Senior Data Engineer – SC Cleared (Inside IR35)
Location: Reading (Hybrid – 4 days on site)
Contract: 6 months initially
Clearance: Active SC required (Sole UK Passport Holder)
We’re supporting a major Defence & Aerospace programme and are looking for an experienced Senior Data Engineer to help build new data capabilities in a secure, greenfield environment. This role suits someone who thrives in complex technical landscapes, enjoys shaping modern data services, and is comfortable working with high‑volume engineering or sensor datasets.
Key Responsibilities
* Design, build and maintain secure, scalable data pipelines across acquisition, integration, storage, processing and analysis.
* Develop automation, tooling and analytical capabilities to support data‑driven insights.
* Evaluate and adopt emerging data technologies suitable for secure environments.
* Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to define data, tooling and workflow requirements.
* Work across cloud platforms and diverse operating systems in mission‑focused settings.
* Support ML model development and data science workflows.
* Lead small work packages and mentor junior engineers.
* Contribute to architectural decisions and ensure high‑quality engineering outputs.
Essential Experience
* Proven background as a Data Engineer with strong ownership of deliverables.
* Strong Python and SQL skills.
* Experience with SQL & NoSQL database architectures.
* Hands‑on work with ETL/ELT pipelines and orchestration tools.
* Cloud experience (AWS, Azure or GCP).
* Exposure to Docker and API‑driven systems.
* Strong problem‑solving skills and ability to work collaboratively.
* Experience with aerospace, sensor, telemetry or other high‑volume engineering data is highly desirable.
Desirable
* STEM/Data/AI‑related degree.
* Experience influencing technical design decisions.
* CI/CD exposure.
* Familiarity with big data ecosystems (Spark, Hadoop, NiFi).
* Knowledge of Kubernetes, IaC (Terraform/Ansible), or ML deployment patterns.