Lead Data Engineer

We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future.

As strategies, technologies, and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity.

Our diverse teams of experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results.

We are over 4,000 strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers, and technologists. And we have deep expertise in consumer and manufacturing, defence and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport.

Our teams operate globally from offices across the UK, Ireland, US, Nordics, and Netherlands.

Job Description

Are you up for the challenge of creating seamless user experiences from every angle?

Our teams are trusted to deliver and given the space to be awesome. We’re an inclusive community for the curious, generous, pragmatic and committed digital practitioner. Would you like to join this vibrant community of experts? Do you enjoy developing your team members, especially technically, but also on a personal level? If the answer is yes – we are looking for you!

Qualifications

In this role, you will advise clients on designing, building, and evaluating data platforms and transformation processes—spanning both batch and streaming solutions. You’ll collaborate closely with data engineers, data scientists, project managers, clients, and other stakeholders to deliver impactful outcomes. Leveraging modern design principles, you will ensure data pipelines are optimized for efficiency and reliability.

Beyond client-facing projects, you’ll play a key role in elevating our data engineering practice. This includes mentoring and coaching colleagues, driving innovation, and leading research and development initiatives. At PA, we’re deeply committed to continuous learning, with dedicated working hours set aside for personal training and development.

"Empower clients to maximize the value of their data by designing, implementing, and refining data platforms and transformation processes."

Our diverse team of data engineers and data scientists are passionate about technology and analytics. We go beyond applying algorithms to data—we create scalable, real-world solutions. Projects typically last 1 to 6 months, and we maintain a pragmatic, flexible approach, leveraging the platforms, tools, and methods best suited to each challenge. We perform big data analyses for clients in a variety of sectors like public sector, consumer goods and manufacturing, finance and banking, health and life science, transport & energy & utilities.

At PA Consulting, our Data Science Capability combines deep industry expertise with indigenous, cutting-edge data capabilities to deliver transformative insights for our clients. We collaborate closely with organisations to help them become resilient, future-ready, and powered by data. We address our clients’ most complex analytical challenges and pioneer innovative technologies that have the potential to reshape industries and create lasting impact.

Qualifications:

• Proven experience in designing end-to-end data architectures, with a strong ability to understand the client’s data landscape, business requirements, and translate them into scalable and efficient solutions.

• Experience designing cloud architectures, including Platform-as-a-Service components, serverless solutions, and containers.

• Strong experience designing and deploying production-grade data pipelines (batch and streaming) within a big data architecture using tools like Python, Scala, Spark, and SQL.

• Expertise in either AWS or Azure cloud platforms, with hands-on experience in key services such as:

• AWS: EMR, Glue, Redshift, Kinesis, Lambda, DynamoDB

• Azure: Data Factory, Synapse, Databricks, Event Hubs, Logic Apps, Cosmos DB

• Understanding of best practices for end-to-end software development lifecycles in a cloud environment, with the ability to adapt to other platforms.

• Hands-on experience processing and integrating structured and unstructured data from multiple sources through ingestion, transformation, and curation functions.

• Ability to write scripts, extract data using APIs, and create complex SQL queries.

• Familiarity with data cleaning, wrangling, visualization, and reporting using effective tools and frameworks.

• Knowledge of data mining, machine learning, natural language processing is an advantage.

• Ability to travel to client site, where required, will be a consideration.

• You enjoy working within cross-functional Agile teams and you are familiar with Scrum ceremonies.

Additional Information

Benefits

• Private medical insurance
• Travel allowance
• 25 days annual leave with the opportunity to buy 5 additional days
• Company pension scheme
• Annual performance-based bonus
• Life and Income protection insurance
• Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)
• Additional optional benefits (Dental, critical illness, spouse/partner life assurance)

Flexible working - We are guided by our client work and needs; however, you have autonomy to manage your time and diary to suit your work/life balance.

PA is committed to building an inclusive and supportive culture where diversity thrives, and all of our people can excel. We believe that greater diversity stimulates innovation, enabling us to fulfil our purpose of ‘Bringing Ingenuity to Life’, supporting the growth of our people, and delivering more enduring results for our clients.

We only recruit, promote and reward our people based on their contribution, without regard to gender, race, disability, religion, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or marital status.

We welcome international applications, but we are unable to offer sponsorship for work permits, so you will need to have the full right to live and work in the UK. Unfortunately, your application will be automatically rejected if you do not have these rights.