Instil
software engineering
PrincipalDataEngineer
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“Principal Data Engineer at Instil. Skills: Principal Data Engineer, data platforms, data pipelines, cloud data stack, Python, AWS, Snowflake, SQL, ETL/ELT, technical leadership, engineering standards. building, supporting and leading data platforms and pipelines. working hands-on across cloud data stack”
What You'll Achieve.
deliver reliable, well-modelled data that supports analytics and downstream use cases
Industry & Context.
problem-solving skills; ability to navigate ambiguity; shaping solutions from incomplete or evolving requirements
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
8+ years' commercial experience in a data engineering or data-focused software engineering role, including experience operating at a senior or lead level, Experience owning data platforms end-to-end, including considerations around reliability, scalability, cost and governance, A track record of setting technical direction, establishing standards and leading architectural decisions across data workstreams, Experience mentoring and growing engineers, and contributing to how the team works as well as what it builds, problem-solving skills and an ability to navigate ambiguity, shaping solutions from incomplete or evolving requirements, Clear communication skills and experience collaborating with both technical teams and senior non-technical stakeholders, Python for data processing, transformation, pipeline development and the design of reusable frameworks or shared tooling, AWS data services such as S3, Lambda, Glue (or comparable cloud services), including platform design and cost-aware architecture, Designing, building and maintaining ETL/ELT pipelines in production environments at scale, Expert SQL skills, including complex queries, performance tuning and warehouse optimisation, Deep experience with a cloud data warehouse such as Snowflake (or similar), covering data models, pipelines, warehouse objects and governance, Handling semi-structured data (e. g. JSON, Parquet) alongside structured datasets
Nice to Have
Experience with data orchestration or scheduling tools, including patterns for reliability and observability, Exposure to CI/CD practices for data pipelines, including testing strategies and deployment automation, Familiarity with analytics or BI use cases and the consumers of data, Experience with data governance, access control, lineage or security concepts at a platform level, Exposure to streaming or event-driven data architectures, Experience working in agile, delivery-focused teams and influencing how those teams operate
What You'll Do.
supporting and leading data platforms and pipelines
working hands-on across cloud data stack
building and improving data pipelines
setting engineering standards
shaping how data engineering is approached
mentoring and growing engineers
contributing to team ways of working and output
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
partnering with engineers, analysts and senior stakeholders; collaborating with both technical teams and senior non-technical stakeholders; mentoring and growing engineers; contributing to how the team works
Communication Scope
Clear communication skills
Full Job Description
The Role We're looking for a Principal Data Engineer with extensive commercial experience building, supporting and leading data platforms and pipelines. You'll work hands-on across our cloud data stack, partnering with engineers, analysts and senior stakeholders to deliver reliable, well-modelled data that supports analytics and downstream use cases. This role is focused on practical delivery and technical leadership, designing, building and improving data pipelines, setting engineering standards, and helping shape how we approach data engineering as a discipline. You'll bring depth across modern data engineering practices and play a key role in growing the capability of the team around you. Essential Skills - 8+ years' commercial experience in a data engineering or data-focused software engineering role, including experience operating at a senior or lead level. - Experience owning data platforms end-to-end, including considerations around reliability, scalability, cost and governance. - A track record of setting technical direction, establishing standards and leading architectural decisions across data workstreams. - Experience mentoring and growing engineers, and contributing to how the team works as well as what it builds. - Strong problem-solving skills and an ability to navigate ambiguity, shaping solutions from incomplete or evolving requirements. - Clear communication skills and experience collaborating with both technical teams and senior non-technical stakeholders. Commercial experience including a combination of the following: - Python for data processing, transformation, pipeline development and the design of reusable frameworks or shared tooling - AWS data services such as S3, Lambda, Glue (or comparable cloud services), including platform design and cost-aware architecture - Designing, building and maintaining ETL/ELT pipelines in production environments at scale - Expert SQL skills, including complex queries, performance tuning and warehouse optimisati
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