Principal Data Engineer

About The Company

VIQU IT Recruitment is a leading technology recruitment agency dedicated to connecting talented IT professionals with innovative organizations across various industries. With a strong reputation for excellence, VIQU specializes in sourcing top-tier candidates for roles spanning data, cloud, software development, cybersecurity, and more. The company prides itself on its deep industry knowledge, personalized approach, and commitment to fostering long-term partnerships. VIQU’s mission is to support organizations in achieving their digital transformation goals by providing exceptional talent and strategic recruitment solutions. Their extensive network and expertise enable them to match candidates with roles that align with their skills, career aspirations, and company culture.

About The Role

The Principal Data Engineer position is a critical leadership role within a forward-thinking organization that has recently transitioned from on-premise infrastructure to the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). This role involves spearheading the development and scaling of a modern, domain-oriented Data Mesh architecture that supports the organization’s data-driven initiatives. As a senior technical authority, the Principal Data Engineer will oversee multiple data product squads, driving strategic direction, architectural standards, and engineering best practices across the organization. This is not an entry-level or stepping stone role; it requires proven leadership at the Principal or Lead level, with a track record of managing engineering teams, establishing standards, and influencing cross-domain architecture. The successful candidate will work closely with architects, platform engineering teams, and stakeholders to ensure the delivery of scalable, secure, and cost-effective data solutions that underpin the organization’s cloud data platform.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess over 10 years of extensive experience in data engineering, demonstrating a strong technical background and leadership capabilities. Candidates must have proven experience leading engineering teams at the Lead or Principal level, with a focus on enterprise-scale projects. Expertise in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is essential, including hands-on experience with services such as BigQuery, Dataflow, Datastream, Data Fusion, Dataproc, and Cloud Composer (Airflow). Strong proficiency in SQL and Python is required, along with a solid understanding of building cloud-native data platforms from end to end. Candidates should have a deep background in Data Lake and Data Warehouse architecture, implementing CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, and data governance frameworks covering data lineage, Master Data Management (MDM), data quality, and compliance with privacy regulations. Excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to challenge and influence technical decisions are also vital for success in this role.

Responsibilities

As Principal Data Engineer, your responsibilities will encompass a broad range of strategic and technical tasks. You will provide visible, hands-on technical leadership across multiple data domain teams, guiding the design, development, and deployment of scalable data pipelines and systems. You will define project approaches, establish standards, and ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality solutions. Your expertise will be instrumental in designing and governing data pipelines utilizing GCP services such as BigQuery, Dataflow, and Data Fusion, ensuring they are scalable, reliable, and efficient.

You will lead the adoption of Data Mesh principles, fostering domain ownership and the development of interoperable data products. Setting modeling standards across raw, curated, and semantic data layers will be a key focus, alongside embedding governance practices covering data lineage, MDM, data quality, PII, and compliance requirements. Mentoring and challenging senior engineers to uphold high standards of engineering excellence will be part of your ongoing responsibilities. You will collaborate closely with architects and platform engineers to optimize performance, security, and cost-efficiency across the GCP environment, ensuring the data platform aligns with organizational goals and industry best practices.

Benefits

This role offers the opportunity to be at the forefront of a significant cloud-native data transformation journey. You will have the chance to influence the architecture, standards, and long-term strategy of a modern data platform, making a tangible impact on the organization’s data maturity. The position is fully remote, providing flexibility and work-life balance. The company offers a competitive salary package up to £95,000, along with comprehensive benefits including health insurance, pension contributions, and professional development opportunities. You will work within a collaborative and innovative environment that values continuous learning and technical excellence. The organization also promotes a culture of diversity and inclusion, ensuring all employees are supported and empowered to succeed.

Equal Opportunity

VIQU IT Recruitment is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We believe that a diverse workforce enhances our ability to serve our clients and provides a richer, more innovative workplace for our team members. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected status, and we are dedicated to fostering a workplace where everyone can thrive and succeed.