Senior Analytics Engineer

About Cognita:

Cognita is a global leader in independent education. Founded in 2004, we are a growing community of 90 schools in 20 countries - in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East - serving more than 100,000 students. Each of our schools are proudly unique, however our collective purpose is to create an environment where everyone can, \"Thrive in a rapidly evolving world\".

About the Role:

As our Senior Analytics Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping Cognita's enterprise analytics capability by building and governing the analytical and semantic layer that transforms raw data into trusted, reusable insights. Working within Databricks and reporting to the Analytics & Insight Manager, you will design and maintain scalable transformation pipelines, analytical data models and KPI frameworks that ensure consistent, certified definitions are used across Finance, HR, Education and Commercial functions. This hands‑on role will see you lead the development of Cognita's semantic layer, implement robust testing and data quality controls, and apply governance standards that enable users to confidently discover, understand and utilise data. Partnering closely with Data Engineering, Data Architecture, Business Insight and Customer Insight teams, you will translate business requirements into high‑performing data models that support reporting, analytics, self‑service BI and emerging AI‑driven solutions. You will also drive best practice in analytics engineering, continuously evolving Cognita's data modelling standards and ensuring analytical assets remain scalable, performant and aligned to changing business needs.

Working Arrangement: 4 days per week in Dubai office, 1 day working from home

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Who We Are Looking For:

We are seeking an experienced and technically strong analytics professional with a proven track record of building scalable, reusable data models and semantic layers that support enterprise‑wide reporting and decision‑making. The successful candidate will have at least five years' experience in analytics engineering, data engineering or a similar data‑focused role, with hands‑on expertise in Databricks, including Lakeflow, Unity Catalog, Delta Lake, Git integration and CI/CD deployment practices. You will possess advanced SQL and Python skills, strong dimensional modelling expertise, and a thorough understanding of data quality, testing and governance principles. Comfortable working in agile, engineering‑led environments, you will be able to translate complex business requirements into clear, trusted data models that serve multiple stakeholders and use cases. Experience with Power BI or similar business intelligence tools is essential, along with the ability to build strong relationships with both technical and non‑technical colleagues. A degree in Data, Computer Science, Statistics, Economics or a related field is desirable, as are Databricks and Microsoft Power BI certifications. Above all, you will be passionate about delivering high‑quality analytical assets that enable consistent, data‑driven decision‑making across the organisation.

Cognita Schools is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to safer recruitment checks, including an enhanced DBS check. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is available on the school website. Details on Recruitment of Ex‑Offenders is included within the Application Guidance.

We are an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity and treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of background