Be at the heart of actionFly remote-controlled drones into enemy territory to gather vital information.

Apply Now

Principal Data Engineer

KDR Talent Solutions
Oxford
1 week ago
Create job alert
Principal Data Engineer | Cutting-Edge Research & Technology | Hybrid (Oxford/London) | up to £200k per annum + Bonus & Travel allowance

Our client is an ambitious research and technology organisation at the forefront of AI and data‑driven innovation. They are building one of the most advanced data platforms in the UK – designed to power the next generation of healthcare and scientific discovery. With world‑class talent and long‑term funding, they are scaling fast and looking for exceptional engineers to help shape the future.


The Role

As Principal Data Engineer, you’ll play a leading role in designing and delivering the organisation’s next‑generation data infrastructure. You’ll partner with senior leadership, scientists, and AI specialists to create scalable, production‑grade data pipelines that underpin research and innovation at massive scale.



  • Design, build, and optimise distributed data pipelines for petabyte‑scale workloads
  • Connect data pipelines with ML models and production systems
  • Champion best practice across data governance, performance, and reliability
  • Lead systems design discussions and contribute to technical strategy
  • Mentor and guide other data engineers to elevate team capability
  • Work closely with MLOps and infrastructure teams to enable seamless deployment
  • Experiment, prototype, and productionise data systems that fuel AI innovation

Your Experience

  • Proven experience in Principal or Lead Data Engineer roles
  • Expertise in Python (software engineering standard) and strong SQL skills
  • Advanced experience building pipelines using Airflow, Prefect, or Argo
  • Deep understanding of distributed systems, containerisation (Docker/Kubernetes), and cloud data architecture (any cloud – GCP, AWS, or Azure)
  • Background in high‑volume, high‑velocity data environments (petabyte or large‑scale terabyte range)
  • Familiarity with machine learning pipelines or ML model integration (e.g., Hugging Face, Transformers)
  • Experience with CI/CD and production‑grade data systems
  • Excellent communicator and mentor, comfortable working across technical and research teams
  • Desirable: experience in healthcare, AI, or scientific domains

Why Join?

  • Highly competitive salary up to £200,000 per annum depending on experience
  • Flexible hybrid working (Oxford & London offices – typically 3 days/week)
  • Join a pioneering institute combining science, AI, and engineering at scale
  • Opportunity to help architect one of the most complex data platforms in the UK
  • Collaborative, mission‑driven culture with cutting‑edge projects

Apply Today

If you’re an experienced data engineer ready to help build one of the most advanced data platforms in the world, please click apply – we’d love to hear from you.


#J-18808-Ljbffr

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Principal Data Engineer/Architect

Principal Data Engineer

Principal Data Engineer

Principal Data Engineer

Principal Data Engineer

Principal Data Engineer

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Data Science Recruitment Trends 2025 (UK): What Job Seekers Need To Know About Today’s Hiring Process

Summary: UK data science hiring has shifted from title‑led CV screens to capability‑driven assessments that emphasise rigorous problem framing, high‑quality analytics & modelling, experiment/causality, production awareness (MLOps), governance/ethics, and measurable product or commercial impact. This guide explains what’s changed, what to expect in interviews & how to prepare—especially for product/data scientists, applied ML scientists, decision scientists, econometricians, growth/marketing analysts, and ML‑adjacent data scientists supporting LLM/AI products. Who this is for: Product/decision/data scientists, applied ML scientists, econometrics & causal inference specialists, experimentation leads, analytics engineers crossing into DS, ML generalists with strong statistics, and data scientists collaborating with platform/MLOps teams in the UK.

Why Data Science Careers in the UK Are Becoming More Multidisciplinary

Data science once meant advanced statistics, machine learning models and coding in Python or R. In the UK today, it has become one of the most in-demand professions across sectors — from healthcare to finance, retail to government. But as the field matures, employers now expect more than technical modelling skills. Modern data science is multidisciplinary. It requires not just coding and algorithms, but also legal knowledge, ethical reasoning, psychological insight, linguistic clarity and human-centred design. Data scientists are expected to interpret, communicate and apply data responsibly, with awareness of law, human behaviour and accessibility. In this article, we’ll explore why data science careers in the UK are becoming more multidisciplinary, how these five disciplines intersect with data science, and what job-seekers & employers need to know to succeed in this transformed field.

Data Science Team Structures Explained: Who Does What in a Modern Data Science Department

Data science is one of the most in-demand, dynamic, and multidisciplinary areas in the UK tech and business landscape. Organisations from finance, retail, health, government, and beyond are using data to drive decisions, automate processes, personalise services, predict trends, detect fraud, and more. To do that well, companies don’t just need good data scientists; they need teams with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, workflows, collaboration, and governance. If you're aiming for a role in data science or recruiting for one, understanding the structure of a data science department—and who does what—can make all the difference. This article breaks down the key roles, how they interact across the lifecycle of a data science project, what skills and qualifications are typical in the UK, expected salary ranges, challenges, trends, and how to build or grow an effective team.