Lead Data Engineer (Lead Data Manager)
Job summary
NHS England leads the NHS to deliver high quality care for all. We support NHS organisations to deliver better outcomes for our patients and communities, work to get the best possible value for taxpayers, and drive improvement across the NHS. The Data Services division of Data and Analytics sub directorate's vision is to be the leading data services provider for health and social care across England through creating innovative and high-quality data products and services that give our customers the knowledge and capabilities required to deliver the best outcomes for citizens.
The Data Engineering team work with a number of key delivery programmes including but not limited to:
- Federated Data Platform and Common Data Platform projects
- Curation of national data sets for onward use (e.g. Hospital Episode Statistics, Community and Mental Health, Vaccines, Prescriptions)NHS Workforce Data
- Get it right first time (GIRFT) a national programme designed to improve the treatment and care of patients
- Supporting the Tech and Data Integration team to define common data models, and ensure appropriate reference and master data management
Main duties of the job
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced data engineer to deliver complex solutions across programmes; leading technical delivery for projects, contributing to standards, and supporting senior leadership in shaping best practices.
- Design and build scalable data pipelines, products and reusable data products
- Lead delivery of medium-large data engineering initiatives. Support data ingestion, transformation, and optimisation across platforms
- Implement and contribute to data quality and governance standards
- Work closely with analysts, scientists, and stakeholders to translate requirements
- Mentor junior engineers and support capability uplift
- Contribute to architecture discussions and solution design
About us
NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.
Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms -- enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.
If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.
Job description
Job responsibilities
You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
Please ensure your supporting statement includes demonstratable evidence and specific examples on how you meet the criteria for each of the key skills specified. This will be used in both the shortlisting and interview processes
Person Specification
Qualifications
- Educated to degree level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area..
Knowledge
- Extensive knowledge with integration and transformation within Cloud Data Warehouses (e.g Azure, AWS, GCP) including languages such as Python, SQL, PySpark, Java Knowledge and experience with programming languages such as React, Typescript, Javascript is desirable.
Skills and Experience
- Proven ability to use data engineering expertise to architect the most appropriate solution design to suit a particular requirement or set of requirements Developing and overseeing delivery of test plans in line with Solution Assurance best practice AND/OR Ability to identify risks, anticipate issues and create solutions and to resolve problems in relation to project or service delivery.
Values
- Consistently looks to improve what they do, look for successful tried and tested ways of working, and also seeks out innovation. Works well with others, is positive and helpful, listens, involves, respects and learns from the contribution of others.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details
Employer name
NHS England
Address
This role can be based in Leeds - Wellington Place/London - Wellington House
Leeds/London
LS1 4AP
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/