Data Engineer (contract)

About Us We are a technology solutions provider specialising in the public sector. Our mission is to help government organisations become truly data-driven by transforming their digital services, streamlining operational processes, improving citizen outcomes, and enhancing transparency across public services. We work closely with government bodies to design and deliver modern, secure, and scalable digital solutions that have real-world impact. The Role We are looking to engage a Data Engineer on a contract basis to support the delivery of high-quality digital services within the UK public sector. You will lead the design, development, and evolution of scalable data infrastructure, pipelines, and analytics platforms, working closely with our existing Data Engineers, Data Architects, Analysts and wider delivery teams to deliver high-performance data solutions. This role requires deep knowledge of data engineering best practices and strong hands-on experience with AWS, Apache Spark, data warehousing (Redshift / Apache Iceberg), database modelling, and SQL. You will provide technical leadership across the full data engineering lifecycle, from architecture and pipeline design through to implementation, optimisation, monitoring, and data quality, while supporting engineering standards, technical decision-making, and the development of other engineers. You will also understand the security, governance, and delivery expectations of working in central government and highly regulated environments. Key Responsibilities • Design, build, and maintain robust, scalable, and secure data pipelines using AWS services and Apache Spark. • Develop and optimize data models for reporting and analytics in Redshift and other DWH platforms. • Collaborate with Data Scientists, Analysts, and Business Stakeholders to understand data requirements and deliver clean, validated datasets. • Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize ETL/ELT workflows to ensure data quality and pipeline efficiency. • Implement best practices in data governance, security, and compliance within cloud environments. • Lead and mentor junior data engineers, promoting a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement. • Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code while following best practices in software development. • Debug and resolve issues and implement solutions to improve the performance and functionality of existing applications. • Stay up to date with the latest in cloud and big data technologies, evaluating their potential for use in the platform. • Collaborate with DevOps and Platform teams to deploy and maintain data pipelines and services. • Stay up-to-date with industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies to enhance the development process and maintain high coding standards. • Document code, systems, and processes to facilitate knowledge sharing and maintainability. Essential Skills & Experience The following technical experience is essential for this role: • Proven work experience as a Senior Data Engineer using cloud platform technologies, alongside experience with a variety of database technologies including Oracle, Postgres and MSSQLServer; • Strong expertise in AWS services including AWS DMS, S3, Lambda, Step Functions, Glue, Athena, Redshift, and IAM. • Proficient in Apache Spark (batch and/or streaming) and big data processing. • Experience of other data engineering tooling including Apache Iceberg and DBT • Solid experience with SQL and performance tuning in data warehouse environments. • Hands-on experience with Amazon Redshift or equivalent, including table design, workload management, and implementing Redshift Spectrum. • Experience building ETL/ELT pipelines using tools like AWS Glue, EMR, Apache Airflow or custom frameworks. • Familiarity with data modeling concepts. • Excellent problem-solving and communication skills. • Proficiency in Java and data pipeline development. • Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git) and agile development methodologies. Additional Requirements • Proven UK government / public sector experience (essential) • Must qualify for UK Security Clearance (SC) (essential) • Senior-level experience working as a Data Engineer (or equivalent title) • Ability to work independently in a remote environment What We Offer • Outside IR35 contract • Fully remote working (UK-based) • Opportunity to work on meaningful public sector digital services • Start ASAP (subject to onboarding process)