Senior Data Engineer

Bristol, Darlington, London, Wolverhampton Job Summary We are MHCLG At the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), we tackle issues that make a real difference to people's lives-from tackling homelessness and supporting vulnerable citizens to creating sustainable communities and modernizing local government. Our work sits at the heart of the political agenda. If you're considering joining us, there's never been a more exciting time. We are looking for three Senior Data Engineers to help continuously improve a range of systems. The first role will be based in our Vulnerable People Statistics Team, which delivers insights to inform policy for some of the most vulnerable people in society. A key part of this work is the Homelessness Case Level Collection (H‑CLIC), a national longitudinal dataset that supports a wide range of analysis, publications and dashboards used to inform policy development and decision‑making. The remaining two roles will be based in the team developing the Consolidated Data Store (CDS) . This is a business critical departmental service providing a consistent data architecture across a wide range of sources. It supports secure, self-service data operations for data owners and enables analysts, economists and data professionals to deliver high quality analysis that informs policy and operations. As a Senior Data Engineer, you will build and maintain reliable, automated data pipelines and ensure data is available, trusted and well‑governed across its lifecycle. The roles combine strong hands‑on technical delivery with a service mindset, balancing support for live services with continuous improvement. You will work in a multidisciplinary environment, collaborating closely with analytical and digital colleagues, and contributing to the resilience, quality and usability of a key departmental platform. These roles are ideal for someone who enjoys working with complex datasets and innovative data solutions to deliver public value. Find out more about our Digital teams and what they are working on through our MHCLG Digital blog. Please note that MHCLG do not offer visa sponsorship and applicants will need a valid visa for the duration of your employment. Job Description As a Senior Data Engineer, you'll: • Build, operate and improve automated data pipelines, supporting data ingestion, transformation, testing/assurance and downstream publishing • Contribute to the quality, reliability and performance of data services, proactively identifying and resolving data issues • Maintain and improve metadata and documentation, helping users find, understand and reuse data appropriately • Support secure and compliant data handling, contributing to assurance activity and good practice around data protection and Security controls • Identify opportunities to improve tools, processes and ways of working to increase efficiency and resilience of the service • Communicate clearly with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders, explaining complex topics in an accessible way • Mentor and task manage team members to build capability and resilience As a Senior Data Engineer, You'll • Build, operate and improve automated data pipelines, supporting data ingestion, transformation, testing/assurance and downstream publishing • Contribute to the quality, reliability and performance of data services, proactively identifying and resolving data issues • Maintain and improve metadata and documentation, helping users find, understand and reuse data appropriately • Support secure and compliant data handling, contributing to assurance activity and good practice around data protection and Security controls • Identify opportunities to improve tools, processes and ways of working to increase efficiency and resilience of the service • Communicate clearly with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders, explaining complex topics in an accessible way • Mentor and task manage team members to build capability and resilience Person specification As a Senior Data Engineer, You’ll Have • Experience building and maintaining data engineering solutions across the full lifecycle (ingestion, transformation, testing and operational support) • Strong coding and scripting skills, using Git for version control and collaborative development • Practical understanding of data quality, including identifying, diagnosing and preventing data issues • Understanding of secure data handling and proportionate data protection controls • Experience operating and supporting live services, prioritising work effectively in response to changing demands • Ability to communicate clearly and succinctly with a range of audiences • Experience of developing solutions using Python, R, PowerBI and DAX, and SQL Desirable Criteria • Practical experience of data manipulation, statistical analysis, and visualization is also highly desirable • Knowledge of common data modelling patterns or standards Alongside your salary of £44,004, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £12,747 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Childcare Voucher and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here. Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. Selection process details The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles: Behaviours , Experience , Technical Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information. Note: We do not consider direct CV applications. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link. Important: Your CV and Cover Letter must be merged into a single document before uploading. Stage 1: Sift (CV & Cover Letter) Experience & Technical: In your CV and covering letter, please include: • why you are interested in the role; • how you meet the essential skills and experience required Stage 2: Interview • Behaviours: "Communicating and Influencing", "Delivering at Pace", "Changing and Improving" • Technical: Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description. • • Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-10 minute presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview. Sift and Interview Dates Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 11th May 2026. Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 1st June 2026 and are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change. Group 1 Digital & Data Roles MHCLG has implemented the Digital and Data capability framework for Group 1 roles. Applicants that are successful and have been offered a position will be required to complete a capability assessment after the interview. MHCLG will honour completed capability assessments for this role from other Government Departments for existing civil servants on level transfer only. Please provide a copy of your capability assessment to the Hiring Manager when applying. If you have any queries on pay, please contact the Hiring Manager. Each experience or technical skill is assessed between 1-3, representing working towards, at or above the job level requirements. You are awarded a proficiency level accordingly, and you will be given opportunity to annually re assess your capability and potentially increase your overall remuneration, through payment of allowances, depending on level of assessed capability. Candidates moving from another government department have the option to retain their current basic pay if this is within our pay band for the relevant grade. SEO Group 1 Digital and Data salary • The basic pay for this role will be between £47,444 - £53,575 (London), £44,004 - £50,086 (National). Candidates will usually be recruited to the median of the payscale. • A digital allowance may also be payable depending on the level of assessed capability, in order to meet the MHCLG overall targeted remuneration rate for the specific grade, location and capability rating. • For applicants in receipt of existing allowances, we will assess each case individually, but we would seek not to exceed the MHCLG overall targeted remuneration rate for the specific grade, location and capability rating for existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply, subject to the statements above. How We Recruit Find out everything you need to know before applying here.. • Applying • Sifting • Interview • Interview Results & Feedback • Reserve List • Near Miss • Civil Service Grades • We are a DCS, RIS & GPTWV employer • Reasonable Adjustments How To Apply What you need to know before applying. • Security Clearance Requirements • Civil Service Nationality Requirements • Right to Work • Artificial Intelligence • Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles • CV Declaration • Sponsorships • Salary and Grade • Existing Civil Servants • Conflict of Interest • Location and Flexible Working • Fixed Term Contracts • Internal Fraud Database - Internal Fraud Register • Appeals and Complaints • Conflict of Interest Security Clearance Requirements National Office: BPSS + SC London Office: BPSS + SC Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups • UK nationals • nationals of the Republic of Ireland • nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) • individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 • Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job Contact • Name : Digital Data Jobs • Email : Digitaldatajobs@communities.gov.uk Recruitment team • Email : Digitaldatajobs@communities.gov.uk Further information About If you are unsure about any part of the process or require additional information about the post to enable you to progress your application, you should speak to the Resourcing team - Recruitment@communities.gov.uk. Candidates can appeal at any stage of the recruitment process if they believe there has been: • a procedural irregularity • an infringement of the Civil Service equal opportunities policy • exceptional circumstances which were not notified to the interview panel which might have affected performance on the day. It is important to note that these are appeals about the process not the decision. In the first instance, an appeal should be directed to the MHCLG Resourcing Hub at Recruitment@communities.gov.uk. If the MHCLG Resourcing Hub is unable to satisfactorily resolve your complaint, you may contact put your complaint in writing to the Civil Service Commission, Room G8,1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ or by email to: info@csc.gov.uk