Colibri Digital
Principal Data Engineer
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Department: Services
Location: Remote, UK
Description
As a Principal Data Engineer, you will serve as the bridge between complex technical architecture and strategic business value. This is a high-impact, client-facing leadership role designed for an expert who can navigate deep technical challenges while maintaining a "customer-first" mindset. You will be the primary technical authority for our clients, ensuring their data platforms are resilient, scalable, and aligned with their long-term business goals.
Key Responsibilities
- Customer Excellence & Stakeholder Management: Act as the primary strategic partner to client business owners, aligning technical data solutions with corporate goals while championing reliability and "clean data" for all consumers.
- Solution Architecture & Tech Strategy: Drive the development of complex, large-scale data architectures and multi-year technology roadmaps, balancing technical innovation with cost efficiency and operational stability.
- Delivery & Execution: Oversee "team-of-teams" delivery performance, ensuring the quality and resilience of high-impact data pipelines while managing capacity planning and team velocity.
- Incident Management & Resilience: Lead the triage and resolution of critical platform incidents, taking full ownership of root-cause prevention and maintaining transparent communication with clients during recovery.
- Governance, Risk & Compliance: Implement robust governance frameworks and compliance controls, acting as the authoritative lead on risk mitigation and the primary technical contact for regulatory matters.
- Knowledge Management & Mentorship: Champion an organisational culture of knowledge sharing, representing the firm at industry events and establishing best practices across communities of practice.
- Business Strategy: Influence long-term organizational health by driving platform efficiency, managing engineering budgets, and leading strategic hiring and retention initiatives.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
Essential:
- Proven experience in a principal engineering role.
- Extensive experience with cloud data platforms such as Azure or AWS, with a focus on Databricks.
- Highly skilled with Pythonic data processing tools such as Pyspark and SparkSQL.
- Strong understanding of data modelling concepts, relational and non-relational databases.
- Proficiency in SQL and experience with data integration and ETL tools.
- Excellent knowledge of big data technologies and frameworks.
- Strong knowledge of data governance and data security best practices.
- Strong analytical mindset with attention to detail and a consultative approach.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Benefits
- Remote-first working with flexibility around client needs.
- Private health insurance.
- Projects with global brands & public sector leaders, working on real-world impact.
- Exclusive access to AWS & Databricks certifications, training, and partner tools.
- A collaborative culture of technical excellence and continuous learning.
- A lead role in shaping delivery standards and future Data & Consulting practices within the firm.
- Competitive salary, bonus structure, and long-term growth opportunities.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location