Data Engineer

Job summary

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics.

We have exciting data engineering opportunities to work in the following ONS directorates:

• Social Surveys, focussing on the Transformed Labour Force Survey data, that is used to measure employment and economic activity.
• Population Statistics, focussing on the production of outputs on population size and structure, migration flows, and demographic topics.
• Macroecomonic and Environment Statistics and Analysis (MESA), with a focus on the Longitudinal Business Database (LBD) branch.

ONS Data Engineers are responsible for data products and services in ONS, supporting the consistency, accessibility, and usability of data across strategic platforms. They work across the lifecycle of data pipelines and services, enabling statistical teams, researchers, and wider data users to make effective use of data.

Job description

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and collaborative team player who combines technical capability with a proactive, positive approach. You’ll be organised, enjoy working with others and take pride in delivering high-quality work, with the curiosity and ambition to keep developing your skills. We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds with transferable Python development skills, including academia, data science, software engineering, statistical production, and other disciplines.

Alongside day-to-day data processing and delivery, you’ll help explore innovative approaches and build reusable, automated data solutions to support a growing and evolving organisation, giving you the opportunity to solve meaningful problems and improve how we deliver data services.

At ONS, we invest in your learning and development through a range of internal and external training opportunities. You’ll be supported to keep pace with emerging technologies, deepen your expertise and grow your career.

What You’ll Do

As a data engineer in the ONS, you will:

• Use tools across our tech-stacks, such as Python, PySpark, SQL, Google Cloud, Cloudera Data Platform.
• Work as part of an agile multidisciplinary team to design, develop and deliver end-to-end data solutions, such as repeatable data pipelines.
• Review and feedback on requirements and design specifications for data solutions.
• Write code to systemise the processing of data based on initial design documents, applying different testing techniques to ensure code and data quality.
• Re-engineer manual data flows to enable scaling and repeatable use.
• Use data engineering standards to refactor & improve existing code.
• Perform code reviews for your colleagues and provide effective feedback.
• Running, monitoring and quality assuring production pipelines and outputs running in ONS data platforms.
• Develop and maintain technical system documentation for processing pipelines, and documentation to support operational delivery and knowledge sharing.
• Collaborate with colleagues to share knowledge, provide mutual support, and brainstorm problems to identify opportunities for innovation, and improve ways of working.
• Depending on the role, there may be opportunities to work with other technologies such as web applications, Flask, Ninja, R, or Shiny.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

Programming and Build (Data Engineering) – Working

• Use agreed standards and tools to design, code, test, correct and document moderate-to-complex programs and scripts from agreed specifications and subsequent iterations. Develop and review specifications where appropriate.

Problem Management – Working

• You can initiate and monitor actions to investigate patterns and trends to resolve problems. You can effectively consult specialists where required, determine the appropriate resolution, assist with its implementation and determine preventative measures.

Experience in Python, and having skills in SQL or PySpark would be advantageous.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

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

• Programming and Build (Data Engineering) – Working
• Problem Management – Working

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,587, Office for National Statistics contributes £10,019 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.

Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.

This role is part of the cross-government Government Digital and Data (formerly DDaT) profession framework. As a role within Government Digital and Data (formerly DDaT) at the ONS, we also offer benefits such as:

• Protected Learning Time to spend on your personal development and side-projects.

• A supportive and active Community of Practice which you will be expected to contribute to, helping ensure you and your colleagues get the training, development and opportunities you need to progress your careers.

We are committed to supporting our people’s wellbeing by offering flexible ways of working that support a healthy work life balance. We are happy to explore opportunities with you about working flexibly in line with our hybrid working policies.

Inclusion & Accessibility

At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Security Clearance

For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.

If you are unsure that you meet the eligibility above, please read the information available on Gov.uk on this link, or contact the recruitment email on the advert before applying to discuss, as failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected and any offer of employment being withdrawn.

At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:

• Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
• UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
• Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
• Security Services records

ONS are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants are expected to hold a valid right to work in the UK when employment commences. If you are applying on a time-limited visa, this will need to be valid for at least 18 months at point of application.

To work at the ONS, candidates must meet both UK right to work and security clearance requirements (where applicable).

If you are unsure whether you meet the appropriate right to work or security clearance eligibility criteria, please refer to the guidance on Gov.uk or contact the recruitment email provided in the advert before applying. Failure to meet these requirements will result in your application being rejected and employment offers being withdrawn.

For full guidance in relation to the use of AI through the recruitment process, please read A candidate’s guide to artificial intelligence (AI) in recruitment

Application Process

Number of Stages: 2 stage process

Stage 1: Application

Stage 2: Interview

Stage 1 – Application

The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, skills, experience, CV, and personal statement. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.

A personal statement is required at application stage, the maximum wordcount allowed is 1000, which should not be exceeded. You should provide evidence for each essential skill criterion listed in the person specification. As these criteria are scored, it is advisable to give clear examples for each one, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Please note that all campaigns may be subject to withdrawal at any stage if the internal resource position changes.

Please note that Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.

When a high volume of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted. Candidates will be invited to interview based on their merit order, with those achieving the highest scores being prioritised. Applicants who score below the adjusted pass mark but still pass will be placed on hold and may be invited to interview at a later date.

Stage 2 – Interview

If invited to interview, you will be assessed using a variety of assessment methods, for example interview questions, technical exercises, aligned with the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering all behaviours listed in the job advert and any required technical skills.

There is be a technical exercise at interview against: Programming and Build (Data Engineering) – Working

Interviews may be in person or via Microsoft Teams

If there are more successful candidates than vacant positions, a reserve list may be held for period of up to 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Candidates should note this is a multi-location campaign and therefore the reserve list is recorded by location in merit order.

A Sift will be conducted from the 09/11/2026

Interviews will be conducted from the 24/11/2026. Candidates will receive 5 working days' notice for interviews.

Dates are subject to change based upon availability.

For the full terms and conditions of the post, please see attachment.

Near Misses

We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need to go through a further selection process providing the role has the same behaviours and essential skills.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Government-Digital-and-Data-Recruitment@ons.gov.uk
• Email : Government-Digital-and-Data-Recruitment@ons.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : About.You@ons.gov.uk

Further information

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 recruitment.complaints@ons.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission

Attachments

2721 Advert 1B Permanent - ONS National v1-00 Opens in new window (pdf, 83kB)Role1_Standard_Requirements Opens in new window (pdf, 76kB)