Data Engineer | Hybrid Birmingham
Contract data engineer (Inside IR35, up to £530/day), hybrid 3 days/week in Birmingham, designing and maintaining high-throughput data pipelines and lakehouse architecture with Apache Spark, Java/Scala, advanced SQL and AWS, supporting AI/ML and generative AI analytics use cases.
- Compensation
- £530 / day
- Location
- Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Data engineering
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 5+ years of data engineering experience building large-scale data solutions
- Hands-on Apache Spark development using Java or Scala (Python considered)
- Strong proficiency in AWS cloud services (S3, EMR, Glue, IAM) and cloud-native architecture
- Advanced SQL development skills for performance-critical transformations
- Practical knowledge of ETL/ELT pipelines, data modeling, and lakehouse design
- Familiarity with Generative AI or AI/ML workflows and enabling AI-driven data ecosystems
- Understanding of data governance, quality, security standards, and operational resiliency
Nice to have
- Hands-on experience with Databricks and/or Snowflake
- Financial services domain experience with data compliance frameworks
- Familiarity with observability tools, automation, and DevOps principles in data workflows
Full description
Role: Data Engineer
IR35 determination: Inside IR35
Location: Birmingham
Working model: Hybrid 3 days on site each week
Rate: up to £530 per day
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Responsibilities
- Design, implement, and maintain high-throughput data pipelines using Apache Spark and cloud-native tools
- Develop ETL/ELT workflows for managing structured and unstructured data in AWS cloud environments
- Collaborate with AI/ML teams to enable data platforms for Generative AI and advanced analytics use cases
- Ensure compliance with data quality, governance, and monitoring best practices across all integrations
- Enable data lakehouse architectures that support scalability, resilience, and flexible analytics
- Write optimized SQL queries and scalable code in Java or Scala, ensuring performance efficiency in large datasets
- Apply security principles and operational guidelines to deliver secure, highly available solutions
- Partner with cross-functional engineering teams to improve automation, data observability, and platform reliability
- Troubleshoot complex data processing issues within distributed systems and production environments
- Contribute to continuous improvement strategies for AI-ready data pipelines and analytics enablement
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Requirements (Must Have Skills)
- 5+ years of data engineering experience building high-performing and large-scale data solutions
- Hands-on expertise in Apache Spark development using Java or Scala (Python experience considered)
- Strong proficiency in AWS cloud services (S3, EMR, Glue, IAM, etc.) and cloud-native architecture principles
- Advanced SQL development skills for performance-critical data transformations
- Practical knowledge of ETL/ELT pipelines, data modeling, and lakehouse design in an enterprise environment
- Familiarity with Generative AI or AI/ML workflows and experience enabling AI-driven data ecosystems
- Solid understanding of data governance, quality, security standards, and operational resiliency
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Nice to Have Skills
- Hands-on experience with Databricks and/or Snowflake, ideally within modern cloud data platforms
- Financial services domain experience, with exposure to data compliance frameworks
- Familiarity with observability tools, automation practices, and modern DevOps principles in data workflows
About Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry unleashes potential in people, teams, and organizations. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. To learn more, please visit Korn Ferry at www.Kornferry.com