Principal Data Engineer

Department: Product Development

Location: Belfast

Employment Type: FullTime

The Role

We're looking for a Principal Data Engineer with extensive commercial experience building, supporting and leading data platforms and pipelines. You'll work hands-on across our cloud data stack, partnering with engineers, analysts and senior stakeholders to deliver reliable, well-modelled data that supports analytics and downstream use cases.

This role is focused on practical delivery and technical leadership, designing, building and improving data pipelines, setting engineering standards, and helping shape how we approach data engineering as a discipline. You'll bring depth across modern data engineering practices and play a key role in growing the capability of the team around you.

Essential Skills

• 8+ years' commercial experience in a data engineering or data-focused software engineering role, including experience operating at a senior or lead level.

• Experience owning data platforms end-to-end, including considerations around reliability, scalability, cost and governance.

• A track record of setting technical direction, establishing standards and leading architectural decisions across data workstreams.

• Experience mentoring and growing engineers, and contributing to how the team works as well as what it builds.

• Strong problem-solving skills and an ability to navigate ambiguity, shaping solutions from incomplete or evolving requirements.

• Clear communication skills and experience collaborating with both technical teams and senior non-technical stakeholders.

Commercial experience including a combination of the following:

• Python for data processing, transformation, pipeline development and the design of reusable frameworks or shared tooling

• AWS data services such as S3, Lambda, Glue (or comparable cloud services), including platform design and cost-aware architecture

• Designing, building and maintaining ETL/ELT pipelines in production environments at scale

• Expert SQL skills, including complex queries, performance tuning and warehouse optimisation

• Deep experience with a cloud data warehouse such as Snowflake (or similar), covering data models, pipelines, warehouse objects and governance

• Handling semi-structured data (e.g. JSON, Parquet) alongside structured datasets

Desirable Skills

• Experience with data orchestration or scheduling tools, including patterns for reliability and observability.

• Exposure to CI/CD practices for data pipelines, including testing strategies and deployment automation.

• Familiarity with analytics or BI use cases and the consumers of data.

• Experience with data governance, access control, lineage or security concepts at a platform level.

• Exposure to streaming or event-driven data architectures.

• Experience working in agile, delivery-focused teams and influencing how those teams operate.

Why Join Instil?

At Instil, we believe great work starts with happy, motivated people. That’s why we’ve built a benefits package that supports your wellbeing, growth, and life outside of work, because when you thrive, so do we.

• Recognition That Matters: A discretionary annual performance bonus that rewards your impact and contribution to our success.

• Flexibility Built In: Flexible working arrangements and summer hours, because life isn’t 9 to 5, and balance matters.

• Financial Security: A highly competitive pension scheme with generous employer contributions, private healthcare, and life assurance for peace of mind.

• Health & Wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme, mental health support, cycle-to-work scheme, and regular social events to keep our culture vibrant.

• Time to Recharge: 35 days holiday, enhanced maternity pay, and family-first policies so you can focus on what matters most.

• Learning Never Stops: From courses to certifications, we’ll invest in your development so you can keep growing and shaping what’s next.

• Community & Culture: Opportunities to volunteer, give back, and be part of initiatives that make Instil a truly inclusive and connected workplace.

And that’s just the start, drop us a note to find out more.

Company Description

Instil has been delivering world-class software engineering and technology solutions for over 20 years, trusted by global brands to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. From modernising legacy systems to building cutting-edge applications, we help our clients navigate an ever-changing digital landscape with confidence and agility.

We’re proud to be an award-winning employer, reflecting how our people are at the heart of everything we do:

• Recognised as a Great Place to Work® for three consecutive years, and in 2024 ranked in the Top 20 Best Workplaces in the UK for medium-sized companies.

• Winner of Company of the Year at the Digital DNA Awards 2022, celebrating excellence in Northern Ireland’s tech sector.

Driven by a love for technology and a commitment to excellence, we bring together people who want to make a difference. We’ll support your journey, because your success is part of ours.

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