Principal Data Engineer - Azure Databricks (Unity Catalog) - Contract

Principal Data Engineer - Azure Databricks (Unity Catalog) - Contract
Location: Bristol - Hybrid - 2 days a week in the office
Contract Length: 12 Months
Day Rate: Negotiable
Job Ref: J12998

A data for good organisation that is in the early stages of building a modern Analytics and Data Engineering function, are looking to bring in a Principal Data Engineer to support and lead key elements of this transformation.
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys building data platforms from the ground up, mentoring teams, and deploying cutting edge solutions in a collaborative environment.

In this role, the successful candidate will be responsible for designing and implementing scalable, reusable data pipelines to support a range of analytics and AI-driven projects. The organisation is currently transitioning to Azure as well as Databricks and Principal Data Engineer will play a crucial role in shaping that platform, helping the data team upskill, and embed best practices across the function. They will also lead on bringing AI models into production, ensuring robust monitoring, alerting, and data pipeline reliability are in place to support long-term success.

Key Responsibilities:
·Build and maintain scalable data pipelines for analytics and AI use cases.
·Lead the deployment of production ready AI models with end-to-end monitoring.
·Support the development of Python coding standards and engineering best practices.
·Collaborate closely with IT and data teams to enhance the platform and unlock new capabilities.

In addition to the technical work, this role will help improve data governance and quality processes across the organisation, support the development of conceptual and dimensional data models, and contribute to fostering a culture of innovation and evidence led decision-making.

Experience Required:
·Essential experience with Azure Databricks - including Unity Catalog, Python (ideally PySpark), and SQL.
·Practical knowledge of modern ELT workflows, with a focus on the Extract and Load stages.
·Experience working across both technical and non-technical teams, with the ability to explain complex data concepts clearly.
·Adaptable and collaborative, with a problem-solving mindset and a strong eye for process improvement.

Note: Candidates must have an existing and future right to live and work in the UK. Sponsorship at any point is not available.

This is a high impact role that offers the opportunity to shape a new team, influence long-term data strategy, and deliver tangible outcomes that support the wider organisation. If you're a capable Senior Data Engineer ready to take on a meaningful challenge, get in touch today.

Alternatively, you can refer a friend or colleague by taking part in our fantastic referral schemes! If you have a friend or colleague who would be interested in this role, please refer them to us. For each relevant candidate that you introduce to us (there is no limit) and we place, you will be entitled to our general gift/voucher scheme.
Datatech is one of the UK's leading recruitment agencies in the field of analytics and host of the critically acclaimed event, Women in Data UK. For more information visit our website: (url removed)