Principal Data Engineer

Job summary

Are you a passionate data engineering leader who can build and evolve data platforms that deliver secure, reliable, and high-quality data services at scale?

Can you lead multidisciplinary teams, establish engineering standards, and create the technical foundations that enable data to become a strategic asset across an organisation?

Do you have the ability to influence senior stakeholders, shape technology roadmaps, and ensure that data engineering delivers measurable outcomes for users and the wider business?

Companies House is building a Cloud Data Platform from the ground up, and we're looking for a Principal Data Engineer to lead its evolution, shaping the data platform utilising Snowflake and dbt building the data systems that underpin our analytical products and lead the platforms adoptions across the organisation. Your work will directly support our ambition to become a data-driven organisation, providing technical leadership for our data engineering capability, guiding the design, development, and optimisation of our data platform while leading a team of engineers and championing modern engineering practices.

Why choose Companies House?

At Companies house we take a proactive approach to wellbeing by promoting a welcoming culture, healthy work life balance and supporting colleagues to be their best in work because we know people are the key to our success.

Our benefits include:

• Flexible working with no core hours (6am – 8pm flexible options)
• 30 days annual leave
• 8 bank holidays per annum + privilege day (minimum offering based on location of contract)
• Enrolment into Civil Service Pension scheme average 28.97%

Find out more about what a great place Companies House is to work

Please note:

• Companies House cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.
• Security Clearance is an essential requirement for this campaign. You'll need to have been in the UK for at least 3 out of the last 5 years to be eligible to apply for SC.
• A hybrid employment contract will be provided as the standard offering. However, remote contracts may be considered as an exception whereby commuting to the office location of your team is not reasonably practicable.
• Flexible contract offered for part-time, min 30hrs per week, or full-time 37 per week. Role requires working availability minimum 4 days per week.

Job description

As a Principal Data Engineer, you will:

• Shape the strategic direction and continued evolution of the organisation's data platform, driving adoption across business areas and ensuring it delivers long-term value.
• Lead the design, development and optimisation of scalable data engineering solutions, transforming complex operational and business data into trusted datasets that support strategic decision-making.
• Provide technical leadership for data engineering across Companies House, establishing standards, patterns and best practices that promote quality, automation, security and reliability.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance data architecture, engineering processes, performance and operational effectiveness.
• Ensure appropriate technical documentation, standards, processes and governance arrangements are maintained to support knowledge sharing, service continuity and compliance.
• Build effective relationships with senior stakeholders, influencing decision-making and promoting the value of data-driven approaches across the organisation.
• Lead, coach and develop a team of data engineers, creating an inclusive and supportive environment that enables colleagues to grow, perform and deliver excellent outcomes.
• Manage team performance, resource planning and capability development to ensure the organisation has the skills and expertise required to meet current and future business needs.

Person specification

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Experience establishing and promoting data engineering best practices, including coding standards, automation, testing, reproducibility, quality assurance and continuous improvement across teams.
• Advanced SQL skills and practical experience with tools such as Python, Git, dbt, Snowflake, Databricks or comparable technologies, including designing solutions for analytical data platforms and data warehouses.
• Strong understanding and practical application of data modelling techniques, including Kimball methodologies, star schemas, fact and dimension modelling, and slowly changing dimensions.
• The ability to take ownership of a data product, platform or service, shaping its strategy and roadmap around the needs of its users, and balancing immediate delivery needs with longer-term objectives and continuous improvement.
• A commitment to fostering an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing team culture, supporting colleagues to develop their skills and achieve successful outcomes.

These key criteria will be the basis for your application form if you choose to apply for this position.

Candidates will be expected to work to the required standards as set out in the Capability framework Data engineer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

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

• Communicating between technical and non-technical
• Data Modelling
• Programming and build within data & analytics engineering

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,831, Companies House contributes £17,043 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).

Join Companies House and discover a role that offers more than just a job, with flexibility, career development and a genuinely supportive culture where you can thrive:

• Flexible working from day one – hybrid working, flexible hours and flexitime
• A generous, competitive package – including 30 days annual leave + 8 bank holidays + 1 privilege day, plus family leave and sickness provision
• We invest in your future – funded training, professional qualifications and clear career progression pathways
• A modern and welcoming workplace – collaboration spaces, on-site facilities and an office you’ll enjoy
• Stand-out location benefits – including free parking in Cardiff and on-site amenities across all location
• Wellbeing at the heart of what we do – occupational health support, mental health advocates and wellbeing initiatives
• Real savings and lifestyle perks – myLifestyle discounts, gym discounts and childcare support
• A friendly, social and inclusive culture – staff networks, sports and social groups and volunteering opportunities
• Security you can count on – Civil Service Pension Scheme with employer contributions of around 28%

Head to our Recruitment Careers Hub to find out more about the fantastic benefits package we have at Companies House.

