Principal Data Engineer | Cloud, AI & Data Platforms | GCP, Python, SQL
Principal Engineer (Data & Platforms)
Location: London (Hybrid)
Role Overview
We are seeking a Principal Engineer to provide technical leadership across complex, large-scale data platforms and engineering teams. This role sits at the intersection of data engineering, architecture, and strategic technology leadership, driving the design and delivery of scalable, cloud-native, AI-ready solutions.
You will act as a senior technical authority, shaping engineering standards, guiding architecture decisions, and partnering with cross-functional leaders to deliver high-impact data products that support business growth and innovation.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Mentorship
- Act as a senior engineering authority across multiple agile squads
- Mentor engineers and uplift technical capability across teams
- Provide deep technical guidance on complex systems, components, and features
Architecture & Design
- Define and evolve enterprise-scale data architecture and engineering patterns
- Bridge Data Engineering, Architecture, and wider Technology teams
- Design scalable, cloud-native solutions aligned to long-term platform strategy
Engineering Standards & Excellence
- Establish coding standards, best practices, and reusable frameworks
- Drive CI/CD adoption, automated testing, and robust data validation practices
- Lead initiatives around observability, monitoring, and performance optimisation
Innovation & Delivery
- Translate complex requirements into scalable technical solutions
- Drive adoption of modern tools, frameworks, and AI-ready engineering practices
- Build frameworks supporting automation, CI/CD, and future platform capabilities
Strategic Influence
- Partner with senior stakeholders, architects, and product leaders on roadmap direction
- Align engineering execution with business priorities and data strategy
- Collaborate with other Principal Engineers to ensure consistency across domains
Required Skills & Experience
- Extensive experience in cloud data engineering and large-scale distributed systems
- Strong expertise in SQL (advanced optimisation and performance tuning, ideally BigQuery)
- Proficiency in Python and/or Node.js within production environments
- Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g. Jenkins or similar tools)
- Deep knowledge of data modelling, data architecture, and semantic layer design
- Strong understanding of data quality, governance, and secure data handling practices
- Experience in observability, monitoring, and production system reliability
Leadership & Collaboration
- Proven ability to influence senior technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Strong communication skills with the ability to simplify complex concepts
- Experience leading through technical direction rather than direct line management
- Strong cross-functional collaboration across engineering, architecture, and product
What Success Looks Like
- Scalable, reliable, and well-governed data platforms
- Consistent engineering standards across teams
- Improved system performance, observability, and data quality
- Clear technical alignment across architecture and engineering functions
- Strong engineering culture driven by quality, ownership, and innovation