Principal Data Engineer

Department: Intel

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Reporting To: Head of Data

Description

What you'll be doing

• Own and evolve the technical roadmap for the data product area, ensuring modern, scalable technologies are used to meet business needs.
• Champion the non-functional qualities of our data products—supportability, testability, security, compliance, maintainability, and performance.
• Drive progress towards our Service Level Objectives (SLOs), ensuring our systems are reliable and resilient.
• Partner closely with Product Owners to define and design data solutions aligned with product goals.
• Collaborate with engineers and cross-functional teams to remove blockers and support project delivery.
• Maintain high-quality, accessible technical documentation across BI and data solutions.
• Be a visible, positive, and trusted voice across the business—clear communicator, coach, and collaborator.

• Contribute to high-level estimations and technical planning to support forward-looking delivery.
• Ensure your team’s work aligns with Bede’s wider technical strategy and roadmap.
• Work with Solution Architects and Business Analysts to design thoughtful, scalable solutions.
• Apply robust architectural practices such as domain modelling to ensure our systems are clean, future-proof, and well-encapsulated.

• Collaborate with team leads to finalise solution designs and guide teams through delivery.
• Provide hands-on support during build phases—pair-programming, prototyping, reviewing code, and ensuring test coverage is solid.
• Support incident response when needed, partnering with Service Delivery to resolve critical issues efficiently.

• Build deep expertise in our BI products and share that knowledge across the business.
• Own the publication and upkeep of technical documentation—including data contracts, integration guides, and internal roadmaps.
• Regularly contribute to knowledge transfer and onboarding for internal and customer-facing teams.
• Stay ahead of the curve—continuously learning and sharing modern best practices in data engineering, architecture, cloud infrastructure, and tooling.
• Work with large-scale data pipelines and ETL frameworks, helping shape the technical foundations of our data platform.

What we are looking for

• Strong command of SQL and working with relational and analytical data stores
• Experience designing and maintaining ETL pipelines, using both off-the-shelf and custom solutions
• Proven ability to interpret complex business requirements and translate them into scalable technical solutions
• Solid hands-on experience working with Python for data handling, transformation, or orchestration
• Familiarity with Databricks, preferably in an Azure environment
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills—you’re approachable, professional, and confident engaging with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Strong self-management—able to juggle multiple workstreams, deliver to deadlines, and stay focused on outcomes
• A self-starting mindset—you take ownership, solve problems proactively, and deliver without needing to be micromanaged

What we can offer you

• A friendly, flexible and trust-based approach to working
• 25 days annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays and a typically very generous Christmas break
• The use of a mobile phone or tablet of your choice, with the monthly contract covered by us
• ‘Select Enhanced’ Bupa private healthcare - access from day 1 which covers all pre-existing conditions
• Fully matched private pension scheme (up to 8% matched)
• Life Assurance which pays out x4 of your salary to a nominated person(s)
• Employee Assistance Programme - Beders have access to support and practical advice on a variety of issues that might impact their life (provided by Bupa)
• Innovation time - Engineers have regular opportunities to spend time developing skills and innovating.
• A great office life! Free snacks and refreshments in the office every day as well as regular food van visits from the best places in Newcastle
• Access to Calm - the #1 app for meditation and sleep
• Lots of social events - inside and outside of the working day
• Referral Programme - help us grow our team with talented individuals and be rewarded with a referral payment of £3,000 (pre-tax)
• Bede swag - from Zoodies to t-shirts and even our much loved Bede socks!
• Bede Holidays - extra discretionary days off through the year as an extra special thank you