Proven ability to coach and mentor others effectively in a senior capacity
• Demonstrable experience designing and managing metadata‑driven frameworks using Azure Data Factory and Azure Databricks.
• Competence in and hands‑on experience managing Databricks environments and developing lakehouse architectures with a focus on automation, performance tuning, cost optimisation, and system reliability.
• Proven proficiency in programming languages such as Python, T‑SQL, and PySpark, with practical knowledge of test‑driven development.
• Demonstrated capability in building secure, scalable data solutions on Azure with an in-depth understanding of data security and regulatory compliance, using tools like Microsoft Purview and Unity Catalog.

For a confidential conversation about the role, please DM, comment below, or apply via the job ad in the comments for immediate consideration.

Unfortunately this role does not offer sponsorship at this time.