CV UPLOAD LOGIN

Data Engineering jobs and careers

Data engineers are responsible for building and maintaining the infrastructure that enables reliable, scalable, and efficient data flow across systems. By designing robust data pipelines and integrating diverse data sources, they ensure that accurate, timely, and accessible data is available for analytics, reporting, and machine learning. Their work forms the foundation for data science, business intelligence, and decision-making processes.

Why consider a career as a Data Engineer?

Data Engineers design, build, and maintain the architecture that enables organisations to store, process, and access data at scale. This includes data pipelines, data warehouses, data lakes, and real-time streaming systems.

With more companies striving to harness the value of their data, demand for skilled Data Engineers is booming. It’s a fast-growing field with high potential for career development and innovation.

Typical role titles include

  • Data Engineer
  • Big Data Engineer
  • Data Developer
  • BI (Business Intelligence) Engineer
  • BI Developer
  • Business Intelligence Developer
  • Business Intelligence Engineer
  • Big Data Developer
  • Hadoop Developer
  • Data Factory Developer
  • Hadoop Engineer
  • Data Availability Engineer
  • Data Science Engineer
  • Big Data Software Engineer
  • Platform Engineer
  • Data Warehouse Engineer (DWH Engineer)
  • DWH Programmer
  • DWH Developer
  • Datawarehouse Developer
  • Datawarehouse Engineer
  • SQL Server Engineer
  • Data Infrastructure Engineer
  • Data Infrastructure Programmer
  • Data Infrastructure Developer
  • Data Analytics Engineer
  • Big Data Architect
  • Hadoop Architect
  • Hadoop Specialist
  • Big Data Specialist
  • Big Data Lead
  • Head of Big Data

Career progression example

  • Junior Data Engineer
  • Data Engineer
  • Senior Data Engineer
  • Lead Data Engineer
  • Head of Data Engineering
  • Data Architect

Salary Benchmarks

We’ve outlined the latest salary benchmarks for Data Engineering roles in the guides below:

Data, Insight and Analytics Salary Guide

Data, Insight and Analytics Day Rate Guide

Data, Insight and Analytics Within Data Engineering Development Salary Guide

Data, Insight and Analytics Within Data Science Salary Guide

Is it right for me? The skills it takes…

Core technical skills: SQL | ETL/ELT Development | Data Warehousing (Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery) | Data Lake Technologies (AWS S3, Azure Data Lake) | Cloud Platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) | Programming (Python, Java) | Big Data Technologies (Apache Spark, Kafka, Hive, Airflow, dbt) | Streaming Data Processing (Kafka Streams, Apache Flink) | Workflow Orchestration (Apache Airflow, Luigi, Prefect) | Containerization & Orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes) | Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation) | API Development & Integration (RESTful APIs, GraphQL) | Monitoring & Logging (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack) | Security & Compliance (encryption, access control, GDPR, HIPAA) | Performance Tuning & Optimization | Testing & Validation | Version Control & CI/CD (Git, Terraform, Docker)

Soft skills: Problem-solving & Critical Thinking | Collaboration & Cross-team Communication | Attention to Detail | Communication | Project Management & Agile Methodologies | Continuous Learning & Adaptability

What qualifications does it take?

Most Data Engineers hold a BSc, MSc, or PhD in a related discipline such as mathematics, physics, statistics, computer science, software engineering, artificial intelligence, or engineering.
While academic background is important, hands-on experience with large-scale datasets, data engineering tools, and cloud platforms (e.g. AWS, Azure, GCP) is often just as critical. Many employers value a strong portfolio of practical projects, contributions to open-source tools, or demonstrable knowledge of industry-standard platforms.

Our Data, Insight & Analytics recruitment team

  • Lead Senior Recruiter

    Data, Insight & Analytics

    View profile

    Tegan Fenn

JOB
SEARCH

Our latest Data, Insight & Analytics jobs

We connect ambitious organisations with their greatest assets, equally ambitious talent.

Senior Data Engineer

Purpose Driven

  • Bristol (Weekly/Monthly)
  • Permanent
  • 50,000 - 70,000

Full details

Next-gen diagnostics start-up

Take ownership of data strategy and architecture from the ground up.

Flexible, remote-first working with visits to a high-impact biotech lab.

Full details

16th Jul

Data Engineer

Purpose Driven

  • Bristol (Remote/Monthly)
  • Permanent
  • 50,000 - 70,000

Full details

Next-gen diagnostics start-up

Take ownership of data strategy and architecture from the ground up.

Flexible, remote-first working with visits to a high-impact biotech lab.

Full details

22nd Jun

Enterprise Data Architect

  • South West England
  • Permanent
  • 100,000 - 120,000

Full details

Architect the future of data at a leading financial services firm

Shape strategic data architecture and governance from the ground up.

Huge scope to make an impact in a business eager for transformation.

Full details

22nd May

Data, Insight & Analytics case studies

  • Working with a recruitment partner like ADLIB means you’re working with a group of people who get to understand you and match candidates up with your culture and goals. ADLIB worked at a breakneck speed to introduce us to the marketing experts we needed to build our team in a matter of months. With their help we recruited and onboarded a new team much faster than planned and ended up spoilt for choice because of the way they work and market insights.

    World Host Group logo

    Michelle Stark

    CMO

    World Host Group

    VIEW CASE STUDY

  • “From finding me my current role to helping place two fantastic hires, ADLIB has been a pivotal role in the development of our team here at Bristol. The guys are easy to work with, friendly and most importantly inspire trust. I look forward to working with them in the future.”

    LV= logo

    Dr. Venura Perera

    Data Science Manager

    LV=

    VIEW CASE STUDY

Salary guides:

  • -
    Data, Insight and Analytics Within Data Engineering & Development

    Average salaries and day rates for roles within data engineering & development.

    VIEW & DOWNLOAD

  • -
    Data, Insight and Analytics within Data Science

    Average salaries and day rates typically received for Data, Insight and Analytics roles within Data Science.

    VIEW & DOWNLOAD

  • -
    Data, Insight and Analytics Salary Guide

    Average salaries and day rates typically received for Data, Insight and Analytics roles.

    VIEW & DOWNLOAD

  • -
    Data, Insight and Analytics Day Rate Guide

    Average salaries and day rates typically received for Data, Insight and Analytics roles.

    VIEW & DOWNLOAD

COMMUNITIES

MotherBoard is a Business Charter, Community and Event Series driving tangible change for mums working in the tech industry. GreenTechSW is a community that provides expert insight and thought provoking discussion on how technology can improve our physical environment and battle the massive, urgent issue of climate change. Tech Ethics Bristol is passionate about building a fair and equal society, where technology is a catalyst for positive change.

PURPOSE