We celebrate diversity...

An equal opportunity employer, we celebrate diversity, committed to ensuring we’re representative of the citizens we serve and creating inclusive environments. Everyone in Companies House brings something different, and so will you. To fulfil our commitment to recruiting and attracting diverse talent we welcome applications from underrepresented groups. We also welcome applications from Welsh speakers.

We are proud to be a disability confident leader. Our recruitment process is fully inclusive and we can make adjustments as needed through our process. These could include having an interview buddy, extra time at interviews/assessments and receiving interview questions in advance, to name a few.

If you require any reasonable adjustments at application stage, or if you'd like to discuss any person-centred adjustments, please contact us by emailing recruitmentCH@companieshouse.gov.uk.

Read our 'Applying under the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS)' guide to find out how to successfully complete an application under the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS).

Where will you be working?

You will be based at either our Cardiff or Edinburgh office with a hybrid contract as our standard offering, expect to attend your chosen location on a regular basis. As part of the application process, you will be asked to select your preferred location from those advertised. Any offer made will be for that specific office. This role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.

Our hybrid approach provides opportunities for you to be adaptable in the way you work so that you can achieve a healthy balance between your work and home life. The degree of choice you have will depend on your role and your day-to-day work activities. Your manager will agree regular patterns of attendance with you, however you may be required to make yourself available to attend the office more frequently when required to meet business needs.

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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Stage 1 - Application and Sift

In your application form we’d like you to:

1. Write your CV, tell us about your employment history, including key responsibilities and achievements.

2. Write a personal statement of 1250 words telling us how you meet the key criteria through your lived experiences and qualifications. You should base your application on the key criteria detailed in the person specification above, for this role.

We'd encourage you to use the full word count and to make it clear in your structure where you're giving us examples and evidence of the different elements of the key criteria.
We’re committed to being diverse and inclusive, so please make your application anonymous by removing all identifying personal information (such as your name and age) from your personal statement.

Stage 2 - Assessment and interview

Companies House uses a blended interview technique, allowing us to find out more about you. We use the Success Profile framework and at interview we will use Success Profiles assessing the Behaviours, and Technical skills listed in the advert alongside Strengths.

As part of the interview you will be asked to prepare a presentation for the Technical element: communicating between the technical and non-technical.
Data engineer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

What will the process look like?

• After close of advert we’ll carry out a sift of applications. This requires reading all applications in detail - please bear with us while we do this. We may raise the score required at sift stage to progress to interview if we receive a high number of applications.
• If, after the final stage is completed and roles are unfilled, we may proceed to invite lower scoring candidates from sift to interview.
• Successful candidates at sift will be invited to an online Teams interview with our panel
• The lead criteria to distinguish between tied candidates will be: Presentation
• A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.
• Offers are made in order of merit at interview.

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of recruitment based on fair and open competition with decisions made on the basis of merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.

Dates (dates are indicative only and could be subject to change)

• Closing date: 11th October 23:55
• Sifting: w/c 12th October 2026
• Interview: w/c 19th October 2026

Sponsorship

Companies House cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. Companies House holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship, your application may be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment withdrawn.

Pre-Employment Checking

In line with Government guidance, successfully appointed candidates will need to provide documents for our Right to Work checks.

From June 2026, applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). Your personal details (name, National Insurance number, and date of birth) will be checked against the Civil Service Resourcing Extract IFD.

This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued.

If your details appear on this database, you will not be offered employment unless you can demonstrate exceptional circumstances. Companies House, acting on behalf of the vacancy holder, will inform you if your application is refused for this reason.

Please note: You are not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Saskia Aubrey
• Email : saubrey@companieshouse.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitmentch@companieshouse.gov.uk

Further information

We welcome applications in Welsh / Rydym yn croesawi ceisiadau yn y Gymraeg. 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. In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact infopoint@companieshouse.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission .

info@csc.gov.uk

Civil Service Commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road SW1A 2HQ