Principal Data Engineer
£92,500 per annum
Bedford
Permanent
Hybrid working
Join us at the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) as a Principal Data Engineer. The Principal Data Engineer reports to the Head of Data and Analytics. The role is aligned to the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework and represents the most senior technical leadership role within the data engineering function.
Key Responsibilities:
Data Platform Strategy and Engineering Leadership
- Data Platform Ownership: Own the strategic direction, roadmap and overall technical architecture of the MaPS data platform, ensuring it supports current and future organisational needs.
- Engineering Standards: Establish and maintain engineering standards, patterns, frameworks and best practices across all data engineering activities.
- Technology Leadership: Evaluate and guide the adoption of new technologies, tools and approaches that improve scalability, reliability, efficiency and value.
- Technical Assurance: Provide technical oversight and assurance across all significant data engineering initiatives, ensuring consistency, quality and alignment with enterprise architecture.
Data Engineering Capability
- Capability Leadership: Lead and develop the data engineering function, ensuring the right skills, operating model and ways of working are in place to meet organisational needs.
- People Leadership: Provide leadership, coaching and mentoring to Data Engineering team, supporting professional growth and capability development.
- Resource Planning: Work with delivery and technology leaders to ensure appropriate engineering capacity, capability and prioritisation across the portfolio.
Data Platform and Architecture
- Platform Strategy: Define and maintain the target state architecture for data platforms, pipelines and supporting services.
- Technical Governance: Ensure data engineering solutions are designed and implemented in accordance with organisational standards, security requirements and architectural principles.
- Platform Reliability: Provide overall accountability for the resilience, scalability, performance and operational effectiveness of the data platform.
- Engineering Patterns: Promote reusable, metadata-driven and automated engineering approaches to reduce complexity and improve delivery efficiency.
Azure Services and Cloud Data Engineering
- Provide strategic oversight of cloud-based data platforms, storage technologies, data integration services and analytics infrastructure.
- Ensure effective use of Azure services including Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Factory, Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Lake Storage and related technologies.
- Drive platform optimisation and cost-effective use of cloud technologies.
Collaboration and Stakeholder Leadership
- Strategic Partnership: Act as the senior technical advisor for data engineering, working with senior stakeholders across Technology & Change and the wider organisation.
- Cross-Functional Leadership: Collaborate with Data Product Managers, Data Scientists, Analysts, Enterprise Architecture, Security and Delivery teams to ensure successful outcomes.
- Supplier Engagement: Provide technical leadership in engagements with third-party suppliers and partners where required.
Data Governance and Quality
- Ensure engineering practices support organisational data governance, security and compliance requirements.
- Work closely with data governance colleagues to embed governance controls within engineering processes and platforms.
- Champion the adoption of engineering practices that support secure, reliable and well-managed data products.
Essential Skills and Experience:
Essential:
- Extensive experience in senior data engineering leadership roles, with significant experience delivering cloud-based data platforms.
- Strong understanding of modern data architecture principles including data lakes, medallion architecture, data products and distributed data platforms.
- Significant experience with Azure data technologies including Microsoft Fabric, Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Factory and Azure Data Lake Storage.
- Experience defining technical strategy, architecture standards and engineering roadmaps.
- Proven track record of leading and developing high-performing engineering teams.
- Strong understanding of data governance, security, resilience and operational best practice.
- Experience providing technical leadership across complex change and transformation programmes.
- Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills.
- Strong commercial awareness and ability to balance technical decisions with organisational priorities and value.
About Us
The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is based in Bedford, in a recently renovated modern office. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to become an integral part of a dynamic organisation, working to help people across the UK.
At the heart of the Money and Pensions Service are our values – caring, connecting, and transforming, which are the foundation of our success. They permeate every area of our work and define all our business relationships and the way we work with each other. We’re not only looking for the best people to come and work for us, but we need people who align themselves with our values:
- Caring
We care about our colleagues and the people whose lives we are here to transform.
- Connecting
We will transform lives through our ability to make positive connections.
- Transforming
We are committed to transforming lives and making a positive societal impact.
Our Inclusive Working Environment
By fostering our values, we are immensely proud of the inclusive working environment that we have created. The diversity of our people is a strength that we embrace and wish to build upon, so we are committed to attracting people of all backgrounds. We work hard to ensure that we have a progressive approach to inclusion, equity, and belonging. We really do want our colleagues to “bring their whole selves to work.”
Our colleague and ally networks encompass LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, women’s health, men’s health, ethnicity, and diversity.
What We Offer
- Generous Annual Leave – 30 days plus Bank Holidays
- Pension scheme – contributions matched 2 to 1 (employer contribution up to 10% of your salary)
- Interest-free loan for season tickets for buses and trains
- Cycle to work Scheme
- Subsidised eye tests & flu jabs
- Life assurance scheme
- Give as you earn scheme
- Employee assistance programme (EAP)
- PAM Assist and PAM Life scheme (Wellbeing)
- Enhanced family and sick pay
- Paid volunteering (2 days a year)
- Recognition Scheme
- Discounts portal to numerous retailers
Flexible Working
At MaPS, we take pride in our flexible approach to work. Hybrid working is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and our headquarters in Bedford will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business needs, but personal and other relevant circumstances will also be considered. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Recruitment Process:
- Initial Review: Our recruiter will review your CV. If it looks like a good fit, they'll reach out to arrange a call.
- Hiring Manager Review: If the recruiter thinks you're suitable, your CV will be passed to the hiring manager, who will decide whether to invite you for an interview.
- Interview: If selected, you'll participate in a virtual interview. This single-stage process allows you to demonstrate your skills and experience through competency-based questions. This will also require you to deliver a short presentation.
Career Development
In MaPS, we take career development seriously. We actively encourage and support applications from our existing MaPS colleagues. However, we do follow the Civil Service Commissioner recruitment principles, which means that you will be required to participate in a full, open, and fair process.
Reserve List
If you are successful at interview, we operate a reserve list where your details will be held for up to 6 months. Should a vacancy come available in that time with the same essential criteria, reserve list candidates will be offered that position with no further assessment required.
Application Process
The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact the Money and Pensions Service via email: [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website.
Job Reference: MaPS01306
Close Date: 11/09/2026
