Job Description
You'll be the technical data expert in GOV.UK and the voice of authority with regards to data infrastructure. You'll be a key point of contact for our use of Google Cloud and the adoption of new technologies to support the use of data within GOV.UK and GDS driving innovation and best practice.
As a Data Engineer you'll be uniquely positioned, spanning the data professionals and the technical communities to build links and support cross pollination of work.
As a Data Engineer You'll
support the design and implementation of numerous complex data flows to connect operational systems, data for analytics and business intelligence (BI) systems
enable teams to make better use of data to improve user experience of government services including web analytics data (BigQuery), GOV.UK content data (AWS), content metadata and user feedback (SmartSurvey API)
identify areas of innovation in data tools and techniques and test and implement improvements
maintain and continuously improve GOV.UK's data pipelines and oversee the implementation and management of a semantic layer for GOV.UK data
be an active member of the tech community in GOV.UK and a technical expert for the GOV.UK Insights and Analytics team. You will be the link that joins our data and technical communities
identify, define and roll out standards and best practice for our data infrastructure across GOV.UK teams, and ensure compliance
Person specification
We're Interested In People Who
can translate user requirements and data models into effective, scalable, robust ETL solutions in line with build standards and data regulations, ensuring code is production ready
have experience defining data infrastructure to bring multiple data sources together in a conformed model for analysis
can work as part of a multidisciplinary team to plan and prioritise work, sometimes working independently and sometimes pairing with developers/data practitioners or pairing with technical writers to update technical documentation
can demonstrate strong practical background of using Google Cloud using technologies such as BigQuery and Dataform
identify areas of innovation in data tools and techniques, and recognise appropriate timing for adoption
establishes standards in terms of data infrastructure, access and policies. Keeps them up to date and ensure adherence to them
make changes which add value and clearly articulate how changes will benefit the business
Benefits
There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:
flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
an extra day off for the King's birthday
an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
death in service benefits
cycle to work scheme and facilities
access to an employee discounts scheme
10 learning days per year
volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning
Any move to Government Digital Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at
Office attendance
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.
DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).
Things you need to know
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 standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:
a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 750 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the "person specification" section above
a 60 minute video interview
Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.
In The Event We Receive a High Volume Of Applications, We Will Conduct The Initial Sift Against The Lead Criteria Which Is
Can demonstrate strong practical background of using Google Cloud using technologies such as BigQuery and Dataform
In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We'll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.
For this role we'll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:
working together
changing and improving
making effective decisions
communicating and influencing
delivering at pace
Skills
We'll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework for the Data Engineer role:
Communicating between the technical and non-technical
Data development process
Data innovation
Data integration design
Problem management
Technical understanding
Want to know more about who Government Digital and Data are? Click Here
Recruitment Timeline
Sift completion: 5th March
Panel interviews: W/C 16th March
Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.
A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.
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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years' UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.
For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.
Sponsorship
DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.