Salary: £52,000 - £58,000 per annum
Employment type: Permanent
Hours per week: 37
Reporting into: Lead Data Platform Engineer
Department: Analysis, Insight and Performance
Work arrangement: Primarily remote, with site visits roughly once every two months.
Role Overview
As a Data Platform Engineer you will shape and evolve Arden University’s data platform, driving improvements in student experience, outcomes and operational efficiency.
Responsibilities
* Develop and optimise the University’s core data infrastructure, including the data lake and medallion architecture.
* Ensure the platform is robust, scalable and reliable to meet stakeholder needs.
* Advise on modern cloud data technologies such as Power BI and Microsoft Fabric to maximise data value.
* Support the development of a forward‑looking data platform strategy, leveraging modern engineering patterns and technologies.
* Identify opportunities where platform enhancements can deliver meaningful business impact.
* Coach and support the wider data team, promoting best practice and ensuring continuous evolution of the platform.
* Focus on platform engineering, architecture and continuous improvement rather than traditional SQL development alone.
Essential Skills / Experience
* Familiarity with big data technologies and ecosystems such as Microsoft Synapse, Fabric, Databricks, Hadoop, Spark and Kafka.
* Experience in programming languages such as Python, R or SQL.
* Solid understanding of database design and theory, including SQL and NoSQL technologies.
* Knowledge of data engineering principles, including ETL design and data lifecycle management.
* Experience with data pipeline and integration tools such as Data Factory and Airflow.
* Understanding of CI/CD, DevOps practices and version control (e.g. Git).
* Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders.
* Demonstrable experience delivering business value through data and analytics.
Desirable Skills / Experience
* Formal Data & Analytics certifications (e.g. Certified Analytics Professional, Azure Data Engineer or Data Scientist Associate).
* Experience with big data technologies such as Spark, Kafka or Hadoop ecosystems.
* Familiarity with agile delivery methodologies such as Scrum.
* Experience across multiple data disciplines such as data warehousing, BI, data governance, data architecture or data strategy.
* Knowledge of lakehouse architecture and modern data platform patterns.
* Experience working within the Higher Education sector.
* Understanding of data science tools and techniques within Azure.
* Awareness of data governance, security and regulatory requirements such as GDPR.
Benefits
* 30 days holiday + bank holidays, plus Christmas closure.
* Generous Aviva pension plan with company contributions starting from 7%.
* SimplyHealth plan option.
* Private Medical Insurance coverage (for certain job roles).
* Access to Perkbox benefits.
* Free study of any Arden course, with discount for family and friends.
* ‘Golden Ticket’ to gift free Arden education to anyone.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role. By indicating this in your application you consent for the information to be shared with the hiring team.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We actively welcome applications from all groups and make our recruitment process non‑discriminatory.
Closing Date
17th May (midnight)
Legal Notice
We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs.
#J-18808-Ljbffr