Data Engineer - Senior Consultant
Description
Ready to build data platforms, not just pipelines?
At Opencast, we believe great data engineering is about more than moving and transforming data. It's about creating reliable, scalable foundations that help organisations make better decisions and deliver better services.
You’ll tackle complex engineering challenges across integration, migration, modelling and platform design, working with Microsoft Fabric, Azure and modern data technologies. We value engineering craft, thoughtful problem-solving and building solutions that are simple, robust and built to last.
Our data engineering capability is growing, and you'll help guide its direction through mentoring, recruitment and technical leadership, as well as your client work. If you want to shape both the solutions and capability around them, this could be the role for you.
The role
Opencast data engineers help organisations transform how they manage, use and learn from data. The work ranges from building modern lakehouse and warehouse platforms in Microsoft Fabric to modernising legacy environments, migrating complex workloads and improving the quality, governance and reliability of critical data services.
This role offers the opportunity to work across the full data lifecycle, combining platform design, engineering, integration and optimisation. Expect to work with structured, semi-structured and unstructured data, building batch and near real-time data pipelines that underpin critical business and public services.
You'll collaborate with architects, analysts, software engineers and client teams to solve complex challenges and influence technical direction. The role also offers opportunities to contribute beyond delivery through mentoring, recruitment, community building and helping to define engineering standards and best practice as our capability continues to grow.
Requirements
We are recruiting for multiple positions, with opportunities available immediately and in the coming months. If you are interested in joining Opencast, we encourage you to apply.
Essential experience
- Microsoft Fabric and Azure data services, including lakehouse, warehouse, notebooks and pipeline capabilities.
- Building enterprise-scale data platforms, lakehouses and data warehouses.
- Data modelling and dimensional modelling techniques such as Kimball.
- ETL/ELT development and large-scale data integration.
- PySpark, Spark SQL and modern transformation techniques.
- Advanced SQL and relational databases including SQL Server, PostgreSQL and Oracle.
- Integrating structured, semi-structured and unstructured data sources.
- Migration and modernisation of legacy platforms such as Oracle, SQL Server/SSIS or Synapse.
- Power BI semantic models, curated datasets and supporting analytics platforms.
- Data quality, governance, metadata management and lineage.
- Data security, classification and access control approaches.
- Automated testing, validation, reconciliation testing and performance optimisation.
- DataOps, CI/CD and version control practices.
- Agile delivery environments.
Essential consulting skills
Our clients look to us for more than technical delivery.
Success in this role comes from being able to navigate ambiguity, solve difficult problems and help clients make confident technical decisions. The strongest consultants combine technical expertise with curiosity, pragmatism and a collaborative mindset.
You'll thrive in this role if you enjoy:
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Solving complex engineering challenges and exploring different approaches to finding the right solution.
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Influencing technical direction through expertise, evidence and constructive challenge.
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Working closely with technical and non-technical stakeholders to understand underlying problems rather than simply implement requirements.
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Balancing engineering quality, governance, security and reliability with business outcomes.
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Sharing knowledge, mentoring others and helping raise engineering standards.
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Building trusted relationships with clients and acting as a technical advisor.
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Keeping pace with emerging technologies and evaluating new approaches where they can add value.
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Contributing to a growing engineering capability while remaining close to delivery and technology.
Salary
What we offer
A competitive package including a 7% employer pension contribution, share options, and a discretionary bonus. You’ll also benefit from 25 days’ holiday and access to 3 annual “life happens” days to support unexpected situations. We provide wellbeing support, ongoing professional development, volunteering opportunities, and the chance to be part of a genuinely supportive team.
Where you’ll work
This role requires regular on-site attendance at our HQ, hub offices, and client sites, as well as the ability to work from home. Applicants must be able to travel to offices and client sites across the UK as part of their normal working arrangements, as travel is essential for fulfilling the responsibilities of the role.
We include you
We welcome candidates from all identities, attributes, ways of thinking and backgrounds to thrive in a career at Opencast. Our aim is for the diversity of our people to be reflected in the solutions we deliver, to help create a fairer society for all.
Interview
Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. We’re happy to make adjustments to support your needs.
Want to know more?
Visit our website or email [email protected]
Skills
As published by lever · 16 questions · 5 written answers
Basics
Resume/CV, Full name, Pronouns, Email, Phone, Current location, Current company, What is your age range?Please select from the options below., Which ethnicity do you most closely identify with?This question is multi-selection, please select all that apply., Which of the following best describes your sexual orientation?This question is multi-selection, please select all that apply., Which of the following best describes your gender identity?This question is multi-selection, please select all that apply., Do you identify as Neurodivergent?You don’t need a formal diagnosis to answer. Consider how you relate to neurodivergence, the traits you identify with, the impact it has on how you work and what you’ve learned about yourself through research or guidance. This question is multi-selection, please select all that apply., Do you consider yourself to have a disability or long-term health condition?This question is multi-selection, please select all that apply., Have you previously served, or do you currently serve in the UK armed forces?Please select from the options below., Are you returning to work after a career break? (of a period of more than 12 months) Please select from the options below., Socio-Economic Background: What was the occupation of your main household earner when you were aged about 14? Please select from the options below.
Pick from a list (11)
- Are you eligible to work in the UK?
- Do you live within 45 miles of any of our hub locations (or within 80 miles if you are based in London)?
- Our Hybrid working policy means that your working time at Opencast will be split between multiple locations, including from our HQ and hub locations, client site or home. Travel across the UK is part of life at Opencast. This varies in frequency, and takes into account requirements of your work, our clients and your team. - Are you happy to travel as part of our hybrid model?
- Are you looking for contract or perm opportunities with Opencast?
- If offered a position, when would you be available to start (or what is your current notice period)?
- If you are successful with us, we will be required to carry out background checks (checks include basic Disclosure, References and Financial). Are you comfortable with this?
- Would you like to be considered under the Disability Confident Interview Scheme? (Opting in means you are disclosing a disability only for the purpose of the interview guarantee. This will not be treated as a request to record your disability or to arrange any adjustments.)
- Have you served, or are you currently serving, in the UK Armed Forces?
- Security Clearance Requirement: This role requires Security Check (SC) clearance from the UK Government. To be eligible, you must have lived in the UK for the last 5 years, not spent 28 consecutive days or more outside the UK at any one time during those 5 years, and be willing to complete background checks. Please select the option that best describes your current status:
- How did you hear about this job opportunity?
- This role requires recent government (public sector) experience and/or experience of delivering complex digital services that meet Government Digital Service (GDS) standards. Do you have this experience?
Written answers (5)
- If you selected "Yes - Other", Please Specify your Right to Work in the UK optional
- Please confirm your current location
- If you currently hold SC clearance, please provide the following (if known): Sponsoring organisation / Expiry date
- If you selected "Referred" or "Other," please provide additional details in the space below (e.g., the name of the person who referred you, or a brief explanation of how you heard about this opportunity)
- If Yes, Please detail your experience below: