Principal Digital Specialist – Principal Data Engineer (Azure)
Scotland, United Kingdom – Edinburgh and Glasgow
Trusted to Serve Scotland.
We are seeking a Principal Data Engineer to join our Business Analytics team and lead the development of our cloud‑based data platform. Our team’s mission is to turn data into actionable insights that support better decision‑making and deliver measurable value for the business. To enable this, we have built an Azure data platform based on lakehouse architecture. The platform leverages Fabric and Azure Databricks and provides a secure, governed and trusted foundation for our data. It offers a consistent and safe environment to develop, deploy and scale data products and AI/ML solutions, ensuring insights can be shared efficiently and used with confidence across the organisation.
We are an ambitious team that uses data, advanced analytics and cloud technologies to design and deliver digital solutions that help colleagues drive improvements in key business areas, including asset management and water quality. We work closely with stakeholders through an inclusive and collaborative approach to focus on the right problems and deliver outcomes that are genuinely useful. Our Business Analytics function brings together a strong pool of talent and provides excellent opportunities for learning, development and growth.
The role
As Principal Data Engineer, you will be the senior technical authority for data engineering in our organisation. This is a hands‑on leadership role with no direct line‑management duties, where you will set the standards and technical direction for our data engineering practice. You will guide the design and implementation of robust data pipelines and architectures on Azure, ensure high‑quality engineering outcomes through code reviews and mentoring, and spearhead innovation in tools and techniques.
In this role, you will work closely with data scientists, solution developers, enterprise architects and platform engineers to ensure our data ecosystem is reliable, scalable and delivers value. You will also act as the key technical liaison with our external Digital partners, ensuring alignment with our standards and providing technical assurance on joint initiatives.
What you will do
You will own and evolve data engineering standards and guiding technical principles across the Azure data analytics estate, acting as the technical authority for data engineering and ensuring high‑quality, well‑assured engineering outcomes. This includes gatekeeping pull requests in Azure DevOps for changes to production data pipelines and leading the research and development of new tools, patterns and platform capabilities within the analytics environment.
You will design and assure technical designs for all projects on the Analytics platform and undertake hands‑on development for proof‑of‑concept work and complex technical initiatives. Collaboration is central to the role, and you will work closely with analytics, data science, architecture and platform teams, as well as with the Platform Product Owner and Technical Support Team Lead to transition established solutions into support.
What you’ll bring
Essential skills and experience:
* Significant hands‑on experience as a senior or principal Data Engineer on Microsoft Azure.
* Strong experience of modern Azure data platforms such as Azure Data Lake, Microsoft Fabric and Databricks.
* Proven ability to design and build scalable, secure data pipelines and lakehouse architectures, supported by strong programming skills in Python and SQL, with Spark experience desirable.
* Expertise working within DevOps CI/CD environments using Azure DevOps and a solid understanding of data quality, security and governance in regulated environments.
* Excellent communication skills and ability to influence through technical expertise.
Desirable:
* Experience with streaming or IoT data.
* Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code, for example Terraform or Bicep.
* Azure certifications.
Benefits
This is a full‑time (35 hours per week) role. You’ll receive 38 days of holiday every year (including public holidays) and can purchase five additional days if needed. Paid time off to volunteer in your community, flexible working and family‑friendly policies around adoption, maternity and parental leave. Pension and life assurance are provided. You can expect an annual company bonus and access to SW Splash rewards.
Salary and progression
This role will be a Grade 8. If you’re new to Scottish Water, you’ll join us on a starting salary of £54,776. Performance‑driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £74,386.
Applications will be accepted until midnight on 2nd June 2026. Scottish Water operates a balanced hybrid working model and encourages staff to work half their time in a Scottish Water location.
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