Junior Data Engineer - Public Sector
Contract: Initial 7 months (extension possible)
Rate: £310 per day, Inside IR35
Location: Remote with travel to Waterloo (2-3 days per month)
Security Clearance: SC‑eligible (5 years UK residency required)
I am working with a key consultancy delivering a major UK public sector programme and are looking for a Junior Data Engineer / Scientist to join a mixed delivery team building and operating secure, reliable data platforms that support critical public services.This role is designed for someone early in their data career who wants to develop strong engineering fundamentals in a real production environment.
The role - a junior, generalist data engineering position. This is an engineering‑led role, not a specialist or senior position. The team is ideally looking for a generalist in their first few years within data engineering or data science, who is building breadth across data platforms, pipelines and operations.
You'll focus on:
Designing, building and maintaining data pipelines
Supporting the operation of data lakes and data warehouses
Implementing and improving ETL / ELT processes
Using Python and SQL to transform, validate and move data
Working with analysts and developers to turn data requirements into technical solutions
Monitoring data quality, documenting data models and lineage, and resolving issues
Automating data workflows and operational tasks
Participating in Agile delivery, sprint work and collaboration
Supporting incidents and helping improve platform reliability over time
Working within public sector data governance, security and privacy standardsThis role offers exposure to how data platforms are built, operated and supported in a regulated environment - forming the foundations of a long‑term data engineering career.
What this role is not
To avoid misalignment, it's important to be clear about what this role is not focused on:
❌ Not a Data Analyst role
❌ Not a Power BI / dashboard developer role
❌ Not an insight, reporting or MI position
❌ Not a modelling, ML or research‑focused role
❌ Not an LLM, AI or advanced data science roleWhile you may work alongside analysts and data scientists, this role does not centre on:
Building dashboards
Producing insights or reports
Statistical modelling
Predictive or machine learning solutionsThe emphasis is on data engineering foundations and platform delivery.
Ideal candidate profile
This role is best suited to someone who:
Is in their first few years of a data engineering or data science career
Wants to build core engineering skills rather than specialise immediately
Has hands‑on experience with SQL and Python
Understands basic data modelling and ETL concepts
Is comfortable learning through delivery in a production environment
Is interested in how data platforms work end‑to‑end, including operations and support
Is keen to grow within public sector data platforms
Who this role is unlikely to suit
This role is unlikely to be appropriate for candidates who:
Are very senior data engineers or architects
Have primarily worked in advanced ML, AI, or research‑focused roles
Are specialised Power BI, reporting or MI developers
Are looking for a role centred on analysis, insights or modelling
Are seeking leadership, ownership of platform strategy, or advanced optimisation workApplications that demonstrate significant seniority or deep specialisation rather than junior‑to‑mid generalist experience may not be progressed.
Required skills and experience
Your CV should clearly demonstrate:
A degree in a technical discipline (Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics or similar)
Hands‑on experience with SQL
Experience using Python, Java or Bash
Understanding of ETL processes and data modelling fundamentals
Experience with version control (e.g. Git)
Comfort working in Agile / DevOps environments
Awareness of data security and privacy
Eligibility for UK SC clearance
Nice to have (but not essential)
Exposure to AWS, Azure or GCP
Familiarity with tools such as Airflow, dbt, Spark
Awareness of CI/CD pipelines or containerisation
Experience in public sector or regulated environments
Important note for applicants
This role is deliberately positioned as a junior, generalist data engineering role. Please ensure your CV clearly demonstrates hands‑on data engineering fundamentals, rather than senior leadership, advanced AI/ML work, or analytics‑only experience.
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