Lead Data Engineer

at  Department for Work and Pensions

JOB SUMMARY

This role requires you to pass Security Check vetting. For information on the required UK residency requirements, please read the ‘Security Clearance Requirement’ section.
Would you like to build and lead your own team of data engineers whilst also being ‘hands on’? Does the opportunity to transform both the data landscape and customer experience for millions of UK citizens sound interesting?
If so, this role may be perfect for you.
DWP is the UK’s largest government department. We help people into work and make payments worth £195bn a year to support the most vulnerable people in our society.
Joining Retirement Services, one of DWP’s biggest areas, you’ll lead a team that helps deliver an enjoyable customer journey to millions of citizens using our digital services.
If you’d like to join one of DWP’s biggest digital transformation projects, use modern cloud-based data engineering tooling and deliver impactful improvements for millions of citizens, we’d love to hear from you.

JOB DESCRIPTION

In Retirement Services, we ensure people over state pension age can plan for and secure all the support they need to live a life without unnecessary hardship. Every year we pay over £120billion to 18 million citizens, including 1 million overseas citizens residing in 229 countries.
Retirement Services is merging pension credit and state pension data to ensure a much better journey for our customers, UK citizens. The platform this data will sit in is currently being developed via a third-party supplier – you will manage the supplier team whilst recruiting a small team of data engineers. You will then manage the platform’s transition from supplier to inhouse build team, driving infrastructure development to make this transition a success.
Once up and running, you will steer the strategic development of event and common data platforms, strategic architecture, data models, and data quality using Databricks, Power BI and AWS tooling.
This role combines hands on data engineering, line management and technical leadership. There’ll be lots of connecting and interaction with stakeholders, and you’ll oversee specialist contractor data engineers whilst managing a small team of data engineers. You will explore new ideas and support your team in developing their technical and interpersonal skills.
Longer term, this is an opportunity to shape the strategy on how Retirement Services works across the wider Digital & Analytics business unit, and how the Data Engineer profession can collaborate with and support Operational colleagues.
Working in DWP Digital you will benefit from a brilliant learning and development offer plus a collaborative environment that encourages continuous professional development. You will join a Data Engineer community where you will have the opportunity to share experiences and knowledge with colleagues.
We need your help to transform operational MI and analytics into the onward modernisation of data platforms. Join us an enjoy an environment that is family-friendly, supportive, and inclusive in an organisation with real social purpose.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Tell us about your experience of technical leadership in a data service environment, including advising on data solutions and setting direction for and managing other data engineers.

Benefits
Alongside your salary of £72,664, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £21,050 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
• Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office 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 need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. 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.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Architecture and Data
Digital
Engineering
Information Technology